Gage County P&Z Recommends Swine Facility

By Gordon HopkinsThe Gage County Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Board voted to recommend approving a Special Use Permit for the construction of a planned CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation) expected to hold an estimated 6,200 animals in section 25 of Island Grove Township, just north of Liberty and near the Gage-Pawnee County line.The vote was five to one, with one abstention. James Lenners voted no. Terry Acton was advised by Gage County Attorney Roger Harris to recuse himself over a conflict of interest. Acton had earlier signed a petition opposing the project.Dennis Rosene made a motion for an amendment to add three monitoring wells, which was approved. The location of the wells would be determined at a later date by the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy. While the The Island Grove Summit Swine operation would belong to Summit Pork, the animals would actually be provided by Fairbury-based Livingston Enterprises Inc. (LEI). The land belongs to Otto Farms, which would provide the land to build the facility and then use the liquid hog manure from the CAFO to be injected as fertilizer on farm ground.The proposed CAFO is not without opposition. The board met Tuesday evening, September 26, 2023, to discuss various concerns raised by residents.The RoadOne of the issues raised was the road. Many opponents of the CAFO believe the road cannot handle the increased traffic.Gage County Highway Superintendent Mark Kuhnke told the P&Z Board, “So I had a representative from Mainelli Wagnar (an engineering firm) come down. We visited the site. They took pictures, took measurements of roads and then they came back with their assessment. With their general site description, the north south road known as South 176, classified as a local road, national and state function classification to the north and south. The average daily traffic on this section of roadway is 45 vehicles per day in 2023. This is a rough estimate. Past counts have kind of fluctuated and we kind of took the average of them.” Kuhnke said, “We pulled the 10-year accident summary of that selected road there was none reported along that four mile stretch.”Mainelli Wagnar concluded the road will be adequate for semi and school bus travel provided the road is maintained to state standards for township roads.There is the bridge north of the proposed site over Wolf Creek. The rating currently posted is 32 tons for single axle trucks.The engineers concluded the bridge rating exceeds 40 tons for trucks with longer axle spans. Kuhnke noted that increasing the number of axles increases the tonnage rating. Kuhnke said, “The bridge has current ratings of good condition for deck superstructure and substructure.”No upgrades to the bridge were suggested.EconomicDevelopmentAnother issue raised by those objecting to the CAFO is what some call “corporate” farming.While Acton was not allowed to speak at the CAFO portion of the meeting, he was allowed to speak at a later discussion that was not about the specific CAFO but more generally about livestock regulations.Acton said, “Why are bigger corporations coming into Gage County and setting up CAFOs? Why?”Board member Derrick Damrow drew comparisons between the opposition to a CAFO and recent fights against renewable energy projects, “We’ve eliminated wind energy. We’ve really restricted solar. And now, you’re talking about getting rid of CAFOs.”However, Acton insisted his objection was to outside corporations coming into the county, “Now you haven’t listened to everything I’ve said. I am splitting the hair and splitting it with corporate versus in county residents.”“Don’t get me wrong here. If you are a county citizen coming in next door, and you want to set up a 600 animal CAFO, I would be all for him if it was on his own place, or because of water restrictions, you have one satellite. If he wants to build another one, by God, he’s gotta build a home there, too,” said Acton. “I have a CAFO in my backyard.” When asked if there was a way to keep corporate interests outside of the county without restricting smaller, in-county interests, Gage County Attorney Amanda Spracklen-Hogen said, “My legal opinion, you shouldn’t.”“It’s a form of discrimination. You can’t prevent business and free enterprise. So, whether you’re dealing internationally, or you’re dealing state-to-state, or you’re UNL graduates who are coming from Wyoming and want to relocate to Nebraska, and begin their businesses,” explained Spracklen-Hogen. “It goes both ways, because it’s intended to go both ways.”Acton disputed that economic development was a concern to Gage County residents, “A lot of people are like, I don’t want no damn windmills. Hey, look. They love what they got living here. It isn’t like, ‘Oh darn, we just don’t have economic development.’ It’s not what they want.” Next StepsMembers of the public were not allowed to address the board but will be given a chance to at another next hearing on October 18 of this year.The P&Z Board will forward there recommendations to the Gage County Board of Supervisors. Supervisors will then approve or reject the recommendations or return them to the P&Z Board for further review.

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