WAVERLY - Opportunity has come a knockin' for one Iowa farmer, but neighbors don't want him to answer the door.

The would-be operator of the confinement facility, Curtis Brandt of rural Waverly, sat quietly with his wife during a public hearing Monday with the Bremer County Supervisors.

From time to time the farmer looked up, smiling kindly as he fielded questions regarding his proposed project.

"It's nice to have the concerns voiced before we build the facility," Brandt said following the session.

The proposed two-building hog lot would be situated about 2 1/2 miles east of Waverly on Iowa Highway 3 and 300 feet back from the roadway. The 4,800-head operation would constitute one of the larger hog lots in Bremer County, according to one official.

Brandt's house would sit closer than any to the hot lot, and he's aware of what's on the table.

What's a person to do, Brandt wondered.

"The farm's been in the family name for 136 years," he said. "I don't know where else to build."

The community got wind a lot might be built east of town and almost 40 turned up at the Bremer County Courthouse for Monday's hearing.

A few spoke on the plight of Iowa farmers who want to build livestock confinement operations and just try to make a living.

Most, though, vehemently opposed Brandt's project. Odor, sanitation and a potential decrease in property values topped their list of concerns.

Brandt's initial proposal has met the state's matrix guidelines but the decision to grant the permit rests with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The public hearing is part of the information gathering process.

Though Bremer County Supervisors may pass a recommendation, they stressed it would carry little weight with the state.

"I just can't perceive how this wouldn't be a problem," said Sarah Scott, a spectator at the hearing.

As a mother, she spoke of potential health hazards that manure running into the creek might pose for children playing there.

Others focused on air quality.

"Can I still open my windows in the summer?" Linda McMahon asked.

She thought by building her home so close to the highway, she would be far from such large hog lots.

Lavern Fails said he isn't opposed to hogs or hog lots. He just doesn't want one here, not so close to small family farms and definitely not so close to the high-scale subdivisions.

"It's probably the wrong place," the Denver resident said. "After the fact, we'll say we shouldn't have done it."

From Brandt's point of view, it's the story of a fourth-generation farmer who wants to have something substantial to pass on to his son.

Brandt said the operation will allow him to invest dollars in the community by paying higher taxes and by purchasing animal feed.

But when the proposal is a sizable hog lot, neighbors feel they have a stake in the matter, too.

It's a messy situation, said Supervisor Gaylord Hinderaker: Iowa asks farmers to do what they can to keep pork production in the state. At the same time, communities like Waverly try to encourage rural development and town folks don't like the smell.

Some of the more vocal opponents at Monday's hearing, though, don't live in the city. Many were other farmers or landowners. A little country perfume is one thing, they said. Odor induced by 4,800 hogs is another.

"Overall public good has to supersede the individual's needs," said Tom Scott, another member of the audience. "Is this the turn we want Iowa to take?"