Hog lot expansion approved for Hardin

By ANDREW MCGINN
a.mcginn@beeherald.com

Greene County supervisors are recommending that a Hardin Twp. hog confinement be allowed to expand, upping the facility’s manure output to little more than 1.2 million gallons annually.

Supervisors on Monday voted unanimously to give their blessing to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for the proposed hog expansion by Jay Ostrander, of Greene Valley Inc., in Section 22 of Hardin Twp.

Ostrander currently has 5,000 hogs at two sites in the township. The expansion of one site will increase the total number of hogs to 7,500.

Kent Krause, president of the Iowa Falls-based environmental consulting firm Pinnacle, gave Ostrander’s operation high marks for manure management.

On the master matrix, Greene Valley Inc. scored 480 points — 40 points above the minimum scoring requirement to expand.

“Expansions are kind of easy,” said John Muir, chairman of the Greene County board of supervisors. “People know what to expect. They work out pretty good.”

The county received no written objections to the planned expansion, and at a public hearing Monday morning, only one person spoke, vouching for Ostrander’s character.
“He will take consideration for his neighbors,” said Roy Highley, a fellow neighbor. “I think we’re going to be OK.”

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