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Board tables Beckius feedlot permit

NEW ULM — After about an hour of discussion, Brown County Commissioners voted unanimously to table a conditional use permit application to allow a new hog finishing operation in Section 29, Mulligan Township, Tuesday.

The application by Zach Beckius would allow up to 720 animal units (2,400 head) through construction of a 102-feet-by-192-feet facility, with an eight-feet deep concrete pit.

Last Tuesday, after considerable discussion with landowners living near the proposed hog site, the Brown County Planning Commissioners did not recommend the application to Brown County commissioners. The land owners complained of already deteriorating roads, flood plain and former CRP land issues, odor and dust.

Attorney Matthew C. Berger of the Gislason & Hunter Law Firm of New Ulm, representing Zach and Jon Beckius, said he’s worked hard and made substantial progress regarding the proposed hog operation. Berger said the Beckiuses are willing to enter into an agreement to reimburse the township for any road damage or maintenance their operation would create.

Zach Beckius said gravel road wear and tear would be reduced with the hog operation because 50 to 60 annual loads of manure produced at the site would not need to be hauled away.

In a March 29 letter to Zach Beckius, engineer Jason E. Hoehn of IS Group of Mankato wrote that a backhoe was used to excavate two test holes on March 28. The seasonal high water table was at 48 inches.

“The water table will be controlled by a four-inch, perforated drain tile installed to gravity-drain to an existing farm tile of sufficient depth,” wrote Hoehn. “This tile will prevent any ground water intrusion and damage to the concrete (manure) pit walls. We have reviewed the concrete pit design along with the soils report and find the soils to be acceptable for this project.”

A project manager at the county board meeting said the proposed barn and inspection riser are surrounded by tile.

Commissioners Scott Windschitl and Dennis Potter said they wanted to see an agreement in place between the Beckiuses and Mulligan Township before voting on the application, so they favored tabling the issue until 10 a.m. at the May 16 county board meeting.

“We’ll work with them,” Berger said.

Myron Windschitl said he still had many concerns about the proposed hog operation.

“If you don’t stop putting hog barns on land ilke this, you are asking for trouble,” Windschitl said. “Put this land in CRP and keep it there.”

“Look at the positives of small and medium-sized agriculture in southern Minnesota,” said Scott Love of rural Hanska.

“He’s gonna pollute. I don’t care how you look at it,” said Gary Rathmann. “Let him build a barn where he lives, not where we live. We know he won’t stop at one barn.”

Jon Beckius said he and his son Zach talked to the two landowners closest to the proposed hog operation.

“Just trust us. We’ll be good neighbors. We’re good neighbors where our barns are now,” Jon Beckius said. “All our sites have perimeter tile with caps on and they’re dry.”

Commissioners unanimously approved:

• A $4,500 appropriation request from the Brown County Agricultural Society (BCAS) to be used towards final payment for researching and writing the Brown County Fair 150th Anniversary history book. The BCAS contracted with historian Dan Hoisington to compile a history book for $19,000.

A book proof is ready and a finished book is planned for June to accommodate a book signing. A book selling price has not yet been determined since the book has not yet been published. It will be sold for a small profit, according to the BCAS.

• A resolution authorizing issuance, awarding sale, prescribing the form and details and providing a $4,875,000 payment of Series 2017A General Obligation State Aid Bonds to finance county road construction plans.

The true interest cost was 1.8036 percent, cost of issuance $46,124, and yield 0.96 to 2.05 percent.

• Redetermination of benefits for County Ditches 22, 43, 63 and 29.

• The Minnesota Wetland Conservation Act Local Government Unit Decision approving the Jason Cunningham irrigation well, Section 30, Stark Township. Cunningham proposes to utilize the existing irrigation system for row crop production to decrease drought risk and improve yield, beginning this year.

The irrigation well can pump 500 gallons a minute, as needed during the growing season. The Northwest AqwaTek Solutions (NWATS) report indicated the upper soil layer of the wetland includes a layer of organic (peat) soil to a depth of six to seven feet. Peat soils of highly-decomposed peat materials permit very slow water movement and can have a significant water-retaining effect.

The report indicated the aquifer level recovers to pre-pumping conditions within six days of a pumping event. The irrigation system will at times apply water to the wetland. During unusually dry years, the wetland has been farmed. Irrigation system operation during unusually dry years may prevent the wetland from being farmable.

“It’s a farmable wetland. We felt the study was sufficient. The common sense thing would be to allow this,” said Brown County Board Chairman Dean Simonsen.

Commissioner Windschitl asked about delaying the decision a year.

“I think wetlands are extremely valuable. They’re the best filter we have,” Windschitl said.

Cunningham said the DNR is not holding him back and the DNR hydrologist has no issues with the irrigation well.

According to April 13 supplementary BWSR (Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Resources) comments received from BWSR Wetland Specialist Kane Radel, “BWSR recommends denial of the application” for the following reasons:

••There is potential for the wetland in question to be impacted due to the cumulative effects of multiple pumping cycles occurring over a growing season.

•• Site conditions at the time of the November 2016 pump test were at/near record-breaking levels. Rainfall amounts in the three months leading up to the test were estimated at 17.8 inches. These unprecedented wet conditions resulted in a water-logged soil profile and are not representative of the conditions when an irrigation system would be used for crop production.

•• Further justification is contained in Cunningham_Talking Points for Additional Data.pdf, written by Eric Mohring, BWSR Hydrologist.

Talking points indicated it is not known how “leaky” the base of the wetland really is, and what the cumulative effect will be of lowering the water table in the sand aquifer underlying the wetland for a whole growing season. The only way to do this is to monitor over the course of a growing season.

Mohring wrote that monitoring wells and a staff gauge are in place and BWSR agreed to provide equipment and staff to gather data at no landowner cost.

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.

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