Permit is Suspended Until Minnesota Court of Appeals Issues Ruling RED WING, Minn. — Goodhue County Commissioners voted today to grant a Conditional Use Permit for a controversial factory hog farm proposed in Goodhue County’s Zumbrota Township. Neighbors to the proposal have documented how it does not meet the standards of the Goodhue County Ordinance.… Read More →
ELGIN, Minn. — Beginning farmers looking for land are encouraged to attend a special Land Stewardship Project (LSP) workshop on Saturday, March 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Peace United Methodist Church (52497 275th Ave.), in Elgin. LSP’s “Beginning Farmer Land Access Workshop: Assessing Risks, Affordability and Land Access Options” is for aspiring… Read More →
Citizen Testimony Documents that Proposed Factory Hog Farm Violates Goodhue County Ordinance REDWING, Minn. — Neighbors to a controversial factory hog farm proposed in Goodhue County’s Zumbrota Township were shocked when the Goodhue Planning Commission Monday night recommended approval of a Conditional Use Permit for the project based on documents produced at the hearing and… Read More →
County Staff Denied Citizens Access to Permit Application & Push For Approval ZUMBROTA TOWNSHIP, Minn. — Neighbors to a controversial factory hog farm proposed in Goodhue County’s Zumbrota Township have learned that the proposal clearly violates the county standards required to obtain a Conditional Use Permit. Without this permit, the project cannot be built. Despite… Read More →
RED WING, Minn. — Zumbrota Township residents were denied access twice this week to a copy of the Conditional Use Permit application for the Kohlnhofer factory hog farm being proposed in their community. They were denied access to the information despite the fact that a public hearing is scheduled for the Conditional Use Permit on… Read More →
Neighbors Plan to Push Forward in Fight to Stop Proposed Factory Farm SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Farmers and other rural residents of Goodhue County’s Zumbrota Township gathered today at the headquarters of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) in Saint Paul to express their frustration with an inaccurate and incomplete environmental review on a proposed… Read More →
CALEDONIA, Minn. — Building soil health and integrating cover crops on area farming operations is the focus of a Land Stewardship Project (LSP) workshop Wednesday, Feb. 15, at the Good Times Restaurant in Caledonia (118 Bissen Street). The keynote speaker is Dr. Kristine Nichols, chief scientist at the Rodale Institute and an internationally known soil… Read More →
Without MPCA Citizens’ Board, Neighbors Shut Out of Decision ZUMBROTA TOWNSHIP, Minn. — The Commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has decided an inaccurate and incomplete Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) on a proposed factory hog farm in Goodhue County’s Zumbrota Township will not be corrected. Neighbors to the proposed facility learned late last… Read More →
ST. CHARLES, Minn. — Exploring on-farm experiences with cover cropping and building soil health is the aim of a Land Stewardship Project (LSP) workshop Friday, Jan. 27, at the St. Charles Community Center (830 Whitewater Ave). The “Farm Focus” event is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.—registration opens at 9:45 a.m.—and the cost is $15… Read More →
New Measure is First Known Countywide Frac Sand Ban WINONA, Minn. — The Winona County Board of Commissioners voted tonight to pass a ban on any new frac sand mining, processing, storage or transport operations in the southeastern Minnesota county’s jurisdiction. This step comes after a 17-month grassroots organizing campaign by county residents calling for… Read More →
