Residents frustrated over odors from Thief River Falls dairy operation

Kay P.
01/28/2010 1:28 PM

Who's the "bright one" that brought modern day manure pits to reality? I guess they thought that making a massive stinking, stewing pond of crap was a great idea. Did some farmer decide that he didn't want to have to deal with his animal wastes every day? I detest manure pits, and always have, even back in the day when my family was still farming. A few neighbors put them in, but I never really understood the value of making a holding 'pond' for crap. Unless, they thought that they could model it after waste water treatment facilities that occur in cities nationwide. IMO, after it stewed a few months, it STUNK worse than if it was a day old. People can rail against modern dairies all they want. Thru the years they supported ever increasing regulation and idealistic EPA rulings. Todd county rural residents have repeatedly railed against a few horse "apples" on the side of the road. Farmers trying to get to their fields, using the roadway, CANNOT, drop a speck of crap on the road, or they will be fined. Who is the one complaining? NON-FARMERS who live in the country. City folk that bought pricy "hobby acreage" so they could be in the country. It's the new lakeshore of MN. We've all seen what has happened to our lakes. I've noticed a dramatic decline in wetlands locally. It can't be because the dairy farmers are spreading the poo everywhere. There aren't too many dairy farmers left to blame anymore. A decent reporter, worth their salt, would crack a book and find those relevent statutes and EPA mandates that pertain to the disposal of animal wastes, manure pits, etc, then research current real life obstacles that make compliance downright impossible without significant cost to the producer. SIMPLY PUT, the rules are making the business impossible to operate according to the letter of the law. Some talking head professor who may have only set foot on a college operated "farm", isn't privy to the entire business cycle. He doesn't have to worry about HIS bottomline, the bills are submitted to someone else and the work is provided by the students for FREE. EPA Agents who may soon become alarmed by your dog's "tootsies" in your back yard, are also unaware of real time farm operations. They can only grasp the concept one pie at a time but they fail to see that the pile is the real issue that needs sound solutions not mandates legislated because of activist's narrow interests. I am often reminded that my father made the right choice in 1985. FARMING as we knew it was dying and the "NEW" way of farming, corporate style was just gaining it's popularity. Now look how that is turning out. It's sad to note that the few that remained hopeful, expanded their operations when interest rates were from 14 to 20 %, aren't around anymore. Their barns are empty and falling down and the silos stand as lone reminders of a lifestyle that is unsustainable at our current regulation standards. I guess, if one doesn't like the smell of the farm, stay AWAY from the farms or learn to accept that with rural living comes all the ups and downs of it's reality. I truly believe that there are sound solutions to this dairy's issues but with the current mandates that have been thrown at them, their options are limited in scope and perhaps cost prohibitive or physically next to impossible to install. it is effectively a NO-WIN situation. After all, the EPA has ruled that CO2 is a greenhouse gas and therefore subject to emmisions rulings. Who would have thought that the main component in the lifecycle of a PLANT would be called pollution?

Report a Violation

Roger D.
01/28/2010 6:13 AM

Randy O. I was not trying to defend the operation. I am attempting to draw the picture of what is happening and how things have evolved and why. Yes, there are allegations on a daily basis made against all sizes of farming activities, not just the large ones. For one, there were actually attempts at forcing grain farmers to shut off their dryer fans from 10:00 p.m. thru 06:00 a.m. Those pushing for this agenda, I would have to assume, could be compared to other " rural residentials" without any agriculture background. One point I tried to make was that too many people do not have a clue, because of what their way of life. They want their cake, frosting, ice cream and expect someone else to do the dishes.

Report a Violation

b.a. c.
01/26/2010 3:36 PM

There was a much more complete story about this in the StarTrib last week.

Report a Violation

Kay P.
01/26/2010 11:54 AM

Randy O, do you believe that a six year old has the mentality to come up with the feelings and words she expressed? I think she had some coaching from Mom. I think quite a few people have had some coaching. Seriously though, we've only been presented with one side's story in the news, so it's easy to hate the other side when one doesn't know all the particulars. I wonder...how much hydrogen sulfide(rotten egg smell) ppm exists at Mammoth Hot Springs in particular and Yellowstone Geyser Basin in general. Can anyone find an EPA ruling for that area? The Government made that a tourist attraction and a national park. I remember the stench climbing the path next to the mountain side covered with terraced formations of mineral deposits and bubbly pools of stinky hot water. In 2004 the gas was blamed for the death of 5 bison in one of the basins. Again, I believe the dairy could do more, but now that some of the public is outraged and it's been presented to the general (non-affected) public negatively, nothing will ever be good enough. An activist knows they have succeeded in shaping the future if they can garner enough supporters for that hate to continue their demonizations. Like I said, I stopped watching when the man complained about the hispanic workers working for low pay. Leave a job opening long enough and YES, they will come to fill it. Now, Twin Eagle Dairy by EB is half as big, but I've not been witness to any major complaints over it's operation or stink...what are they doing differently? It's worth reviewing operations of similar sized large dairy operations and see what can be done or undone. USE science to solve scientific problems, instead of rushing to unsupported remedies that may actually do more harm than good.

Report a Violation

Randy O.
Hoffman, MN     01/26/2010 7:41 AM

Roger, come on you're smarter than that. This TRFalls dairy was a travesty. It's dairies like these that give the dairies of the Morris Area and dairies in central Minnesota a bad name. Let's hope the government has the guts to shut them down for good and allow a responsible owner come in and re-start the dairy.

Report a Violation

Roger D.
01/26/2010 6:17 AM

So Pat H. How many cows did you milk by hand this morning? Do you raise your own eggs, chicken and pork? Are you still consuming potatoes and carrots, grown to your expectations and approval in your own garden last summer? Do you have a root and vegtable cellar for natural preservation( we do) in your basement or is it finished off and carpeted? For one, the inflated cost of land has put family farms out of business, largely due to exodus from the fifty and seventy five foot lots in town. It is easy for some to sit back at a level of luxury, expecting someone else to get their hands dirty.

Report a Violation

Kay P.
01/25/2010 7:09 PM

Absolutely nothing wrong with traditional names, I can think of a bunch of kids who have names that would have been from my Grandmother's generation. I tried to honor my parents and grandparents by using old family names. Those names have class and Calvin James has a nice sound to it! He'll be a little gentleman for sure. ;)

Report a Violation

b.a. c.
01/25/2010 5:11 PM

Thanks, Kay! I'll sure do that! I guess he took after his mother, she was pretty reluctant to make her appearance, also. Lots of false labor. I never expected the kids to be traditionalists, but they named him after his great grandfather, and his father. Calvin James. Of course, they're already getting offers of stuffed tigers for him....Hobbes, of course! ;-)

Report a Violation

Kay P.
01/25/2010 3:05 PM

CONGRATS bac!!! Woohoo a big boy! As my mother would put it, "half grown". LOL! What a wonderful day this is for you and your daughter! Sending a germ-free cyber (( hug )), hoping you pass that along to the precious new baby!

Report a Violation

b.a. c.
01/25/2010 11:31 AM

Finally....an eight and a half pound boy! Twenty one and a half inches, top to toe. Good post, Kay. It is a real pity to see so many empty farmplaces around this area. I remember a few small farms in Todd county that quit milking because they were just getting by when the bulktank regulations came in. Some couldn't afford the white room.

Report a Violation