The siting of large-scale dairy farms in Ohio resulted in a variety of reactions by citizens in the state. The potential risks associated with the operations led some communities to oppose the siting of such enterprises in their communities, while other communities accepted the farms with little or no opposition. This study described the attributes of trust that were present in a community that was generally opposed to the siting of a large-scale dairy farm, and the attributes of trust that were present in a community that was generally unopposed to the siting of a large-scale dairy farm.
The research design for the current study was an embedded, multiple case study, and was conducted in Wyandot County, Ohio, and Wood County, Ohio. Communities were purposefully selected based on their overall reaction to the siting of a large-scale farm, with Wyandot County being generally unopposed and Wood County being generally opposed. Two rounds of interviews were conducted in each community, yielding 20 interviews in Wyandot County and 27 interviews in Wood County. A review of documentation and archival records related to the siting of the farms was also conducted.
Overall, the findings of the study indicated that there were no overall community reactions. Rather, in each community were people with a variety of opinions about the farms, ranging from complete opposition to total acceptance. The study concluded that individuals who opposed the dairy in each community generally did not possess attributes of trust toward those identified as responsible for controlling the risks associated with the farm. Similarly, individuals who were unopposed to the dairy in each community generally did possess attributes of trust in those identified as responsible for controlling the risks associated with the farm.