More hogs likely for Greene County

By ANDREW MCGINN
a.mcginn@beeherald.com

Greene County supervisors on Monday reviewed the first proposed hog confinement expansion since being asked by their counterparts in one northwest Iowa county to join the debate about the effectiveness of the state’s “master matrix,” a scoring system used in the siting of the contentious facilities.

Jackson, Minn.-based New Fashion Pork wants to add a fourth building to its sow operation in Section 31 of Cedar Twp. near the Carroll County line, which would bring the total number of hogs there to 4,600 from 3,000.

Greene County supervisors reviewed the project’s master matrix scoring, noting that New Fashion’s proposal has enough points to move forward.

But supervisors still want more — including the addition of landscaping and a closure plan — from the hog production company that operates sites in six states.

Whether or not New Fashion Pork will actually humor supervisors isn’t guaranteed, nor required, under current state rules.

“A lot of people don’t think the master matrix is tough enough,” Jay Moore, director of environmental services for New Fashion Pork, said at Monday’s meeting. “It forces you to look for a good site.”

Greene County supervisors in March received a survey from their counterparts in Dickinson County to gauge statewide interest for increasing local control of hog confinements by tweaking the master matrix.

Tourism-rich Dickinson County — home to Okoboji — earlier this year asked for a moratorium on the building of confinements.

In response to Dickinson County’s survey, Greene County supervisors Guy Richardson and Dawn Rudolph said they were in favor of more local control.

Supervisors John Muir, Tom Contner and Mick Burkett voiced opposition to repairing the current master matrix.

“I’ve always advocated for more local control, even though it wouldn’t be much fun for supervisors,” Richardson said after Monday’s meeting. “It’s our responsibility. We know our county best.”

Despite that viewpoint, he said he doesn’t believe Dickinson County’s moratorium has legal standing.

“We have a right to free enterprise in this country as long as you play by the rules,” he said, “and the rules have been established.”

New Fashion Pork’s proposed expansion in Cedar Twp. — which would add 1,600 hogs to the site — scored 550 on the master matrix, easily clearing the 440 minimum needed to proceed.

The site is 5,182 feet from the nearest residence (1,875 feet of clearance is the minimum) and 3,165 feet from the closest water source, Purgatory Creek (a minimum of 500 feet is required).

New Fashion Pork purchased the site — which predates the master matrix — from Elite Pork, and plans to develop gilts, or young females, in the added building, according to Moore.

He told Greene County supervisors Monday that the company didn’t notify neighbors of its plans for expansion.

The county, however, has taken it upon itself to voluntarily inform nearby residents whenever a confinement is built or expanded.

“We’re doing more than any other county,” said Tim Healy, county sanitarian.

Healy said he heard no opposition from neighbors about the expansion, although a homeowner a mile and a half away who just put the finishing touches two weeks ago on a new house had questions.

A formal public hearing on the expansion will be held Monday morning at the supervisors’ next meeting.

Supervisors told Moore they’d like a closure plan from New Fashion Pork should the site close, and would like to see landscaping around the facility to help with odor and overall aesthetics.

“To them, it’s a little thing,” Supervisor Dawn Rudolph said after Monday’s meeting of the request for landscaping. “It’s not a dollar return for them.”

Moore couldn’t commit to landscaping.

“I’ll take that back to our management,” he said.