Action Steps Recommended!
The Jefferson County Courtroom was packed last night when between 125-150 people attended the Public Hearing for RWP, LLC, Mark Greiner’s proposed expansion of his current 2499-head factory farm to 4998 hogs. The majority of those present appeared to be those with concerns about the CAFO.
We want to deeply thank everyone who attended to show their concern about RWP’s expansion. The number of people in that room last night spoke volumes.
Supervisors Dee Sandquist and Dick Reed took comments for approximately an hour; Supervisor Lee Dimmitt was not present, attending an Area 15 committee meeting.
Nearly all of the comments opposed the CAFO and some suggested researching and using technologies to address odors.
JFAN urged the supervisors to use the highest standards to score Mr. Greiner’s Master Matrix. Read our comments are here.
Francis Thicke and Dr. John Ikerd also offered strong comments on the Master Matrix scoring system. Both are JFAN board members, but the statements they offered were their own personal opinions. You can read those here.
One comment addressed JFAN’s lack of “friendliness.” We want to set the record straight on how JFAN works and how we addressed Mr. Greiner’s CAFO. JFAN has a Good Neighbor Policy that includes the Iowa Pork Producers Association Best Management Practices. In all cases, when a community is facing a threatening factory farm, JFAN advocates that neighbors first meet with the confinement owner to discuss concerns and explore alternatives. We are not disrespectful or unfriendly, just firm in our resolve.
In the case of Mr. Greiner’s CAFO, one JFAN board member who is also a neighbor, worked closely with Mr. Greiner for almost three years to try to identify a site in a less populated area where neighbors were not concerned about living near a confinement, He also helped him explore several alternative options to raisin hogs, to no avail. At JFAN’s encouragement, other neighbors also worked with Mr. Greiner to identify solutions. In the end, Mr. Greiner moved ahead with his confinement.
TAKE ACTION!
We want to encourage everyone to continue to contact all Jefferson County Supervisors and urge them to consider the impact RWP LLC will have on neighbors and the environment and use the highest standards possible to grade this Master Matrix. See our comments here and our Letter to the Editor on what supervisors COULD do here.
The Supervisors will take written comments until 9:00 am Wednesday, September 12 when a final scoring meeting will be held in the Supervisors Office in the Jefferson County Courthouse. If you have concerns, please let them know.
Thank you for all you do!
Contact Information for Jefferson County Supervisors
Dee Sandquist, Chairman
Cell: 641-451-1293
dsandquist@jeffersoncountyia.com
Lee Dimmitt - Vice-Chairman
Cell: 641-919-9547
lee.dimmitt@jeffersoncountyia.com
Richard C. Reed, Supervisor
Home: 641-472-6555
Cell: 641-919-8262
dick.reed@jeffersoncountyia.com