Letter to the Editor: "Time to change the laws, or lawmakers"

To the Editor:

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) declined to approve the initial construction permit for the hog confinement for Riecks View Farms because, according to an article reprinted in The Standard, they wanted to build the confinement buildings in a “region of porous, shallow bedrock in steep terrain overlooking two streams with naturally reproducing trout”. The amount of pigs would produce an estimated amount of manure at 5.8 million gallons in a year’s time.

Now the Reicks’ have changed their permit to a lesser amount of pigs, but on the same site. What is wrong with this picture? Who in their right mind would, in such a sensitive area, even consider their permit, let alone okay it?

I am not a farmer, but we moved from Waterloo because the property across the street from our house was a pig farm, and the smell was constant, and working in the yard and garden was torture let alone trying to enjoy the cool evening breezes. The farm was grandfathered in and so… we left. I dread that “smell of money” that everyone thought we should tolerate but never got to spend!

It is time to change lawmakers that refuse to change the laws that would allow such total disregard for the area we call home.

Thank you,

Beulah A. Hoofnagle
Lansing