To the Editor,
Thank you to Loni Kemp for alerting readers to the Catalpa LLC pig concentration mega-facility proposed in the Newburg area. 4,980 sows packed together like sardines and a nearly nine million gallon manure pit! Uffda. This proposal cannot be taken lightly by those of us who live in the fractured rock of karst country. The magnitude of a manure spill from such an operation would have devastating affects. The uppermost aquifer here in Fillmore County is already so compromised that wells must be drilled into deeper aquifers to assure safe drinking water. This is an end result of flawed land use practices.
Nothing can replace water. There are no alternatives to it. We need to take care of what we have.
In addition to water quality, what is the quality of meat produced in these mega-facilities? We are a country of bacon lovers. Most of the bacon we consume is the product of huge confinement operations. Kept nose to tail, pigs are pumped with antibiotics to stem the outbreak of diseases. Research shows that pigs stress out in confinement. The austerity of these buildings is totally unlike how they would live under normal circumstances (roaming and rooting in grassy fields). Additionally, they generally must stand directly over the roiling manure pit and breathe in the fumes 24/7. How does all this affect the end product?
Comments regarding Catalpa LLC must reach the MPCA before May 30. Contact: Charles Peterson, MPCA, 520 Lafayette Rd, St. Paul, Minn. 55155. Phone: (651) 757 2856. Email address: charles.peterson@state.mn.us.
Lynne Farmer
Rushford, MN