BOSTON -- You'd think living close to a farm would hold a lot of appeal for neighbors. In Tewksbury, a lot depends on how the wind blows.

NewsCenter 5's Jack Harper reported that some residents who live next to Krochmal Farm -- a large, commercial pig farm -- say they can't stand the smell anymore. Owners John and Jan Cave said that they are doing the best they can to control the problem.

Pig Farm Smell Angers Residents

"Obviously, livestock smells. It's the nature of the business, unfortunately," Jan Cave.

"On some days, it is impossible to use your back yard," neighbor David Powers said.

About 900 pigs are housed in a feeding barn. Their waste is collected in a tank below.

"Sometimes it is really bad. Like, getting from here to the car is -- you hold your breath," neighbor Kim Derosa said.

When many of the neighbors moved in, the pigs roamed free. Three years ago the Caves changed the process, and now, the animals are confined.

"The farm certainly was here first, but they changed their operation dramatically. They are now a factory farm. They have confined pigs, and I bet you $1 million that they won’t let you in to take a picture of those pigs," Powers said.

The farm owners said they are working on a new system to control the smell.

"Hopefully as soon as we can get some funding together, we will be putting that system in, which will eliminate the smell probably 90 percent," Cave said.

"We are not yuppie farm haters. That is what everyone thinks. No one is against the farmer, you know. We want them to have their business," Powers said.

"We've been here for a long time, and we intend to stay. People say, 'Why don’t you sell? It is worth a fortune.' We don't want to sell," Cave said.