~by Victoria Riley
The Greene County supervisors have long held they have no power to prevent construction of a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) if the master matrix submitted with the construction permit meets the minimum 440 points.
In recent years, the supervisors have accepted master matrices as presented, not questioning scoring even when the point total is only slightly more than the total needed.
That was the case May 11 at a public hearing for Stumpf Finishers LLC, proposed to be located in Highland Township Section 32, south of Churdan. It was the first public hearing the supervisors held through videoconferencing due to COVID-19 pandemic constraints. Forty persons attended, including the supervisors.
The master matrix was prepared by Becky Sexton of Twin Lakes Environmental LLC of Rockwell City, and she, along with Todd Stumpf, were in attendance via video.
Fifteen persons spoke in opposition to the proposed CAFO, including Kathy Martin, who works with the Jefferson County Farmers and Neighbors, a Fairfield-based 501(c)3 educational foundation that supports traditional sustainable agriculture and works to control the proliferation of CAFOs in Jefferson County. Martin was contacted by neighbors of the proposed Highland Township CAFO.
Martin challenged the points on Stumpf’s master matrix concerning uncontrolled gases, worker protection issues, worker safety, and biohazard concerns.
According to Dean Hoskins, an engineer and Highland Township resident, an accurate score could be as low as 285.
There is a process in place, one the supervisors have mentioned in the past. If the supervisors dispute a master matrix score and recommend the DNR not approve a construction permit, the DNR also does extra review. If the DNR approves the permit, the supervisors can appeal to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Becky Sexton is known by the Greene County supervisors, as she’s presented several master matrices in recent years. The supervisors have trusted her, although in an interview with Janice Harbaugh of GCNO last week, she said “supervisors are supposed to verify each score before they send it on to the DNR.”
Sexton also said anyone can do the scoring if they understand the requirements. She said her business is dependent on clients passing the matrix, and that she “guaranteed” Todd Stumpf his matrix would pass.
She told Harbaugh, “people just don’t like the matrix in general.”
Her disdain for people who argue against the master matrix is on record. In 2016 Sexton assisted Eric Chrystal, doing business as Greene County Pigs LLC, in putting a CAFO on County Road E-57 one-half mile west of Highway 4 in Franklin Township.
The original master matrix, which was submitted in March that year, scored 450. The CAFO was built, but before Chrystal moved hogs in, he decided he would not compost dead hogs, taking 30 points off the score, but would plant trees at the site, adding 20 points back to the total.
The change required a second public hearing. Sexton said that was “sad” because another public hearing is “hard on the neighbors, because they truly don’t understand what’s going on.”
Sexton said then she knew there were people who wanted to change the matrix – they’re “cute”. “When people say there’s 880 points available, we all know that’s not true. It’s very sad for people who don’t truly understand the matrix, because they think you can get 880 points, but… you can’t do that. It’s cute when they say that, but it really doesn’t work that way.”
