County board approves DNR block grant

Posted: 1/24/06

County board approves DNR block grant

Prompts debate on feedlot inspections

By David Heiller
Argus News Editor

County commissioners discussed feedlot inspections and concerns at their January 17 meeting.

The talk came during a request from Root River Soil and Water Conservation District director Ralph Tuck to have the board approve the 2006 Natural Resources Block Grant agreement with the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources.

The board approved the $82,219 grant. The largest portion of this, $43,468, is for feedlot inspection. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency delegates compliance inspections to the county, and they are done by zoning administrator Bob Scanlan, Tuck said.

Fifth district commissioner Tom Bjerke asked if feedlots were getting inspected as well as they should. He said he has heard complaints from some people.

Federal inspectors are in charge of feedlots with more than 1,000 animal units, Tuck responded.ìIím not aware of issues with compliance inspections,î he said. He said that the county was doing more than state requirements when it came to feedlot inspections, and that any complaints would be checked.

Bjerke said there are quite a few feedlots in his district. He would like to make sure the waste is being taken care of properly and E. coli does not get into the water supply. ìI kind of worry about that,î Bjerke said.

Tuck said the SWCD has a process where a person can register a complaint and his office will go out and inspect it. ìItís a lot of work for one inspector,î Tuck said. ìThereís 400 and some feedlots.î

Fourth district commissioner Dave Corcoran asked Bjerke if he was looking for a full-time feedlot cop.

Things are getting crazy in in planning and zoning office, Bjerke responded. Zoning administrator Bob Scanlan is in charge of feedlots in the county.

Tuck said his office has two people working almost full-time to address feedlot issues with the countyís open lot agreement.

Second district commissioner Kevin Kelleher said that pollution is less severe now than it used to be. Runoff from farms of small producers was more likely to go into ditches and creeks in the past, he said. ìNobody even thought of it in those days,î he said. ìSo it has improved a lot.î

ìYou had pollution all over the place,î Corcoran said.

Kelleher said that while Bjerkeís concerns were valid, the total impact on water sources had lessened. ìWe are definitely moving in a positive direction,î Kelleher said.

Corcoran noted that there are changes occurring that bring out this issue. ìItís urban versus city and the rural area versus the urban growth,î he said.

About feedlot rules

Livestock producers fall into two categories: fewer than 300 animals and more than 300 animals. There are about 28 farmers in the larger category in Houston County, and 583 in the smaller category, Bob Scanlan said on January 20.

The larger producers who have run-off problems work under a two-year interim permit.

The smaller producers work under an open lot agreement. This was started in 2000 by order of the MPCA. Producers had five years, or until the end of 2005, to reduce run-off by 50 percent. They must be in full compliance by 2010.

ìWeíve been real progressive,î Scanlan said of Houston Countyís efforts. ìItís just on-going. Itís an educational effort.î

Four people work on feedlot issues in Houston County: Scanlan; Dave Walter and Rich Stemper from the SWCD; and Jason Rochester, who is working under a two year grant position that began this month.

The feedlot program has been in place since the early to middle 1970s, Scanlan said. ìThe rules havenít changed.î

He feels the big difference now is that there are deadlines in place, and that helps things get done more quickly.

ìWater quality has always been an issue. Youíre never supposed to pollute waters in the state,î Scanlan said.

So what happens to the farmers who are not in 50 percent compliance, now that the 2005 deadline has passed? Scanlan said he gets asked that question a lot, and there is nothing at the state level that addresses it. He said he tells farmers who are moving too slowly that he will bring MPCA inspectors out the next time they visit Caledonia. ìIt makes them take it a little more seriously,î Scanlan said. ìNinety nine percent of the producers are really good as far as working with us.î

There is also a bottleneck with getting the work done, especially considering there are 250 feedlots that need work, Scanlan said. Producers have plans on paper, but contractors are swamped, he said.

Ralph Tuck told The Argus on January 18 that there is a lot of cooperation between the SWCD and the county. His technicians work on things like nutrient management, designs to reduce runoff, and waste system designs.

Inspections are sometimes done by SWCD technicians when they offer technical assistance during their visits, Tuck said. ìEvery time we go out and help on a design, thatís considered an inspection for the year,î he said.

People wanting more information on feedlots can contact Root River Soil and Water Conservation District at (507) 724-5261 ext. 3 or Houston County Environmental Services at (507) 725-5800.

On a related feedlot note, a feedlot permit application hearing for Scott Sanness to operate an animal feedlot with more than 300 animal units, and to construct a manure storage basin will be held on January 26 at 7:30 p.m. The proposed feedlot is in section eight of Wilmington Township. The hearing has been continued two times. Several neighbors are objecting to the plan.