The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has approved a manure plan for Supreme Beef, a cattle feedlot in northeast Iowa, but opponents questioned whether it’s legal for the applicant to tweak the plan midway.
The DNR held a public hearing for Supreme Beef’s nutrient management plan application Oct. 16 and an equal number of people spoke for and against the plan for disposing of manure from up to 11,600 cattle.
The agency accepted revisions to the plan Nov. 8, 16 and 17, before issuing final approval last week, according to the letter the DNR sent Supreme Beef owner Jared Walz.
“After review of the NMP, revisions and clarifications, and public comments DNR is accepting the NMP,” Environmental Specialist Senior Brian Jergenson wrote in the Nov. 17 letter.
The plan for how Supreme Beef will apply liquid manure to farmland is in effect through the 2028 crop year. The feedlot must keep records of manure application so the DNR can review them during inspections, the letter says.
Supreme Beef hasn’t been able to land apply manure since May, a month after Polk County Judge Scott Rosenberg sided with nature groups that sued the DNR and Supreme Beef over a previous plan they said was flawed and would endanger waterways in the Driftless region.
Supreme Beef applied again last summer, but after a public hearing in August withdrew its plan.
Opponents at the public hearing in October said Supreme Beef’s newest plan still had omissions and inaccurate information. These opponents, who include neighbors of the feedlot and water quality advocates, say they question whether the revisions to the plan after the Oct. 16 public hearing are legal.
“State law says DNR must approve or deny a plan within 60 days — not coach, collude, and change the plan during the review process,” according to a news release from the Committee to Save Bloody Run.
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“If there are issues, the DNR should reject, coach, allow resubmission, and restart the review and comment clocks. Any other process is beyond their authority and allows serious issues to fall through the cracks without public scrutiny.”
The group says it will review the full plan once it is released to the public and see if they feel it protects waterways, such as Bloody Run, a prized trout stream.
Supporters of Supreme Beef said at the Oct. 16 hearing the feedlot provides a market for locally-raised cattle and the manure allows neighboring farmers to reduce the synthetic fertilizer they apply to their fields.
www.thegazette.com
The DNR held a public hearing for Supreme Beef’s nutrient management plan application Oct. 16 and an equal number of people spoke for and against the plan for disposing of manure from up to 11,600 cattle.
The agency accepted revisions to the plan Nov. 8, 16 and 17, before issuing final approval last week, according to the letter the DNR sent Supreme Beef owner Jared Walz.
“After review of the NMP, revisions and clarifications, and public comments DNR is accepting the NMP,” Environmental Specialist Senior Brian Jergenson wrote in the Nov. 17 letter.
The plan for how Supreme Beef will apply liquid manure to farmland is in effect through the 2028 crop year. The feedlot must keep records of manure application so the DNR can review them during inspections, the letter says.
Supreme Beef hasn’t been able to land apply manure since May, a month after Polk County Judge Scott Rosenberg sided with nature groups that sued the DNR and Supreme Beef over a previous plan they said was flawed and would endanger waterways in the Driftless region.
Supreme Beef applied again last summer, but after a public hearing in August withdrew its plan.
Opponents at the public hearing in October said Supreme Beef’s newest plan still had omissions and inaccurate information. These opponents, who include neighbors of the feedlot and water quality advocates, say they question whether the revisions to the plan after the Oct. 16 public hearing are legal.
“State law says DNR must approve or deny a plan within 60 days — not coach, collude, and change the plan during the review process,” according to a news release from the Committee to Save Bloody Run.
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“If there are issues, the DNR should reject, coach, allow resubmission, and restart the review and comment clocks. Any other process is beyond their authority and allows serious issues to fall through the cracks without public scrutiny.”
The group says it will review the full plan once it is released to the public and see if they feel it protects waterways, such as Bloody Run, a prized trout stream.
Supporters of Supreme Beef said at the Oct. 16 hearing the feedlot provides a market for locally-raised cattle and the manure allows neighboring farmers to reduce the synthetic fertilizer they apply to their fields.
Iowa DNR approves Supreme Beef’s manure plan
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has approved a manure plan for Supreme Beef, a cattle feedlot in northeast Iowa, but opponents questioned whether it’s legal for the applicant to tweak the plan midway.
www.thegazette.com
