Opponents Continue To Press County Over Controversial Swine Facility

By Gordon HopkinsA hearing will be held Wednesday, October 18, 2023, at the Gage County Courthouse, to give the public an opportunity to provide input on a proposed CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation).However, some opponents are not waiting to make their position known.The Gage County Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Board recently 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.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.Gage County Supervisors allow for public comments during their weekly meetings. Several opponents spoke at the meeting on Wednesday, October 4.A number of residents have expressed the concern that the road and bridge cannot handle the increased traffic that will result if the CAFO is constructed. Steve McDowell of Liberty said, “I have eyes. I can see. I drove this road yesterday at 2:30 p.m. I could not drove that bridge at the same time a UPS truck was coming down it. So I'm being told this road is so safe. If we're driving this road in August or September it's not too bad. But if we're driving this road after a two-inch rain, or in January or February with some ice or snow, it's a different factor.”Rules for public comments at the meeting do not allow for responses from the Board of Supervisors. However, at a prior meeting of P&Z, Gage County Highway Superintendent Mark Kuhnke indicated he had a representative from an engineering firm, Mainelli Wagnar and Associates, which concluded the road will be adequate for semi and school bus travel provided the road is maintained to state standards for township roads.Some residents of the area are concerned about the possible impact the operation could have on groundwater. Ralph M. Bodie, who lives in Liberty, said, “There's no market in the hog market unless you have a confinement center, which is wicked. You all must understand that process, also destroys the subsoil and the water table with anabolics (steroids), as has happened in northern Missouri, and with nitrogen, which has happened above the Platte River.”Don Wade of Liberty said, “It's about two miles from our wells and we've had a spike in nitrogen in our wells the last time they were tested.”In response to groudnwater concerns, P&Z amended the proposal to include three monitoring wells. The location of the wells would be determined at a later date by the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy.Odor is another concern. Lonnie McDowell of Liberty said she previously lived near a hog confinement operation in South Dakota, “Nobody's going to convince me that there are not going to be smell, flies and al kinds of issues. I will never believe that.”After the public hearing on October 18, it will be up to the Gage County Board of Supervisors to approve or reject the recommendations or return them to the P&Z Board for further review.

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