Over 50 local residents speak out against Collins, IA factory farm
On July 30th, more than 50 local residents and CCI members showed up to the Story County Board of Supervisors meeting to express concern and speak out against a proposed factory farm near Collins, IA.
During the public hearing, over a dozen local residents spoke out, telling personal stories and expressing concerns on a wide range of issues, including flaws in the manure maintenance plan, water and air pollution, and negative effects on their property values, health, and quality of life.Rachel and Matt Woods, a young couple who recently moved to the area, spoke out against the proposal. “We want to raise our family here, I'm going to be a first time father and I don't want my future kids to have to deal with this," Matt said. “We’ve put our life savings into this place, and this is going to affect us every day.”
Another family expressed concern with the factory farm’s manure runoff that, when it rains, would run through their backyard where they play with their children.
Kyle Mens, the Story County resident who submitted the proposal for the factory farm, is the same man who submitted a similar factory farm proposal near Hickory Grove Park last summer. The proposal ultimately failed due to widespread community resistance, and we plan to do the same thing to his proposal this time around, as well.
Because of the concerns raised at the meeting and public pressure, the Board voted to take no action on the proposal, and scheduled another public hearing for Monday, August 5th at the Collins Community Center at 6:30pm to hear further discussion and concerns. This is the first step in the right direction to stop this proposal.
One of the county supervisors said it himself: “This is real grassroots democracy in action.” The Board of Supervisors has until August 15th to forward the application on to the DNR with their comments, and the fact that they declined to act today and schedule another meeting for further comment signals they are taking concerns of local residents seriously.