Passing of CAFO resolution by Board of Supervisors hopes to lead to review of Master Matrix by DNR and others

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution at its January 9 regular meeting in support of suspending the issuance of Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) construction permits. This measure is, in essence, a non-binding stance to open up discussion and a review, on a statewide level, of the Master Matrix, a scoring system used in the siting of CAFOs by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The Master Matrix scoring system is being used by a majority of Iowa counties and requires a minimum score of 440 out of an 880-point scoring system (50%), with a minimum 25% score in each sub-category of air, water and community impacts in order to qualify for construction approval. Various factors affect a facility's scoring including distance to nearby residences, hospitals, public use areas and water sources and the proposed facility's animal unit capacity, with 2,500 animal units or more being a level requiring approval through the Master Matrix.

Allamakee County Board of Supervisors Chairperson Larry Schellhammer recently offered further insight from the Board's perspective on adoption of the resolution suspending CAFO construction permits, the complex issues leading to this decision and the next step for Allamakee County and the State of Iowa in general. Schellhammer provided some background as to what prompted the creation of the resolution, noting that the rapid expansion of CAFOs has occurred in western Iowa and that trend is now moving east, due to the need for distance between CAFOs for bio-security and to prevent the spread of disease between feeding operations. Schellhammer explained that proposed facilities at or below the 2,499 animal unit capacity face less restrictions in siting and are not required to gain approval through the Master Matrix, which may have resulted in some intentional avoidance of the scoring system required of larger feeding operations at 2,500 units and above.

Schellhammer stated, "We appreciate and acknowledge that the agriculture industry is the number-one industry in Allamakee County, and this resolution is not intended to paint this industry in a bad light and we do not mean to impugn livestock producers in doing this. We are trying to be proactive. We want to make sure the future expansion of agriculture in Allamakee County is done in a transparent and sustainable way. A corn producer, beef producer and a dairy producer are serving on this Board and no one appreciates the hard work producers do more than we do, because we are part of the industry. Looking forward, we need to be proactive in looking at the siting of CAFOs and what the public perceives is happening, and what is actually happening."

Schellhammer further shared that in meeting with Supervisors from across the state, Allamakee County is not unique in facing issues involving the balance between the needs of the agriculture economy, tourism and the environment. "The rules currently being used in the Master Matrix were developed in 2002, and we are now 15 years into the process with a revision likely to happen, sooner rather than later. We need to be part of the discussion as far as what the new set of rules will look like," he said.

Schellhammer suggested that differences across the state need to be factored into this process. "Looking at the topography, soil type and drainage of Allamakee County, we have different issues in comparison to flat counties in western Iowa," he furthered.

Schellhammer views his position on the Board as an advocate for the County, to make sure the voices of his constituents are heard in Des Moines. He explained that Allamakee County has gained statewide attention due to the pushback received from CAFO sitings that were not required to go through the Master Matrix due to lower animal capacity, but likely would not have been approved if over the 2,500 animal unit threshold due to the proximity of existing CAFOs. Schellhammer discussed that lowering the number of animal units to trigger the use of the Master Matrix would go a long way to ease some of these concerns for everyone involved. He noted another discussion on the state level involves raising the number of points above 440, or 50%, including point deductions for sitings in a high impact area, which would allow for special consideration for a county like Allamakee.

Air quality is one of the first issues that tends to be discussed in relation to pork producers. Schellhammer discussed that technology has been created providing the ability to filter and clean air to the point that odors are reduced significantly, but there are no incentives, other than just being a good neighbor, for pork producers to take on this expense in the construction of their facilities. Schellhammer also discussed that nitrogen in manure can be stabilized to better adhere to soil and lessen leeching, offering that those who make these kind of improvements should be rewarded in the Master Matrix.

"The agriculture industry, in general, needs to do a better job of selling itself and informing the public of the good things being done," Schellhammer reasoned. "The bio-security measures used in the pork industry tend to exclude people from seeing first-hand what is going on, which creates a perception issue that is a challenge for larger farms."

In summary, Schellhammer advised that the recently passed resolution is symbolic in nature and is intended to initiate discussion on the State level with the DNR, producers, Supervisors and Legislature. He said construction permits will continue to be considered in Allamakee County for proposed sites that are exempt at 2,499 animal units and lower in capacity and 2,500 or more units through the Master Matrix.

Schellhammer said he and his fellow Board members want to alleviate the fears of the animal industry, noting shared concerns by local residents both involved and not involved in the biggest driver of Allamakee County's economy. Schellhammer believes that discussion of the Master Matrix is not likely this year and producers should not be in a rush for expansion to avoid regulation. He envisions that any changes to the Master Matrix will involve logical, common sense ideas through transparency and sustainability for the future of the industry.