Grant County CAFO Hearing Postponed

As reported by one of my commenters Wednesday and backed by the Watertown Public Opinion (reg. req'd) yesterday, the Grant County Planning and Zoning Board has postponed an upcoming hearing on a proposed 5,700-head concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO—a.k.a. big honking feedlot). The board moved the hearing from August 13 to September 10 (4:30 p.m., Grant County Courthouse) at the request of the company proposing the feedlot, Riverview Farms*.

Quick check: when's the last time you asked the bureaucracy to actually work more slowly?

WaPO says Riverview Farms is "concerned with the amount of opposition" to the proposed CAFO. So why the delay? Hoping to wear down the opposition? Need time to wage a marketing campaign? Not convinced you have all the county officials in your pocket yet?

On the positive side, it's nice to see Grant County officials are responsive to the desires of the folks bringing business before them. Let's hope they'll be just as responsive to their own citizens, listen to both proponents and opponents, and eventually get around to making a decision in the best interest of its people and the environment in Grant County.

*In the original version of this post, I mistakenly identified Riverview Farms as the owner of the stinky Excel Dairy in Thief River Falls, MN. As my commenter below reminds me, Excel and Riverview are separate outfits. Riverview Farms operates dairies near Morris, not Thief River Falls. I apologize for that misidentification.