February - 2010:
In order to understand this website, you need to
scroll to
the bottom of this page where it first began two
years ago in February, 2008. It is the story of a
group of citizens from Carrington, North Dakota who did
not want a Mega-Dairy to locate so close to their town.
Our first concerned citizens meeting took place
two years ago at the Armory
in Carrington on February 12, 2008, with approximately 40
people attending. The main concerns addressed were: the
location of the Mega-dairy and its closeness to Carrington and
the Carrington aquifer... the possibility of it contaminating
our ground water - the fact that we need stricter county
regulations regarding large CAFO's (Concentrated Animal Feeding
Operations such as this Mega-dairy) that want to come to our
area - that much of the planning for this proposed Mega-dairy in
Carrington was done by some community leaders without notifying
the general public.
As the last
two years have transpired, many events have taken place
with the results that the Van Bedaf Dairy application
was approved by the State of North Dakota, the
mega-dairy (patterned after the Thief River Falls
Mega-Dairy in Minnesota) has been built and is
functioning 2.5 miles from Carrington. This coming
summer will give us an idea of how the stench from the
dairy (with its accompanying hydrogen sulfide fumes) may
or may not affect the Carrington community. By the
way, the Thief River Falls Dairy has been shut down by
the MN State Health Department because it was creating
an unhealthy stench, causing members of the community to
become sick.
Note: The "346 letters in
support of a dairy" - which Commissioner Carr used to
influence the approval of the dairy - turned out to be
TWO letters. One was written by Tom Erdmann and
the other was simply a letter photocopied and signed by
approximately 350 people, some underage, some from other
counties, and some by the same person over and over
again. Members of the committee against the
location of the mega-dairy actually had to sue Foster
County in order to get copies of those letters - letters
which were public information and should have simply
been given to any citizen upon request. It seems
that Commissioner Carr had refused to give up the
"letters" because he had led the community to believe
that they were actually written by 346 different
people supporting the location of the mega-dairy... not just photocopies of one letter.
Remember: Jim Carr is the commissioner who had a
contract to supply goods to the mega-dairy before the
community even became aware of all the commission's
machinations to bring it to the Carrington area.
May - 2010:
MPCA board pulls permit of Thief River Falls dairy with
smelly past
State
pollution control officials pulled the plug Tuesday on a
troublesome dairy near Thief River Falls that has
violated air quality rules hundreds of times during the
past few years. On a unanimous vote, the Minnesota
Pollution Control Agency Citizens' Board decided in
effect to shut down Excel Dairy when its permit expires
Wednesday.
More...
January - 2010:
Latest Thief River Falls Dairy News:
January 20,
2010 - 11:07 PM: MPCA moves to close odiferous
Thief River Falls dairy
The state agency has begun the process to shut down
Excel Dairy, which has repeatedly violated pollution
rules. By TOM MEERSMAN, Star Tribune
Minnesota pollution control officials intend to shut
down an odorous dairy near Thief River Falls that has
repeatedly driven neighbors from their homes during the
past two years and violated air quality rules hundreds
of times... The worst problem for the 40 people who live
within a mile of the dairy was the stench from uncovered
manure pits that made them sick, especially during
summer months... They complained of headaches, nausea,
breathing problems and sore throats from foul-smelling
hydrogen sulfide emissions that shrouded their homes...
In June 2008, state health officials advised several
families near the dairy to evacuate after measuring air
quality violations 200 times higher than state
standards.
More...
March 10, 2009:
There has been a lot of news about the Thief River Falls
Excel mega-dairy lately. Those of you who followed
our interviews/reports/videos of the Thief River folks
who lived near the toxic fumes of the mega-dairy might
want to take a look at some links that describe what has
been happening over the past few months.
(Click here to see links to information about Thief
River Falls.)
February 3, 2009: Livestock
manure stinks for infant health - Megafarm production
associated with infant illness, death rates
by Rachel Ehrenberg -Science News - January 16, 2009
The manure generated by thousands of cows or pigs
doesn’t just stink — it may seriously affect human
health.
New research examining two decades’ worth of livestock
production data finds a positive relationship between
increased production at industrial farms and infant
death rates in the counties where the farms reside. The
study reported in the February American Journal of
Agricultural Economics implicates air pollution and
suggests that Clean Air Act regulations need to be
revamped to address livestock production of noxious
gases.
The new work is in line with several studies documenting
the ill effects of megafarms, which typically have
thousands of animals packed into small areas, comments
Peter Thorne, director of the Environmental Health
Sciences Research Center at the University of Iowa in
Iowa City.
Ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and airborne particulate
matter are all associated with livestock production,
Sneeringer says. Exposure to the gases has been linked
to respiratory distress in infants, while exposure in
the womb has been linked to disorders that occur late in
pregnancy or shortly after birth, and has also been
linked to spontaneous abortions. Sneeringer found that
about 80 percent of the infant deaths associated with
increased livestock production occurred in the first 28
days of life.
Read the entire article...
It looks
like this small community in rural Wisconsin is now
facing some of the mega-dairy-centered problems that
Carrington has faced for the past year and will be
facing in the future. It's interesting how these
huge milk factories choose small rural communities in
which to locate. The people from Rosendale will
actually have manure spread all around their properties
- even closer than the residents in Thief River Falls,
MN, who had to evacuate their homes due to highly toxic
hydrogen sulfide permeating their homes. One
wonders how these mega-dairies can continue to locate so
close to families and towns. Of course, "economic
development" is a big selling phrase, and the owners and
supporters of these potential "toxic waste dumps" use
that phrase prolifically. They lead local people
to believe that they will use them as contractors,
builders, suppliers, but after their permits are
accepted, they bring in people from other cities and
states to do their major work. This happens time
and time again in rural communities across the country,
and people from Carrington are beginning to realize and
experience this for themselves.
Take a look at
The Meatrix II.
January 24, 2009: Plunging
prices hammer Valley dairy farmers
By Jim Downing - Sacramento Bee - Sacramento, CA -
Published: Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009
"The price farmers get for their milk is plummeting –
and some of the difference may show up in your
pocketbook soon. The global dairy market has crashed so
quickly, however, that it's backing up the industry's
supply chain – all the way to Galt, where farmer Bill
Van Egmond had to pour a day's worth of milk – 2,000
gallons – down the drain last weekend.
"No creamery would take it," he said Friday.
The base price that dairy farmers get for their cows'
milk is set to tumble 35 percent – to 97 cents a gallon
– on Feb. 1. Retail prices should follow – first milk,
then other dairy products – though analysts say the drop
likely won't be as quick, or as large, as the cut in
farm prices.
Industry groups
are asking for federal help, even floating the idea of a
taxpayer-funded buyout of 300,000 dairy cows to cut
production, Karlin said. ...."
Does this mean that the Van Bedaf mega-dairy is getting
established just in time for them to get another huge
buy-out, just the way they did in Canada and the
Netherlands?
January
17, 2009: Crops
absorb livestock antibiotics, science shows
Environmental Health News - By Matthew Cimitile -
January 6, 2009 Consumers have long been
exposed to antibiotics in meat and milk. Now, new
research shows that they also may be ingesting them from
vegetables, even ones grown on organic farms.
“The antibiotic accumulation in plants is just another
negative consequence of our animal agriculture industry
and not surprising given the quantity fed to livestock,”
said Steve Roach, public health program director for the
non-profit Food Animal Concerns Trust.
Roach said “the clearest public health implication” from
treating livestock with antibiotics is the development
of resistant bacteria that reduces the effectiveness of
human medicine. Past studies have shown overuse of
antibiotics reduces their ability to cure infections.
Over time, certain antibiotics are rendered ineffective.
"The presence of antibiotics within the food chain is
likely to increase as the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration has permitted greater use of
controversial drugs on farm animals. For example, this
past October, the FDA dropped plans to halt use of
cefquinome, a potent antibiotic, after it said in July
it would push against its use in animals."
"Tainted manure can impact more than just the soil. Once
applied to the land, antibiotics can infiltrate water
supplies as it seeps through the soil into aquifers or
spills into surface water due to runoff," explained
Dolliver.
More...
January 10, 2009: Something To Think
About... Who will check out and
okay-for-processing the cull dairy cows from the Van
Bedaf mega-dairy that may go into our local meat and
supermarkets?
Milk and Meat Quality: Dairy producers are beef
producers, too
Dairy producers generally
do an excellent job of producing high-quality milk;
however, the same cannot always be said about their
contribution to the beef supply each year through the
elimination of market (cull) cows and bulls.
Although producing
substantial amounts of high-quality milk is the primary
concern of dairy producers, about one-third of beef
production in the U.S. is from market dairy cows. In a
2000 U.S. Department of Agriculture study, dairy cattle
represented more than 50 percent of the cattle harvested
in 43 percent of the nation’s largest slaughter plants.
Sales of market cows from the dairy can represent 5
percent to 15 percent of total income from the dairy.
A popular misconception is that the majority of beef
from cows and bulls is used solely for ground beef;
therefore, proper handling and timely marketing of dairy
cattle is of less concern. However, dairy producers need
to realize that beef cuts from dairy animals are sold to
supermarket and food service operators, and may be used
as entree items in steakhouses, airlines, fast-food
establishments and “quick fix” beef items (for example,
fajitas).
Our food system is under intense scrutiny. Now with
communication tools such as the Internet, a reputation
can be damaged beyond repair, even if you’re innocent.
Don’t take our good reputation for granted. If that cull
is not ready for market, leave her home!
December 27, 2008:
Take a look at a family dairy that is NOT
like the one that is coming to Carrington.
Notice that the cows have a chance to wander around and
graze outside on the land. Listen to how intense
the owners sound about taking care of their land,
the water, the environment and keeping their cows
comfortable and healthy. Notice that they don't
mention 20-million-gallon manure lagoons and thousands
of cows continuously enclosed in huge, cement-floored
buildings. It's a great example of a family dairy
farm, NOT a mega-dairy, milk factory.
For your convenience, we
thought we would put a link to the official web site of
Foster County. That way you can read the
official minutes of the county commissioners' meetings.
Don't be surprised, however, if the minutes don't sound
like the meeting that you may have personally attended.
It seems that the notes that Auditor Schlotman takes of
the meetings sometimes change drastically before they
become the official minutes. One wonders why the commissioners don't make a taped or
digital recording of their meetings. It would be
a simple thing to do for community
leaders
who don't have anything to hide from the public.
Since Foster County has already been sanctioned by the
Attorney General of North Dakota for not providing
public records in a timely manner, it would seem that
they would now have their meetings tape-recorded and their
minutes, as well as other public information, made
available to the public immediately upon request.
Instead, Carrington citizens have had to file law suits
in order to get public information
from Foster County. When will their evasion/delay
of the truth end?
December 22, 2008:
The Foster County Independent
finally
published the official minutes for the November 4th and
18th, 2008,
Foster County Commissioners meeting today.
One wonders why it takes so long for the county
commissioners to publish their minutes for public
perusal. Could it possibly be that they want
to keep Carrington citizens in the dark as long as
possible regarding some of their group's decisions?
For instance, how many Carrington citizens know that
they will no longer be considered for appointments to
the Foster County Planning and Zoning Commission?
That's right! To quote from the commissioners' minutes
published in the Independent:
"Future appointments to the Planning and Zoning
Commission were considered. Chairman proposed that
the county zoning commission should be made up of rural
county residents. Hart moved to adopt the policy
that Planning and Zoning Commissioners must be rural
residents, and second by Carr. Upon roll call
vote: Hart voted "yes," Carr voted "yes," and Erickson
voted "yes. Motion carried and policy adopted."
These three men
seemingly do not want
any input from Carrington (the
largest
population in Foster County) when
it comes to making decisions for the county.
Doesn't it seem
strange that they voted to not have ANY city or town's
people on the Planning and Zoning Commission? Why
aren't they interested in input from city residents?
Shouldn't the Foster County Commissioners be looking for
a balanced group of members for their Planning and
Zoning Commission - both city and rural county
residents? Shouldn't they be listening to the
county as a whole, not just one aspect of it?
Where is this policy leading? Does this mean that
the current city and town residents on the Planning and
Zoning Commission will be requested to give up their
appointments?
Perhaps our three county
commissioners weren't happy with some P&Z members' vocal
opposition to having the Van Bedaf mega-dairy locate so
close to Carrington. Is this their way of getting
rid of city members who didn't go along with their
ideas?
It will be interesting to see where Mr. Hart, Mr. Carr,
and Mr. Erickson lead us next, particularly if they
don't want any city or town input in their
decision making.
December 19, 2008: Why
do our local leaders wish to encumber our properties for
a water project that at first glance is not needed?
Who is making this decision for us, and where are the
facts to prove that it is necessary? Why do we
need to take on 6 million dollars worth of debt
when our water capacity is three times our consumption
level now? Are you, as property holders, truly aware of
the extravagant amount of added taxes that you will have
to pay?
Is this water project somehow or other
connected with the vast amount of water
that the new
mega-dairy will be needing?
Have you heard the latest regarding
the mega-dairy location:
- that
they've drilled many wells but can't find enough water
to support their dairy...
- that they
are building SEVERAL waste
lagoons. Their application mentioned ONE.
- that they
are putting up buildings to house 4,500 cows, not the
1,500 that was approved on their application...
- that most
builders/contractors/people who work at the dairy are
from out of our area... Where are the big
jobs that they insinuated would go to our local
contractors?
October 8, 2008 -
Grand Forks Herald
- "An official from
the Minnesota Department of Health explained to the
Marshall County Commission in Warren, Minn., on Tuesday
its finding this summer that the Excel Dairy farm north
of Thief River Falls is a public health hazard. The
health department’s action is another piece of a mosaic
of federal, state and local government actions seeking
to stop the farm’s stink, which has driven some nearby
residents from their homes. ... The dairy farm is facing
actions, both legal and regulatory, from the federal
Environmental Protection Agency and the Minnesota
Pollution Control Agency, as well as the state health
department...."
More...
Just a reminder to
Carrington residents who did not object to the LOCATION
of the Van Bedaf mega-dairy being placed so close to
town: Don't be surprised if Carrington doesn't
wind up with similar problems as Thief River in the
future since the Van Bedaf lagoon system is
similar to the one at Thief River. Also, as far as
economic development goes, have you noticed if any big
building contracts have gone to any local businesses so
far? Or, have you noticed a lot of out-of-county,
out-of-state contractors and workers at the mega-dairy
site? Has any truck or big equipment been bought
locally? It will be interesting to see if other
promises will be kept - or not kept - as time goes on...
September 4, 2008
-
Apropos comment found at the
Madville Times web site by Anonymous: Hi
all, I am not sure what your set backs are or where you
are in the process of getting this dairy, but what I
believe I have learned from the recent fight in
Carrington, ND is that there really is not winner in all
of this fighting. It does not matter if the permit
passes or fails, there are going to be hurt feelings and
angry people. What I know for certain is that we too
have CAFOs north of town and currently, we are getting
one south of town. It will no longer matter which way
the wind blows because town will be hit in either
direction. Most of the people that built or bought south
of town did it for a very good reason....the smell to
the north. Unfortunately, their homes are now going to
be affected by this new CAFO. When did we lose our
rights as property owners and citizens to say we do not
want to live next to toxins and potential health risks?
Who made the decision to tell us that something that is
no more than a factory is "agriculture"? And last but
certainly not least, when things go bad and they find
that there are dire health effects, who is going to pay
the consequences of that? I personally do not feel that
anyone could give me enough money or land to cover the
value of my loved ones. I am not alone in that either.
Our town has lost a dentist, a CPA, a life long member
of the community, and perhaps it is not the end of our
loss. Our town of 2500 cannot afford to lose families,
but I forsee that there will be many more to follow.
These CAFOs are like a virus that spread hate and
separation among the communities that they move into.
What other business in the world can get away with that
while being government funded?
September 3, 2008
~ Question: Exactly what is the Information
Services Division of the State of North Dakota?
Among the last 20 visitors to our site, someone came in
from the Information Services Division of Fargo, Mandan,
New Rockford, Watford City, Grand Forks, Walhalla, and
Devil's Lake. It would be interesting to know who
they are and what is attracting them to our site.
Could it be because StinkFreeCarrington is disparaging
the ability or desire of the State Department of
Health to protect the citizens of our local communities
from the ill effects of factory farms locating SO CLOSE
to our towns? Is a one-half-mile setback truly
enough distance from a 20-milion-gallon manure lagoon
which may likely be permeating its neighbors with
hydrogen sulfide in the near future (as in the case of
the Thief River Falls mega-dairy)?
Again, see the PEW Commission's recent report on factory
farms.
August
28, 2008: ANNOUNCEMENT - We recently received a letter
from the North Dakota Department of Health saying that
the Van Bedaf permit was approved. We weren't
surprised, since during the hearing, the Health
Department representative admitted that they had
NEVER refused to approve any previous application
whatsoever once it had gotten to that stage!
QUESTION: Why even have a hearing, if that's the case...
wasting taxpayers' time and money... just to give the
pretense that the hearing meant anything? FOOD FOR
THOUGHT: Even before the hearing took place, the
mega-dairy land had already begun to be cleared, and
construction had already begun to take place. Sad
to say, it looks like it really WAS a "done deal" from the
beginning, even before the general public knew anything
about it.
September 1, 2008:
The one thing that has been true throughout this whole
process - even though we have all along been (and still
are) opposed to the LOCATION of the mega-dairy, is that
the Van Bedaf's have followed every part of the law and
met every requirement of the current law. That
distinguishes them from the bad actor previously located
north of town. The bad actor north of town should have
demonstrated to us that our local county government does
not have the skills, ability or resolve to enforce or
strengthen the current lenient regulations regarding
CAFOs. Any compliance to the regulations that
currently exists apparently is done so on a voluntary
basis. Now that other CAFOs know the weakness of
our local government, don't be surprised if hog farms,
turkey farms, and other mega-dairies try to locate all
around Carrington. Then, as a waitress at a local
restaurant so aptly put it, we will no longer be know as
the Central City of North Dakota. We will be known as
the "SCENTral City."
August
26, 2008 - To Carrington & Foster County
Residents...
Just
in case you read Foster County State's Attorney Paul
Murphy's letter in the August 25th issue of The
Foster County Independent, expounding on websites
that use "sensationalistic tactics," we at
StinkFreeCarrington.Com want to comment on a few of his
"warnings."
·
First of all, we are not using our visitors "for
financial gain," as Mr. Murphy suggests. We do not have
ads, banners, or any kind of paid click-throughs.
Actually, we are more than happy to fund the cost of a
website that can provide instant exposure and
information about local government officials who
intentionally or ignorantly manipulate, ignore and/or
and break the law for their own self-interests.
·
Secondly, does using "sensationalistic tactics" mean
that we DARE to publish photos of, print comments made
by, and express opinions about certain local government
leaders who are used to running things secretly, without
the public having a voice in their actions? Perhaps
what we do IS pretty sensational, since we hear more and
more about local residents who are afraid to speak up or
question local leaders because they are worried about
losing their jobs or losing business. Thankfully, we
are not in that frustrating position.
·
Lastly, we want to thank State's Attorney Paul Murphy
for his letter to the editor of the Independent
warning against “owners of controversial websites.”
It’s a compliment to the Independent’s
circulation that visitors to StinkFreeCarrington
increased dramatically after his letter was published.
That means more people were able to take a look at all
the information on our website and decide for themselves
whether or not it's valuable or worthy of visiting
again.
Unlike certain public officials, we think Foster County
residents should have immediate access to all kinds of
facts and information about our government and local
leaders, so they can better make up their own minds
about public issues which affect their lives. We think
their opinions should be valued and considered in all
aspects of running our local government and deciding
community affairs. It is an insult to public
intelligence when governing bodies think they can
continually get away with hiding pertinent information
and "deals" from the public.
The North Dakota State’s Attorney General has already
sanctioned our Foster County government because of Paul
Murphy’s advice to refuse/inhibit access to public
records to people who request them.
Eventually, secretive leaders and unlawful acts are
exposed, and in Paul Murphy's words about
sensationalistic websites, we hope they "will not create
lasting damage to our community."
August 21, 2008:
Take a look at the following interview with Ellen
Sherman, a senior citizen of Carrington, who feels she
is being harassed by Foster County Commissioner James
Carr. She has requested that he show the 346 letters
that he says he has in support of the Van Bedaf
mega-dairy permit, and he refuses to do so. Listen to
the messages that he has started leaving on Mrs.
Sherman's message machine, and ask yourself, "Is this
truly the kind of person that we want as a community
leader... seemingly harassing our senior citizens and
manipulating financial gain for himself while holding a
public office? Why won't Commissioner Carr show the 346
letters (which he mentioned at the commissioners'
meeting) to Mrs. Sherman and our community?
August 27, 2008:
Since Mrs. Sherman wouldn't answer Commissioner Carr's
phone calls, he had a letter hand-delivered to her that
states, "If you and Ted don't revise your web site this
letter will also go in the paper next week. I will
give you to Tuesday the 26th to talk to me." The
letter includes a list of derogatory statements about
Mrs. Sherman and negative things that she has supposedly
said to him in past years. We are waiting to see
if Commissioner Carr is actually going to publish his
threatening letter in the next issue of the Foster
County Independent.
August 31 Update: Although Ellen Sherman insisted that
we not revise our website because of Commissioner Carr's
threats, his derogatory letter did not appear in this
week's Independent as he had threatened. Perhaps
he came to his senses, or perhaps the owner of the
Independent would not publish such a harsh letter.
July 30, 2008: Complaint and
Summons filed against Defendant Pat Copenhaver,
in North Dakota, County of Foster, District Court,
Southeast Judicial District, alleging that he
assaulted and battered Plaintiff Leo Straley,
attempting to intimidate and silence him about
expressing his opinions. The assault took place after
Leo Straley gave testimony at the North Dakota
Department of Health Public Hearing in Carrington,
regarding the Van Bedaf Application for Approval of a
Livestock Waste System.
Read the Complaint...
Pat
Copenhaver has been seen around Carrington,
wearing a tee-shirt that says something like:
NEXT...
DOUG
TED
LEO
After his attack on Leo
Straley, don't you think the community should
take his veiled threats seriously? What is being
done about this?
He was able to get his
borrower/customer (Pat Copenhaver) to sell his property
at arguably 25% to 30% under market value ($1,250 per
acre... Prices have risen since).
Erdmann was able to
talk his Farm Credit client/customer into giving up
$250,000 to $300,000 for the sake of bringing a new
business to Carrington that most people didn’t want that close.
After watching the
Thief River Falls interviews below, why would someone
still want a mega-dairy to locate so close to
Carrington? Thief River Falls is over 6 miles from the
Excel Mega-Dairy (with 1500 cows), and people feel its
negative effects at that distance. MN State Department
of Health has strongly urged nearby residents to leave
their homes because of the ill effects they are
suffering from the toxic gases that are permeating their
houses. They are actually living with escape plans,
according to which way the wind blows. Is this what we
want for Carrington? If you haven't voiced your opinion
about the Van Bedaf mega-dairy LOCATION, please attend
the meeting on July 17th AT 1:00 P.M.
NORTH DAKOTA
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL
OF A LIVESTOCK WASTE SYSTEM by Corne & Conny Van Bedaf
from Calmar, Alberta, Canada.
The ND
Health Department hearing took place as scheduled on
July 17th, 2008, with over 100 people attending.
During the meeting, when someone asked if the Van Bedafs
were partners with or affiliated with Rick Milner (Thief
River Falls - Excel Dairy manager), the director would
not allow the question to be answered.
Note:
It's interesting that this meeting (and others) have
been arranged at times when most employed people can't
attend without leaving their jobs. What happened to the
days when public meetings were set for evenings when
concerned citizens could attend? One wonders if these
meetings are really for the public, or just to
rubberstamp "done-deals."
COMING SOON: Videos
of the July 17th Public Hearing for the Application for
Approval of a Livestock Waste System by Corne & Conny
Van BeDaf from Calmar, Alberta, Canada...
VIDEO #1: Testimony
by Marlene Boyer, Resident of Carrington, North Dakota
(We
apologize for the quality of the video. It was difficult
filming in the Armory.)
Read Letters
Presented at the Meeting (Directed to the North Dakota
Department of Health):
"Somehow the
cast of characters included the Carrington mayor
[Don Frye] and the state's attorney [Paul Murphy].
The latter reportedly wanted a closed-door session,
for some reason."
"Violating the intent of the open
meeting law is an offense to the principles of good
government and has no business happening in North
Dakota."
"What is needed is for the
Legislature to set forth rigorous penalties for
violations of the open meeting law."
Coming soon... More interviews with
the people who had to evacuate their homes near the
dairy in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, due to the toxic
gases that were being emitted by the mega-dairy.
Question: What is the connection between the owner of
the offensive Excel Mega-Dairy in Thief River Falls
(Rick Milner) and the Van Bedaf's, owners of the
mega-dairy-factory that is coming to Carrington?
CARRINGTON RESIDENTS: If you don't have
time to watch all the videos, go to PART 6
directly below for a good summary of what
Carrington will be like in the future... with
the same dairy design that is currently in Thief
River Falls, MN.
Paul Kezar, Thief River Falls
resident, discusses promises made and promises
broken... lies, lies and more lies... all to get
a mega-milk-factory. Get the facts about the
mega-dairy-design coming to Carrington... from
someone who has had to evacuate his home due to
permeating toxic gases from neighboring Excel
Dairy. PART 6
Just to remind everyone: We are not
opposed to family dairy farms.
We ARE opposed to
mega-dairy-factories that move into populated areas and
force out the families that are settled in the area.
We're definitely opposed to the LOCATION of the
mega-dairy which Tom Erdmann helped the Van Bedaf's
choose.
Take a look at
the websites below which describe a current situation
going on in Thief River Falls, Marshall County, MN.
Could something like this happen to Carrington?
The
suggested evacuation was not caused by the offensive
odor, but because of the toxic gas that was being
emitted by the mega-dairy. The owners of this
mega-dairy (approximately 1500 cows) are also the owners
of the two dairies held up as a good example of a modern
dairy and were toured by some of our local citizens.
Click here to
see
The Meatrix - a video describing factory farms.
IMPORTANT NEWS about Large Animal
Facilities (Such as Mega-Dairies)
4/30/08 The Pew
Commission Report (A 2 ½ year study) Is in the News:
Pew Commission Says Industrial Scale Farm Animal
Production Poses “Unacceptable” Risks to Public Health,
Environment
It is the concentration
of farm animals in larger and larger numbers in close
proximity to one another, along with the potential of
IFAP facilities to affect people, that give rise to many
of the public health concerns that are attributed to
IFAP. Animals in such close confinement, along with some
of the feed and animal management methods employed in
the system, increase pathogen risks and magnify
opportunities for transmission from animals to humans.
This increased risk is due to at least three factors:
prolonged worker contact with animals, increased
pathogen transmission within a herd or flock, and the
increased opportunities for the generation of
antimicrobial resistant bacteria (due to imprudent
antimicrobial use) or new strains of viruses. Stresses
induced by confinement may also increase the likelihood
of infection and illness in animal populations.
Communities near IFAP facilities are subject to air
emissions that can significantly affect certain segments
of the population. Those most vulnerable—children, the
elderly, and individuals with chronic or acute pulmonary
or heart disorders—are at particular risk. The impacts
on the health of those living near IFAP facilities have
increasingly been the subject of epidemiological
research. Adverse community health effects from exposure
to IFAP air emissions fall into two categories: (1)
respiratory symptoms, disease and impaired function, and
(2) neurobehavioral symptoms and impaired function.
The PCIFAP consists of
15 Commissioners who bring individual knowledge and
expertise in diverse fields, including public policy,
veterinary medicine, public health, agriculture, animal
welfare, the food industry and rural society. The
Commission assessed the current state of industrial
animal agriculture based on site visits to production
facilities across the country; consultation with
industry stakeholders, public health, medical and
agriculture experts; public meetings; peer-reviewed
technical reports; staff research; and Commissioners’
own expertise. PCIFAP is a project of The Pew Charitable
Trusts and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health.
MORE INFO...
[3/11/08] Approximately 80 people listened attentively
as members of the Foster County Planning and Zoning
Board expressed their views regarding the Van Bedaf's
wish to have a mega-dairy within 3 miles of Carrington.
Illa Zink led the arguments against granting the
Canadians a permit to establish a CAFO so close to
town. High on her list of objections was the negative
impact that a mega-dairy would have on the families and
property values surrounding the proposed site. Dwayne
Erickson agreed and stood up for protecting the rights
of the families who were already established in that
area. The final vote was 4 to 2 against granting the
permit. [Opposed: Dwayne Erickson - John Holth - Illa
Zink - Tom Zink / For: Don Frye - Justin Spickler]
"IT'S A DONE
DEAL"
MEGA-DAIRY
APPROVED BY FOSTER COUNTY
IN A 2-0 VOTE
(COMMISSIONER
CARR DID NOT VOTE)
4/1/08
THE FOSTER COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OVERRULED THE PLANNING
AND ZONING BOARD'S 4-2 VOTE AGAINST THE DAIRY.
COMMISSIONER CARR DID THE RIGHT THING! WE HAVE BEEN
CRITICAL OF COMMISSIONER CARR'S ROLE IN THIS PROJECT
BECAUSE OF HIS PAST MANURE AGREEMENT WITH THE OWNERS OF
THE PROPOSED DAIRY. ALTHOUGH WE DO NOT AGREE WITH THE
LOCATION OF THE PROPOSED DAIRY, THE PROCESS HAS BEEN
COMPLETED. MORE IMPORTANTLY, COMMISSIONER CARR OBEYED
THE LAW BY NOT VOTING AND DID THE RIGHT THING. THANK
YOU, COMMISSIONER CARR.
WHAT HAVE WE
LEARNED?
4/6/08 REVISED
(See last paragraph)
[3/13/08] StinkFreeCarrington.com was created because
of Foster County's need for responsible
community/government leadership and the need for better
communication between elected officials, ag interests,
and the citizens of Carrington and Foster County. This
web site was basically the result of an application for
a permit to establish a 1500-cow mega-dairy within three
miles of Carrington.
To explain, it seemed that some of our elected
city and county officials felt that the needs, wants,
health and economic welfare of people from another
country were far more important and outweighed the
welfare and wishes of the citizens who elected them.
They led the Van Bedafs, dairy owners from Canada, to
think that Foster County would "roll out the red carpet"
for their mega-dairy. As well, they were supported by
members of the state dairy coalition, NDSU experts, paid
engineers and consultants, and various other ag
interests who treated this venture as if it were a
valuable asset to the community.
Regrettably, some of our community leaders
seemed to let their own personal interests dictate their
choices when deciding what was best for Carrington and
Foster County. Their attempt to keep the mega-dairy
project under wraps until the last moment, away from the
scrutiny of the general public, infuriated many people
who would normally have welcomed a dairy such as the Van
Bedaf's --
IF it were placed in a more
appropriate location -- further away from settled
families and the largest population center in the
county.
Consequently, the selfish interests and
aspirations of certain local entities, as well as their
support by certain state, university, farm/ag entities
led to a conflict which could have been avoided.
By working together, and considering the
interests of ALL concerned, the mega-dairy project
should have been a success. After all, Foster County is
a pro-farm community with most of its citizens being
farmers or having farm connections. To repeat, the
major stumbling block was mainly the choice of
LOCATION. Another location, further away from
Carrington and settled families, would have removed the
concerns for odor nuisance, aquifer/water contamination,
and health risks for nearby family members with
respiratory illnesses.
Hopefully, in the future, our community
leaders, the North Dakota State Department of
Agriculture, our agricultural universities, the Farm
Bureau, and corporate agribusiness will base their
actions on the understanding that quality of life issues
are as important to people in small communities, such as
ours, as their desire for economic growth and
development. With North Dakota's wide open spaces, and
with adequate communication between all parties
involved, it seems like there should be plenty of room
to support everyone's needs and aspirations.
In the meantime, StinkFreeCarrington will
remain as a website devoted to keeping Foster County
citizens informed about planning and zoning issues that
may affect their lives. We are also devoted to keeping
our air and water clean and our city and county safe
from those who only wish to exploit it for their
personal gain at the expense of others.
4/6/08 NOTE TO
ALL CITIZENS OF CARRINGTON: Our Foster County
commissioners have, by lack of adopting any local
set-back ordinances, other than the State's, established
a one-half mile set-back for any and all types of
mega-dairies and large-scaled feeding operations
(CAFOs). Without any other adoption of setbacks for
Foster County, Carrington can be circled by
mega-dairies, hog farms, and other types of CAFOs that
want to come into our area, within one-half mile of the
city.
NOTICE:
2/13/08 Our concerned citizens meeting took place at the Armory
in Carrington on February 12, 2008, with approximately 40
people attending. The main concerns addressed were: the
location of the Mega-dairy and its closeness to Carrington and
the Carrington aquifer... the possibility of it contaminating
our ground water; the fact that we need stricter county
regulations regarding large CAFO's (Concentrated Animal Feeding
Operations such as this Mega-dairy) that want to come to our
area; that much of the planning for this proposed Mega-dairy in
Carrington was done by some community leaders without notifying
the general public.
2/18/08
Interestingly enough, our server and this web site got
knocked offline part of yesterday and today so that we
haven't been able to update anything since then.
However, people HAVE been able to access the
Jamestown Sun's newspaper article where the mayor of
Carrington, Don Frye, is quoted as saying that some of our
comments are "racist" as well as information being
"inaccurate and inappropriate." Please note that he
appears to be one of the
committee members who have been meeting with the dairy
owners
and who want the Mega-dairy to locate near Carrington.
Question: Which is worse, someone who is supposedly a "racist"
because he doesn't want a bunch of illegal migrant workers coming to
the area and depleting the local economy, or an elected public
official who seems to be with-holding important information from the
public which may affect their lives in a negative way?
Read about a recent
manure spill from a mega-dairy lagoon in Maryland. Do we want
to take a chance that something like this could happen to
Carrington?
Photo
by Sam Yu -
Vicki Poole holds a glass of
water on Tuesday afternoon that she got out of a home faucet
last Thursday. The Poole family lives on Glade Road near
Walkersville.
WALKERSVILLE -- For town
residents who remember the 1999 sewage spill that forced them to
use a makeshift water supply for five months, this could be
worse. Test results this week from untreated water show the
levels of bacteria and E. coli are greater than in 1999, said
Mike Marschner, director of the county's Division of Utilities
and Solid Waste Management.
The contamination is the result of a manure lagoon pipe that
burst last week, said town commissioner Chad Weddle. The burst
actually created two spills, one on Jan. 22 and a second Friday
night into Saturday morning.
This spill took about four days to infiltrate the town's water
supply, compared to 1999 when it took nine days, Marschner said.
These findings were released during a press conference Tuesday
afternoon at Town Hall. The meeting room was packed with media,
town and county officials and concerned residents.
Citizens against the Proposed MEGA-Dairy
To Be Located near Carrington, North Dakota
We believe the proposed MEGA-dairy project as it is now planned
is a potential odor nuisance to any person living in Carrington
or Foster County (North Dakota) who wants to enjoy the outdoors
or the ability to have their windows open.
We are not asking that dairies be prohibited from operating in
Foster County. What we are asking is that the proposed
MEGA-dairy not be so close to and in a direct wind path to our
city of Carrington.
As well, we are requesting a moratorium on this type of
condensed cattle-feeding operation until and unless the county
can put in place some reasonable local regulations and
violation-enforcement capabilities.
We believe this MEGA-dairy will be harmful to
Carrington and Foster County citizens because of the obvious
offensive odor it will create. If approved by the
Foster County Commissioners,
this project will bring more than a bad odor or stink to our
community. It will also bring numerous other problems.
Potential Water Pollution:
This MEGA-dairy solution to avoid contamination of our ground
water is the creation of a 20+ million-gallon holding pond.
Their plan is incomplete as to the exact type of holding pond
that will exist. As well, control of surface water is
critical. How would their pond be able to handle 6-12 inches of
rain such as has recently occurred in/around our area?
Considering the difficulties our local authorities have had in
abating the problems with a local cattle feeding company near
Carrington, how can we trust their abilities to monitor and
abate any potential nuisance from this MEGA-dairy with few - if
any - regulations currently existing?
Jobs for the
Community:
Are the potential MEGA-dairy owners intending to go the route of
the dairy
in Towner, North Dakota? The owner of this 700 cow dairy,
after his workers were arrested for being in the US illegally
was stated as saying, “he does not
have enough help now to care for his 700 animals and he may have
to sell off his herd.”
Anyone who has any experience working at a dairy knows it is
difficult work. This is not a family dairy staffed only by mom,
pop and the kids. It’s a MEGA-dairy... milking, feeding and
cleaning manure in shifts 24/7 each and every day of the week.
When our “community leaders” talk about the jobs a MEGA-dairy
will bring to the community have they seriously considered what
these jobs pay? More importantly, have they given any thought
to what our community will be forced to pay for the influx of
these low-skilled and low-paying jobs?
All of us want new jobs being brought to the area, but what kind
of jobs and at what price? Jobs that serve as a magnet for
transient or illegal labor don’t add to our economic base.
These jobs don't add to the wealth of a community. In fact,
they have been proven to be a drain by increasing crime,
welfare, health care and education expenses.
All throughout the United States hospitals, and more
importantly, the taxpayers are footing the bill for undocumented
workers. Agreeably, we at this point have no way of knowing how
the MEGA-dairy plans to staff their operation. They could plan
on paying above minimum wage and provide excellent health
benefit coverage to their workers. If they did so, they would
be a rare exception to most all similar operations.
The time to act is now!
This project is now
before the Foster County Planning and Zoning Board. They have
had one meeting so far and have scheduled another meeting for
March 11, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. We need to continue to voice our
opposition, continue to have petitions signed and present them
to the board at the next meeting.
As well, each of us
needs to phone our Foster County Commissioners and tell them
that we want a STINK FREE CARRINGTON!
AS-1155 Scott Birchall, Livestock Waste Management Specialist
"One of the most important
decisions when planning any livestock facility is site
selection. The site for the feedlot operation must not only be
suitable for housing, handling and feeding cattle, but also must
ensure that surface and ground waters are protected and that the
impact from odors is minimized. Whether you are planning a new
facility or modifying an existing one, the following checklist
may help avoid costly mistakes....
Odor
Minimizing the impact of odor on neighboring residents is a
combination of:
~Recognizing the prevailing wind direction. In North Dakota,
this is usually from the north west or south east (or
north/south in the Red River Valley).
~Using topography to your advantage. Odor tends to "drain" down
slope in the evening in summer.
~Reduce visual impact. Visual confirmation of dust is more
likely to result in odor complaints. Windbreaks will also help
break up odor plumes and provide stock protection.
~Providing a buffer distance to the neighbors. It is difficult
to specify a particular buffer distance without taking into
account the previous factors. Be aware that odors from some
larger facilities have been detected 4 to 5 miles distant.
Anyone planning a facility within 1 to 2 miles of neighboring
dwellings will have to provide more detailed information on how
they plan to minimize odor."
-produced by the North
Dakota State University NDSU Extension Service-
is extremely
informative about the precautions that should be taken regarding
livestock waste management. How does the proposed MEGA-dairy
intend to address these concerns?)
~~~
When the wind blows across
the MEGA-dairy lagoon and toward town, say good-by to outdoor
family gatherings and visits on the front porch.
