Former resident makes plea to hog operation
Dear Brady Reicks,I am writing this letter to you here, in hopes that you will read it. I have tried reaching out to you but was denied the opportunity to speak with you. I wholeheartedly hope that you read this letter and think about the impact your decision will make on my family.I received word that plans are scheduled to move forward in the coming weeks building your confinement. I beg of you to please put a stop to this. There is still time.Just like me, I know that you have a young family. I have a 5-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter. I know what it means to bend over backwards to support your family. My heart breaks in more ways than I can describe when thinking about these past few months. I have spent countless hours away from my family writing letters, making phone calls, researching, and participating in conference calls, all to put a stop to something that you could stop in a matter of moments. Those are moments I will never get back, but I am willing to teach all day, support my family, and work late into the night, every night, if it means providing them the future I envisioned and they deserve. Those are the sacrifices we make as parents. I believe your intentions are to do the same. But here is the catch, your decision to support your family is ruining the dreams of other families, including mine. You will reap the rewards while the neighbors of your confinement will suffer. Can you see that? Truly? Do you fully understand the implications of your decisions?I want to share with you my dreams. I want my children to be able to go to their grandparent’s house. I want them to play outside ANY time they want. I want them to go on tractor rides and pony rides. I want them to be able to fill up a glass of water without worry. I want them to enjoy country living at its best. I want to someday for my parent’s farm to be passed down to them. I want future generations to make more memories in the little slice of heaven that is my parent’s farm. My parents had a vision years ago when they built their house from the ground up. Sharing what they worked so hard for all those years ago with their children and grandchildren was always a part of their plan. You are literally breaking their hearts.Brady, your family business has numerous other options around the state. Why do you have to build in this spot with so much at stake for its neighbors?Is this the legacy you want to leave? Will you care knowing that my mother’s health is at stake? That she becomes ill when she smells something as little as scented-lotions or perfume? That she has a lung condition due to complications following a surgery? What impact with having your confinement near her farm have on her health? Will you care knowing that my children will have limited options when visiting their grandparents when they are meant to be outside? Will you care if my parents need to sell their home for decreased value because they cannot sacrifice their health to live in their dream home? Will you care? Can you see the big picture? At what point did pigs become more important than my children? My family? What makes your family dreams more important than mine?There is still time to put a stop to this. There are other ways that you can support your family without impacting mine. In my heart, I want to believe that you are a good person. I am still holding onto that little sliver of hope that you will do the right thing. Please do the right thing. Please.
