~by Janice Harbaugh for Greene County News Online
Steve Drulias of California, owner of 5 acres in Highland Township that’s at the center of a controversy over a construction permit for a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) by Stumpf Finishers LLC, told Janice Harbaugh of Greene County News Online, “I don’t want it built.”
During a telephone interview June 6, Drulias said he had inherited the land from his father about three years ago. “The farm manager told me a hog confinement would give me manure to better my land.”
The farm manager, Nathan Deters of Stalcup Agricultural Services in Storm Lake, has been vice president of Stalcup since 2015, according to the company’s website.
Drulias said he agreed a while back to look into the project but has not signed any agreements with anyone about selling the land, allowing improvements to grasswways, or letting a hog confinement be built.
“I told Nathan (Deters) I don’t want to do it. He said OK,” Drulias thought that was the end of it.
“I’ve been following news about it,” he said. “I’m upset about the water pollution, air pollution (hog confinement’s produce). I don’t want that.”
Drulias said he doesn’t know about farming or land management. He just thought the manure improving his land sounded like a good idea. He has been learning about land stewardship from interested parties since the Stumpf public hearing.
“I’ll talk to the board of supervisors if that will help,” he said. “I don’t want a hog confinement on my land.”
Drulias confirmed to GCNO he does not want to sell the property.
