My family is celebrating 40 years in business. As I was preparing for the celebration, I started to reminisce on some of the stories told, things experienced, and knowledge gained over the decades.
I was thinking specifically about neighbor relations. Throughout our business’s history, we have examples of the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to interactions with the people living around our work sites. It made me wonder what philosophies and practices some of you have when dealing with neighbors.
A critical eye
What do you do when a vehicle is parked next to the field watching you?
Our policy is to approach the vehicle. If the visitor is generally curious, they will stay and have a conversation. We have given a few tractor rides this way, and subsequently, we were able to do good public relations for the industry and our customer. On one job site, after the kids got a tractor ride, the entire family waved every time they passed.
On the other hand, if they are a “hater,” they will drive off as you try to approach. Or they could stay and argue. I suggest not wasting your breath. But do everything in your power to do a great application job following all setbacks and regulations and other good housekeeping practices.
Some of you may have experienced unwanted visitors by drone. Please note that removing a drone from the sky, when you are not the owner, is equivalent to removing a passenger jet from the sky, according to the Federal Aviation Association. Do not do this.
For every good story, we also have less positive ones. We have had neighbors who threatened us with violence, who placed wooden boards with nails sticking up in the roadway or in the right-of-way where our semis need to make turns, and who said they would film us and post it on social media. In that particular case, I told him to please go ahead, because it was a beautiful application job. That individual did not like my response and left the field. Kindness and agreement are great tools that de-escalate situations.
Set high standards
What are the expectations during manure removal at your facility?
As a custom applicator, our philosophy is that we are guests in the neighborhood and are representing the facility. There are a few ways we try to be the best guest possible.
Using one-way traffic: This reduces the passing of neighbors’ homes by half. There are statistics that show what is an “acceptable” level of traffic before someone is more inclined to call and complain.
No straight pipes on our semis or independent drivers we hire: There is such a thing as noise pollution, and those of us working in this industry do not need another contributor to our hearing loss anyway.
Following speed limits: We all need to get the job done and go home to our families. Don’t be a statistic.
Share contact information: When we have a conversation with any passerby, we give them our business card and let them know they can call with questions. This builds trust.
Small gestures can foster relations: Can you or your customer afford to share some meat, milk, or eggs with neighbors? If my neighbor showed up at my doorstep with something locally produced, I wouldn’t turn it down.
What are you doing to improve neighbor relations? As I ask this question, I understand that there are some neighbors that will be difficult to work with, no matter what you do. In these cases, it is always best to take the high road and just smile and wave.
The author is the vice president of W.D. Farms LLC in Circleville, Ohio, and blogs as the Ohio Manure Gal.
This article appeared in the August 2026 issue of Journal of Nutrient Management on page 18.
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