06/27/06 GB
The Dickinson County board of supervisors has voted four to zero to oppose construction of a 4 thousand head hog operation west of Spirit Lake. Under Iowa law local counties do not have a say in regulating livestock operations, but can give imput to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources – which does have the final say.
The company New Fashion Pork of Jackson, Minnesota wants to construct the building on 5 acres of farmground owned by Bernie Cohrs on section 31 of Diamond Lake township.
Dickinson County zoning administrator David Kolhasse today reported to the board that the project meets the criteria set up by the state, but after a public hearing – which drew about 100 concerned citizens – the board directed assistant county attorney Lonnie Saunders to submite a letter to the D.N.R. so the county is on record as opposing the operation.
The D.N.R. should decide yet this summer whether to approve the project or not. If they do, the county can request a public hearing be held where the state would have to reconsider its decision.
New Fashion Pork’s environmental manager, Jay Moore, told the supervisors about a million gallons of manure would be produced a year, and injected onto 320 acres of farmland near the Little Sioux River.
Neighboring farmer Bill Murphy called the 4 thousand head hog operation “environmental terrorism” and said its existence would undermine what conservation-minded farmers in the area have been attempting to do with their own land. Spirit Lake attorney Donna Buell told NFP’s Jay Moore that the area has a 150 million dollar a year tourist economy and will do everything it can to fight the project.
In 2002 a 4 thousand head hog operation was proposed Southwest of Milford by Dutch Creek Farms of Fairmont Minnesota, but scrapped when a non-profit group called “Save Dickinson County’s environment” paid them to drop it.
