Rastetter withdraws factory farm permit application in Tama County

Summit Farms withdraws permit for giant factory farm after community opposition led to Tama county challenging Master Matrix score

Summit Farms, owned by Iowa Regent president and corporate-political kingpin Bruce Rastetter, has officially withdrawn a permit application to build a giant factory farm in Tama County after community opposition led by local-area members of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (Iowa CCI). Iowa CCI is a statewide community action group that uses community organizing to build grassroots power and win public policy that puts communities before corporations and people before profits, politics, and polluters.  Iowa CCI has more than 3,000 members in all 99 Iowa counties, including many in Tama county.

The Tama County supervisors voted to recommend that Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) deny the permit application after community pressure led by local-area members of Iowa CCI directly impacted by the proposal identified a number of flaws in the construction permit application and the Master Matrix score.

“This is a big victory for us and shows that everyday people can stand up to big, powerful corporate interests and win,” said Dave McGowan, a CCI member from Gladbrook who helped mobilize his community to stand up to Summit Farms.

The DNR typically allows factory farm developers to withdraw their application to avoid a formal denial by the agency.  A copy of Summit Farms withdrawal letter may be read here. A copy of a Waterloo Courier article on the issue can be read here.