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Usually considered a rural issue, two proposed hog confinements Dallas County are making urban lawmakers pay more attention.

The proposed hog confinements would have a total of 7,440 hogs in rural Dallas County, which is the fastest growing county in the state. These confinements will proposed as much waste as a town of 30,000 people and it will go untreated.

Earlier this month, Dallas County Supervisors voted against allowing these proposed hog confinements, but in reality there isn’t much the local people can do about the hog confinements that will be owned by the out of state company, Cargill.

Dallas is among 70 counties that have adopted a system of requirements used by state regulators to determine whether construction of an animal confinement is allowed, which means the Board of Supervisors and dozens of residents who live near the proposed buildings provide input but have little say over what happens in their backyards.

The so-called “master matrix,” created in 2003, awards points based on how a confinement will affect the air, water and community. Both proposed Dallas County confinements garnered enough points for approval, which county officials must submit to the state by Monday.

Residents say the grading system creates an illusion of local control. “In reality, the county has very little control over this,” said Jim Thompson, who lives near one of the proposed sites west of Perry.

Applications to build animal confinements are submitted to the county, where officials score the matrix. If an applicant gets the needed points, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources approves the application. If the county issues a failing grade, the state rescores the matrix and can overrule the decision.

In the past some state legislators from more urban districts stayed away from this issue, saying that it was a rural issue. However, these proposed hog confinements demonstrate that hog confinements are moving into more urban areas and can be put up anywhere without little control from local citizens.

Hopefully, this will force urban lawmakers in the Iowa legislature to start pushing for the need for local control.

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Over the weekend, I wrote about the flaws in the odor study bill. I said the bill wastes taxpayer on a study that has already been done. Vilsack requested a study in 2002 and since then other states have done similar studies.

Unfortunately, the bill has been passed by Iowa House and Iowa Senate and now sits on Gov. Culver’s desk.

The Iowa Farmer’s Union is calling for Culver to veto the bill. They cite the redundancy of the study…

Research has already been done on cost effective ways to mitigate odor. Included are better siting methods, and the use of biofilters and covers on lagoons. Iowa’s taxpayers should not be required to fund another round of studies on proven technologies when the legislature has not shown any willingness to act on the information already gathered from previous studies. Instead we should require producers to implement what we already know.

Hopefully, Culver will realize that this study stinks and decides to veto it.

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The Iowa House passed a bill to see if hog manure stinks. The study will cost taxpayers $23 million over 5 years.

You don’t need to spend $23 million to tell you that hog manure smells bad. Just drive around rural Iowa with your windows down and you will be be able to tell that hog manure smells.

To make it worse, taxpayer money was spent in 2002 for a similar study.

Previous studies, including one in 2002 by Iowa State University and the University of Iowa, have linked respiratory illnesses with large animal confinements. The 2002 study, requested by former Gov. Tom Vilsack, was overseen by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The study recommended that manure be largely covered by soil immediately upon field application.

The bill now goes to the Iowa Senate. If you already know that hog manure smells bad and don’t like to see taxpayer money wasted call your Senator and tell them the Odor Study stinks.

On a related note, legislators are considering allowing open piles of manure within 400 feet of Iowa’s waterways and even homes.

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Last week, I wrote about Chet Culver talking about how important of an issue local control of large hog confinements is.

Todd Dormon responded to my post and shows what Culver has done on the issue…

Here is the chronology of Culver’s push for local control, as I see it.

1. Promise repeatedly during the 2006 campaign to push for local control over where large hog confinements can be built.

2. Insist weeks before even taking office that you can’t get the Legislature to go along with local control, so you’re not going to press the issue.

3. Make no mention of local control in your second legislative agenda.

4. Make a great speech talking about your continued push for local control.

I don’t care whether you favor or oppose local control, but I defy you to find any real evidence that Culver has “pushed” for it.

He’s insisted, repeatedly, that the votes aren’t there in the Legislature. That may be true.

But the votes weren’t there for a $1 cigarette tax increase when he proposed it in his first budget address to lawmakers last year. He lobbied hard and got it anyway.

I am not sure if there are any bills on this issue still being discussed this session. If not, hopefully, this can become an issue in the upcoming elections and one that Culver pushes next legislative session.

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Bill Richardson is taking a tough stand on CAFO’s.

From my inbox…

Richardson Decries Failure of Senate Ag Committee to Limit CAFOs

Praises Harkin Effort to Reform EQIP Payments for Family Farmers

DES MOINES , IA — Presidential candidate New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today criticized action taken by the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee to defeat a needed reform of federal payments that would have promised more equity for smaller, independent hog producers in Iowa . In a mark-up of the 2007 Farm Bill, senators voted down an amendment offered by Senator Tom Harkin that would have lowered the cap on total cost share payments for CAFOs (confined-animal feedlot operations), from $450,000 to $240,000 per contract. The action denies thousands of family farmers important assistance for environmentally-sound operations.

“The Senate today missed an important opportunity to help family farmers in rural America , and especially in Iowa ,” said Governor Bill Richardson. “We should not be funding CAFOs more than $240,000 per contract, because there is not enough money in this program to get equity for family farmers at a higher rate. As President, I will fight to get help for the thousands of small and independent producers and farmers whose applications have been denied under current failed policies. Government needs to be on the side of the family farmer.”

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In a decision last month by the Iowa Department of Revenue large hog confinements will benefit from a tax cut starting in 2009. The decision will increase the tax burden on landowners and give an incentive for more hog confinements to be built in the …

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I am at the Progressive Iowa Network/DFIA conference in Iowa City. State Senator Joe Bolkcom (D-Iowa City) was introduced and as soon as he got to the podium Rep. Dave Loebsack came in and bumped Sen. Bolkcom.Loebsack thanks the people in attendanc…

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From my inbox… Wednesday, April 11 – Come to Des Moines and Keep the Calls and E-mails Coming…Rally at Capitol – Lobby Day!Help Protect Clean Air and Water Bill (H.F . 873) and The Matrix Improvement Bill (S.F. 550)!For the first time in year…

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