20050420 Committee orders New Windsor farmer to fix fence

Committee orders New Windsor farmer to fix fence

By Carrie Ann Knauer, Times Staff Writer

Carroll County Times - Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Despite neighbors' complaints that the loose pigs in Marston belong to a nearby farmer, the county Right to Farm Agricultural Reconciliation Committee has determined that the pigs are feral.

More than a dozen residents gave testimony over two nights during the past two months about loose pigs trespassing on their property, uprooting their grass with their snouts and chasing the homeowners and their children.

But two experts from the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension testified that the pigs in the photographs provided by neighbors did not look like the quality of pig a farmer would raise to make money from, and said there was a strong possibility the pigs were feral, probably having escaped from a farm at some time and had reverted back to a wild state.

In addition, the two experts visited Carroll Schisler Sr.'s farm in the 2500 block of Marston Road and examined his pigpen. They determined it was an adequate pen that should be able to contain his pigs.

Neighbors and animal control officers from the Humane Society of Carroll County testified that the fence separating Schisler's property from their properties had several gaps that was allowing the animals to go back and forth across the fence.

The reconciliation committee said that regardless of whether the pigs belong to Schisler or not, he should repair the 300-yards of fence in question to prevent any of the animals he has in that pasture - sheep, goats, horses and cattle - from getting out.

The reconciliation committee ordered that the Schislers repair the fence to standards appropriate for the types of animals he pens according to the recommendations of the cooperative extension within 60 days.

Committee Chairman Kevin Dayhoff said he had spoken with Carroll Schisler Jr., who runs the farming operation, and asked him if he would be able to fix the fence. Dayhoff said Schisler Jr. told him he already had most of the supplies and was willing to make improvements.

Carroll Schisler Sr. said his fence was not allowing any animals out, but that neighbors were blaming him for any loose animals they saw, regardless of whether they belonged to him.

"Any time my fence is down it gets fixed," he said.

Schisler said he is still worried that his neighbors will continue to attack him because of the attention gathered from this hearing. Schisler testified that nearly 30 of his animals have been shot on his property in the past year because of bad blood with his neighbors.

Reconciliation committee member Barry Marsh made a motion at Tuesday night's hearing to have the committee go on the record that it is against residents taking any action against animals trespassing on their properties. Assistant County Attorney Tim Burke said the law states that people may not shoot trespassing animals unless the property owners are in imminent danger.

"This committee does not condone any of the citizens taking it upon themselves to destroy any of these animals," Marsh said.

Burke said he has contacted the Maryland Department of Natural Resources about the feral pigs. Burke said the representative he spoke with was very interested in investigating the matter and trying to eradicate the loose pigs as soon as possible.

The reconciliation committee asked that the county staff pursue an eradication program with the DNR and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and report back to the committee in 60 days on the progress.

Resident Agnes Lerp said she appreciated the time the committee took to help resolve the pig issue. Lerp said while she doesn't necessarily believe the pigs are wild, she believes the committee has done all it can to correct the problem.

"Fixing the fence is the most important thing," she said.