NORTHWOOD, IOWA – A Worth county supervisor confirmed today that a Prestage Foods official has reached out to that county about the possibility of a hog processing plant.
Worth County Supervisor Merlin Bartz says no real negotiations are underway, yet, and no face-to-face meetings have taken place.
However, Mr. Bartz confirms that Jere Null, COO of Prestage Foods, reached out to him via phone about the prospects of a hog processing plant being built in that county. This call came in the wake of the historic vote by the Mason City council last week – a tie 3-3 – which halted progress in that potential development for Mason City. Prestige Foods immediately began to re-asses their standing in Iowa for a location to build their proposed plant, which would eventually process 20,000 hogs a day.
Following this phone conversation about a hog plant, word got out, and folks in Worth county were talking about possibly picking up where Mason City left off on this development.
Mr. Bartz, a Republican former state legislator who has worked for Congressman Steve King, was working in his farm fields Tuesday as he spoke to NIT. He says the phone call with Mr. Null was “courteous” and he took the call because “some constituents” asked him to do so. He tells NIT no specific locations in Worth county were discussed, just the general prospects or outlook of a possible development.
“He could call back,” Mr, Bartz said, explaining there hasn’t yet been a second phone conversation.
“I could’t say right now whether I am for or against a project like this,” Mr. Bartz said. “I’d have to hear from the people in Worth county to see if it would be a fit. I haven’t thought a lot about it.”
Finding a home in Worth county would be tricky without investment in infrastructure – which is where elected officials like Mr. Bartz and the board of supervisors along with any local officials would need to get involved.
The massive, proposed Prestage Foods plant requires millions of gallons of water and a large sewer system to operate. Over the years, Worth county has invested heavily in the area near the Diamond Jo Casino with infrastructure as the burgeoning area continues to develop. There have been rumors of an assortment of different developments that could come to that general area, which is right off of Interstate 35 and just 15 miles or so north of Clear Lake, a community which feared the environmental impact from the slaughterhouse first proposed for Mason City. The Diamond Jo casino – also rejected by the people of Mason City – has ironically been a windfall for Worth county and perhaps might give the county the cash needed to invest in the infrastructure the hog processing plant would require.
Prestage Farms & Why I’m Opposed to Them In My City as well as My State of Iowa
First off I’d like to start with a note I wrote an sent to a few people. This was before I bothered with any research and before Mason City chose to vote by a tie. At this point it was basically a done deal and I’m still of the understanding that Prestage and our state government is going to refuse to give up until they get what they want. One way or another there is going to be a large facility built in Iowa. We just haven’t agreed on where yet.
“I understand why people would want this here as well as why people would not want this here. Myself… I feel the jobs and the money mean nothing to anyone if land around becomes toxic in the long run. Yet in the same breath were the land to become toxic so too would the product and honestly, what business would foolishly shoot itself in the foot that way. So I see no reason why you wouldn’t actively seek ways to keep such things from happening. I live on this side of town and we’ve all done a lot over the years to fix up this side of town since I was a kid. I saw it change from a pretty run down place to a beautiful area where you want to raise families. A place where neighbors become friends akin to family in a way I’ve only ever seen here in our town.
Here’s what I don’t want to see happen to my town and especially the neighborhood in which I live. I don’t want the streams that run by here contaminated to a point were the kids are at risk playing in them because I too played in them growing up not realizing I could have been hurt myself. I don’t want this facility to become the ungodly stench that those bird confinement buildings that dot the countryside have become. Every time I drive near one I want them destroyed because of what they do to those of us that actually have to live near them. Just because they are in the countryside not seen by cities in general doesn’t mean they aren’t a plague to those around them. Animals can be kept but they don’t have to be kept in utter filth that ruin their health and value as well as the value of everything around it. If you can’t keep your facilities from becoming this way then I highly suggest you don’t come to my city to begin with.
Here’s another weird fact. There’s an immense difference between living and dying. Death tends to linger. Especially when not cleaned up properly. One death is bad enough. Many is worse but when the scale becomes unimaginably uncountable after time goes by there is no longer any possible way to erase it’s existence. Trust me when I say it’s not pretty. I lived in Omaha NE for some time. You know they once had the cattle stockyards there. I did not know. I was getting groceries one summer evening and the whole side of town around 24th street smelled so awful I was gagging. I couldn’t even finish my shopping I had to get in my car and leave that side of town as fast as I could. Even back at home a few miles away I could still smell the stench. It just wasn’t so bad I couldn’t breath anymore but it was still terrible. It was absolutely putrid. I cannot accurately describe to you how utterly awful it was. Mind you, I’m a farm kid. I grew up with awful smells of all sorts. It was unimaginable that something so terrible could possibly have gotten the best of me and in a city of all places. That was when I found out about the stockyards. I wasn’t even directly on the stockyard area when I smelled the stench. I was quite a ways away from it still. There’s a whole freaking town built on top of that area now and it “STILL” reeks on a regular basis every single year. Sometimes even on nice days that aren’t too hot. Even with all the parking lots covering it over you still smell it. It will never go away. The filth permeates that place. I can’t go there anymore. I think they put the zoo on that side of town to mask the smell but honestly I’ve never smelled that stench anywhere near or around the zoo. The zoo itself is quite immaculate and could never come close to what I smelled near the stockyard area. I’m gonna tell you straight. Don’t you dare do this to my town and to my people. I refuse to ignore such a slap in the face if you do.
That being said I “EXPECT” nothing less than Absolute Perfection when it comes to compliance with not only the people of the town but more importantly the well being of the land your facility occupies. Hazardous spills of any type will NOT be tolerated by me. The water quality is to be monitored regularly, (I live here. I too will be monitoring it regularly.) filters will be used around water sources & regularly changed, and any discrepancies will be given a maximum of 3 months to be fixed or you’ll be shut down. Reopening will hinge on your past performance. Air quality is the biggest issue. If it smells like a farm I could could care less. We live in farm country so that’s no big deal. I dislike the smell of pigs more than any other farm animal but whatever. Keep your facility extra clean and don’t make my city smell like a freakin pig sty. If it ends up smelling of putrid, toxic, death I promise to have you shut shut down never to return.
I do however see possibility for decent to great success in this venture though. It is precarious and depends on a lot of people to see it through. Each and every stage will need thorough planning as well as constant active follow through in order to obtain success. Failure too would be rather simple to come by especially in disgruntled employees not treated as family would be treated. Sabotage from outside sources would be enough to damage standing within the community as well so that will be something you’ll need to be on guard for. I suggest setting up video monitoring everywhere in order to keep everything well maintained but also to guard yourself while also keeping the public like me at ease. Keep your facility neat and clean and I see you going far while prospering. Obviously we don’t want wastes to putrefy but I see those wastes generating revenue by producing fertilizers which is king in farm country which I’m sure you already know. So done right this could truly be one outstanding facility that would be a true benefit for our city for sure. Done wrong and we all know you just bring utter ruin to our shiny city as well as the precious land surrounding us which is worth far more than any city ever could be worth. Please don’t hurt that which is most precious to us. I implore you. If your going to do it. I beseech you to do it right to begin with or don’t do it at all.
Thank You”
I’m not joking. I intend to monitor water quality in and around whatever facility they build. If it gets into the waterways I most certainly intend to find a way to have them taken down. I refuse to back down on that point. I’m already pissed off over what’s been going on with the poultry and hog confinement facilities. I’m not going to allow this slap in the face as well. Not to the land my grandfather spent his life tending.
The Original Deal
http://masoncity.net/files/documents/PrestageFoodsofIowaProjectFAQ1178021909042016PM.pdf
It’s about Money & Politics. The little guy isn’t going to get a say in this deal. Which angers me greatly. Our city council had been going about this in a manner as though it was already a done deal. They were merely allowing us to feel as though we have a choice by giving us a chance to voice our opinion but ultimately it was going to go unheard. There’s too much money at stake this time. I don’t want this anywhere in Iowa. Wherever it does go it will eventually become a plague to the land around it turning precious agricultural land toxic. It will ruin our city, ruin the lives of our people, and destroy the land surrounding it. Unfortunately they have enough money and power backing them to hide those particular issues from everyone at the moment with their pretty pictures, lovely proposals, and monetary gifts as well as promises for the future. I noticed that their water quality plan only covers current construction and just after. The city is on its own once the actual toxins from this plant start building up. Which they most certainly will I guarantee. It will prosper short term making everyone put a gag on the naysayers then things will slowly but most assuredly go downhill from there. The workforce they promise will start out large. Especially the construction stage will indeed benefit the city wonderfully. But then after awhile the construction team will dwindle down as its no longer needed. The start of the operation itself will need a large team to get everything to run smoothly and then they will do a mass layoff because the numbers won’t be needed to keep the place operational but they will say they will keep the positions open for when they need the extra workers in peak seasons. This way they can keep the workers down to the minimum even though they promised a maximum number of jobs. And of course because of this they will overwork people at shoddy pay which will in turn lead to some seriously gross shit getting leaked everywhere all the time and not being properly cleaned up anymore. It’s not going to be pretty. We will all suffer for it. I mourn the thought of them destroying my home this way. If I knew what to do to stop it I would do it.
As far as those people I heard during the city hall meeting that were complaining about so called immigrants coming in and taking jobs. To heck with them! Who cares if different people come into town?! More power to them I say. This is what the political system has done. It’s foolishly let people think that it’s ok to open your dumbass mouths to say racist crap when it’s Absolutely and Completely UNACCEPTABLE!!! So Shut Your Mouths About Racist Shit In The Future You Fools! The vast majority of this town is more than happy to welcome whoever chooses to come to our town whenever they feel like it.
***THIS IS THE KIND OF PERSON THEIR PRESIDENT MR. PRESTAGE IS WHEN HE DOESN’T GET HIS WAY!!!*** http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2014/07/24/president-prestage-farms-arrested-capitol-loaded-gun-found-bag/13140443/ ***
***http://www.rollcall.com/news/ronald-prestage-gun-hearing-delayed ***
This makes me very angry.
http://vjel.vermontlaw.edu/files/2013/07/EPA-Gives-Animal-Feeding-Operations-Immunity-from-Environmental-Statutes.pdf
http://www.nccoast.org/uploads/documents/coastal-issues/HogFacts.pdf
Before the facility ever becomes a toxic hazard to the land and water aquifers below it will first become a health hazard to local wildlife including local human life. http://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/2003/5-03/NYTimes5-8-03.html
“A growing number of scientists and public health officials around the country say they have traced a variety of health problems faced by neighbors of huge industrial farms to vast amounts of concentrated animal waste, which emit toxic gases while collecting in open-air cesspools or evaporating through sprays. The gases, hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, are poisonous.
The waste is collected in pools because the concentration of hogs is so high that it must be treated before it can be used as fertilizer.
In Iowa, one of the country’s two biggest pork-producing states (North Carolina is the other), state environment officials started conducting air quality tests for hydrogen sulfide and ammonia at six neighborhood locations around hog farms last month. Brian Button, an air information specialist with the state, said preliminary data showed that 22 times in April, the gases exceeded the state’s recommended air standards of 15 parts per billion of hydrogen sulfide and 150 parts per billion of ammonia, averaged over an hour. The highest level recorded for hydrogen sulfide was 70 parts per billion, a level that would have exceeded the air standards for at least six other states.”
https://www.animallaw.info/article/detailed-discussion-iowa-hog-farming-practices
Reported by Homeland Security in 2014. Apparently spills are a regular occurrence. http://www.newtondailynews.com/2014/10/29/dnr-looks-into-manure-spill-in-north-central-iowa/a9adtx1/
Bill Stowe on Waterworks http://youtu.be/z6PKy4nLd6k
“Rob Hogg’s answer is more of what’s not working: bribe the bad apples in agriculture. The USDA has spend $2 billion of taxpayer money on conservation during Tom Vilsack’s tenure and out water quality has gotten worse.
Rob Hogg perpetuates the Farm Bureau myth that our cities and towns contribute as much to water pollution as agriculture. The fact is that the scientific assessment done in conjunction with the voluntary nutrient strategy concluded that 93% of the pollution in Iowa’s water comes from agriculture. Then add in the fact that there are 22 million hogs in Iowa and 3 million people.
Farm Bureau tool Rob Hogg is part of the problem, not part of the solution.”
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/2016/05/11/what-would-des-moines-water-works-need-drop-lawsuit/84252940/?fb_action_ids=10154085193437778&fb_action_types=og.comments&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B1029215367156566%5D&action_type_map=%5B%22og.comments%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D
http://www.sraproject.org/2016/04/press-release-mason-city-iowa-public-records-sought-on-prestage-hog-packing-plant/
http://iowacci.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Prestage-Spill-History.pdf
http://iowacci.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Prestage-Violation.pdf
http://www.hennet.org/apis/summary.php?id%5B0%5D=5767&id%5B1%5D=8687&id%5B2%5D=8660&id%5B3%5D=8804&id%5B4%5D=8554&id%5B5%5D=8586&id%5B6%5D=8679&id%5B7%5D=2894&id%5B8%5D=2897&id%5B9%5D=8573
https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=17983509106640419992&q=310+B.R.+795&hl=en&as_sdt=2,47
( https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1818425/in-re-moore/ )
http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/EnforcementStory/EnforcementStoryArchive/ucm107472.htm
Once they open up shop anywhere protecting the land, the wildlife, and the people within the surrounding areas down the road has pretty much been a farce. http://www.bleedingheartland.com/2012/07/30/environmental-protection-commissions-closed-meeting-prompts-concern/
https://facilityexplorer.iowadnr.gov/FacilityExplorer/SiteDetail.aspx?facID=310743827
https://facilityexplorer.iowadnr.gov/FacilityExplorer/SiteDetail.aspx?facID=310741729
https://facilityexplorer.iowadnr.gov/FacilityExplorer/SiteDetail.aspx?facID=310665655
https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/media/cms/smithfield_consent_decree_8F5B326D3A361.pdf
http://www.riverlaw.us/newsupdates.html
http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/despite-prestage-farms-reputation-ncsu-pleased-to-take-its-10-million/Content?oid=3208383
http://m.humanesociety.org/search/search-results.html?q=Prestage
http://m.nationalhogfarmer.com/mag/farming_litigations_reach_farm
http://wholehognc.org/community.html
https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/cesspools.pdf
http://djournal.com/lifestyle/court-says-prestage-farms-contractors-must-face-lawsuit/
http://iowacci.org/in-the-news/the-truth-about-prestage-farms/
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/10/hog-hell-inside-story-peta-investigation-mowmar-farms
http://www.thesandb.com/opinion/anthropocene-reporter-like-a-good-neighbor-cafos-should-care.html
It may be talking mostly poultry but it’s referring to all types of animal processing farms. These are the kinds of jobs we will be seeing if we let this sort of facility in our city or anywhere in Iowa. http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/527466/7338003/1276560305637/NC+Poultry+Statistics-Fact+Sheet.pdf?token=ush5U7QzVzJPhnTIToDD62MCQWg%3D
Also how they treat their workers it seems. http://www.law360.com/articles/107431/prestage-foods-hit-with-donning-doffing-action
I already have asthma and sleep apnea. I can’t imagine having worse breathing illnesses as well. Having this facility nearby would guarantee that people like me will be in the ER on a more regular basis because of the toxins released into the air that will trigger breathing problems to occur more often. The only possible relief we will have to be able to breath in our own homes in our own city would be to move away to a different city. Not only is that terribly unfair for people with breathing problems but many people like me don’t have the means to just get up and move away. http://vault.sierraclub.org/sierra/200103/profile.asp
http://www.forahealthyiowa.com
It’s not pigs. Nor is it Prestage but it wouldn’t take much for this to happen to our own tributaries in this area at all. In fact it’s most likely already happening to some extent and we don’t even have anything akin to a facility of this sort near here yet. http://iowabusiness.tips/united-states-sues-iowa-dairy-farmer-over-clean-water-act-violations/
Got their fingers in our political system as well. http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/article/13014030/boss-hog
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article11312843.html
I don’t believe that Worth County is stupid enough to bring in the Prestage Hog Plant.
Even Bookmeyer should have come to his senses by now that this was not a good fit for Mason City and the area.
Stay calm. Think about manipulative social engineering strategies.
Jere Null or Ron Prestage fanning the fire with false flag maneuvers.
Does anyone really believe Mayor Bookmeyer is emotionally able to let go of the Prestage Deal? The Prestage rumors, probes, and feelers could be strategic moves to get back in the door with Mason City. Racism stories to flip the script and make the community feel bad. Worth county gets Prestage in addition to Casino. Talk is cheap.
There are those in the community that can not let Prestage go. My gosh, Rick Mathes had his glasses on his forehead drying his eyes with a dazed took in his face the night of the city council smack down. Did he pull the trigger on some BIG real estate deal speculating or miss commissions on a few sales? For one reason or another, people will not be able to move on.
For many reasons, the community of Mason City will be there to guild, share, and distribute information we discovered for any future community under the attack Ron Prestage has vowed to, “be ready for the next time”.
Just be ready for the attack in our own community.
Racism is alive and well in Mason City, Iowa and this just proves it. We don’t want “THOSE PEOPLE” here.
Psychological projections from a racist pointing fingers at others.
The financial numbers do not add up when the city needs to lie about the minimum accessed value by a 56% over valuation. Negative public relation moves that continue to divide a community. If I where to refer to “those people” it would be you…sick, manipulative, damaged and deserving if pity.
Hey worth county folks ! WHAT is that new huge construction 2 miles west of northwood on hiway 105 and approx 2 miles south – heard rumor of everything from a zoo to a Fema camp – please straighten me out . Thanks
Watch some OLD westerns – BLACK BART – evil to the money flow.
If there were local control of CAFO locations, it would be a lot easier to accept. Minnesota has local countrol down to the township level. Iowans had our local control stripped by Vilsak. Give the power back to the people, stop the corporate ag oligarchy, then start negotiations over on a level playing field.
I am not in favor of the plant. 15 years ago it would have been a slam dunk for it.
Today however, our culture has changed. The Mexicans and other legal or illegal immigrants that come here for these jobs are not interested in assimilating. They do not want to be Americans, not interested in learning English, and have no interest in becoming patriotic Americans. Most have a hatred for Americans and come only for the money to send back to their homeland.
The pay is meager and at the pay offered the employees qualify for earned income federal tax credits, food stamps, school lunch subsidy for their children, and the list goes on.
These plants have huge employee turnover and after they ship in the foreign workers, their help quit and end up on our welfare rolls further burdening our welfare system.
Now add in the tax subsidy they want and the taxpayers are again on the hook spreading the wealth UP.
What self-respecting Mexican would wants to live in this dump? I see very, very few in Mason City. This county is down to 43,000 from 46,000 in 2000 as locals leave in droves.
Get a grip folks. To Mexicans, Mason City is full of neighborhoods resembling some shanty town in West Virginia populated by shifty looking German and Norwegian skinheads who trash their houses, and whose only “assimilation” is to Appalachia.
But I always get a laugh out of those who say they live in some place that has to be “protected” from Mexicans.
If Bartz is involved then you can bet it smells.
This is how transparent government works, it starts with the first phone call to a public official, and then on to the media.
Great point! I truly believe if the Madon City local government would have been more transparent, if they would have taken more time to educated citizens and let them be involved in the process then the pork processing plant would have passed in Mason City
I have said this as well, like Matt, I was not for this or against it and it was rammed down our throat, to many questions went unanswered including, the 2.5 mile limit on the hog confinements (Not far enough,) the effect it would have on smaller School districts all around Mason City as well as their small law enforcement agencies and many other issues that were not addressed by the fine people that came forward at that final meeting. If the council would have paused at that last meeting, and put it off another week or two, I think this would have passed. You can’t fault the council, they did their job, 3 of them listened to the people, you have to fault Bookmeyer and Trout for misreading the public. This is where the failure in Mason City rests.