County Board votes against a proposed hog confinement operation

Winneshiek County Supervisors voted 3-1 on Monday against recommending approval of a permit for a new hog confinement operation on 337th Avenue in Sumner Township, west of Spillville.

The application by Platinum LLC would allow the business to build a new hog confinement operation that would handle 2,499 head of swine in addition to its current 2,400 head hog confinement.

Decorah resident Smokey Doyle told supervisors the applicants "are good people" and that "they follow the rules."  County supervisors, however, expressed their frustration with state rules which give the Iowa DNR all the say on confinement operations.  Supervisor Mark Kuhn criticized the state's "cookie cutter approach" to issues about confinement operations.  Supervisor Dean Thompson said he was worried about the density of confinement operations in that area.

Supervisor Floyd Ashbacher joined Kuhn and Thompson in voting against approval.  Supervisor John Logsdon voted in favor, while Supervisor John Beard was absent.  The supervisors will be drafting language for a letter to send to the Iowa DNR expressing their opposition.