Sumpreme Court rules against A.G. in DeCoster case

The Iowa Supreme Court says a controversial hog lot owner may finance but not build new hog confinements. Iowa’s Attorney General went to court to try to stop A.J. DeCoster from putting up the money for his son to build a hog confinement under the business name of “Midwest Pork. DeCoster has been labeled an “habitual violator” of state environmental regulations for incidents at his Iowa hog farms. That meant he was banned from building any new hog operations in Iowa. The state’s lawyers argued DeCoster was trying to get around the ban by creating a “sham” company for his son. The state’s high court today ruled DeCoster is banned from constructing hog buildings on his own, but he may legally finance his son’s business.