Humboldt County residents get another chance to speak against hog lot

Opponents of a large-scale hog lot in Humboldt County will get another chance to stop the operation. The state’s environmental protection commission has agreed to hold a hearing next month to see if the operation meets state guidelines. The Department of Natural Resources recently approved a draft permit for D-N-S Cattle Company for a four-thousand head hog operation near Gilmore City. Opponent Diane Conner says she fears the land around her third generation acreage will be spoiled by the hog operation. She says there’s got to be some way that this can work out. She says half of the county is inundated with hog factories and they’re frightened about them spreading.Conner says Humboldt County has a lot of sink wells and fragile limestone, which leads opponents to believe the manure form the hog operation will end up in the Des Moines River, and local drinking water. Conner says the fight goes beyond the local level, as they realize that legislators in Des Moines have to make changes to keep the state from becoming a sewer. D-N-R Environmental Services Administrator, Wayne Gieselman says the draft permit was granted because the facility met the criteria set by the state. Gieselman says the D-N-R follows the standards set down in the law. He says many of the issues brought up by people are not environmental issues, but are social. He says his agency ends up in the middle of the issue. The Humboldt hearing will be December 3rd.