On Tuesday evening, the Cherry County Planning Commission held a public hearing on TK Angus Co. Conditional Use Permit application for a Confined Animal Feeding Operation of a swine finisher housing 4,999 head over 55 lbs.
Just over 60 people were in attendance with about a third speaking during this time. Of those, almost all who addressed the Commission spoke with concerns about the proposed facility. Most of which had concerns about water quality and odor control. The value of tourism was brought up in counterpoint to the economic benefits that the facility could bring to the county.
There was also concern that parts of the CUP application may have been omitted or submitted in a manner that may not meet statutory requirements of the application.
Dean Settje, with Settje Agri Sciences and Engineering spoke on behalf of the TK Angus proposed facility, stating that the air quality as well as water quality in regards to new swine facilities is vastly improved from those that were built just 10-15 years ago. He also stated that per NDEE and NRD requirements, regular monitoring of groundwater as well as soil testing would be performed to ensure that the facility meets state and national guidelines for environmental quality.
Upon the conclusion on the meeting, the Commission voted to table a vote on the facility until their next meeting, which is scheduled for July 11.