Tama County CCI Members Take Action To Stop Rastetter Factory Farm

Local-area residents demand Tama County Supervisors Deny Construction Permit For Giant Factory Farm Owned by Iowa Regent Bruce Rastetter

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (Iowa CCI) members from Lincoln Township in Tama County testified at a county meeting Tuesday morning and demanded the Tama County Supervisors deny a construction permit for a factory farm proposed by Summit Farms of Alden, Iowa, a multinational corporation owned by Iowa Board of Regents President Pro-Tem Bruce Rastetter.  The proposed factory farm could house 4,400 hogs and produce more than 1.1 million gallons of toxic manure every year.Iowa CCI members say the proposed site does not meet basic statewide requirements under the “Master Matrix” scoring system and that the Tama County supervisors are legally obligated to recommend the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) deny the permit.“We don’t want this factory farm in our community. It’s an environmental hazard, it will destroy our quality of life and the smell will make us prisoners in our own homes,” said Dave McGowan, an Iowa CCI member from Gladbrook and a 3rd generation family farmer on a century farm that is just over a mile from the proposed factory farm.“Summit Farms and Steve Anderson are making money off of destroying our lives.”Steve Anderson of Beaman, Iowa currently owns the land that will house the factory farm and the deal is pending on whether or not the application is approved. “We want Bruce Rastetter and Steve Anderson to do the right thing for our community, cancel the sale, and put an end to this. It is tearing apart our community,” said McGowan.Matt Gebel recently purchased a historic home just West of the proposed site and is concerned that the factory farm will lower the property value of his home and the water quality of the well his family uses for drinking water.“I moved here to raise my two boys in a nice community and now I’m worried that our drinking water will not be safe to drink. The County Supervisors need to vote no on this factory farm.”Tama County Supervisors will be voting on the proposed factory farm on Monday, June 3. Neighbors of the proposed site plan on being there to reiterate their opposition and demand the Supervisors vote no.