Land Stewardship Project

Land Stewardship Project
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Long Range Plan
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
      • LSP Board Committees
    • LSP Steering Committees & Working Groups
    • Contact Us
    • Past LSP Projects
    • Employment & Volunteer Opportunities
    • LSP Publications
    • Financial Statements
  • The Latest
    • Community Care
    • Songs for the Soil
    • CSA Farm Directory
    • Upcoming Events
    • News
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • LSP in the News
    • Blog
    • Podcast
    • Land Stewardship Letter
    • LIVE-WIRE Sign-up
    • Myth Busters
    • Fact Sheets
    • Farm Crisis Resources
  • For Farmers & Landowners
    • Farmland Clearinghouse
    • New Farmers
      • Farm Beginnings Class
      • Journeyperson Course
      • Farm Dreams
      • Accessing Farmland
      • Farmland Clearinghouse
      • Beginning/Retiring Farmer Tax Credit
      • Beginning Farmer Profiles
    • Retiring Farmers & Landowners
      • Farmland Clearinghouse
      • Farm Transition Planning Course
      • Conservation Leases
      • Beginning/Retiring Farmer Tax Credit
      • Land Transition Tools
      • Transition Stories
    • Soil Health
      • Cover Crops
      • Grazing
      • No-till
      • Microbiology
      • Soil Builders’ Network
      • Soil Builders’ E-Letters
      • Soil Health Steering Committee Members
    • Cropping Systems Calculator
    • Conservation Leases
  • Creating Change
    • Community-Based Food Systems
      • Ear Bites
    • Policy Campaigns
      • Soil Health & Climate Change
      • Healthcare
      • Factory Farms
        • Anti-Competitiveness & Price Gouging
        • LSP Powerline Story Center
      • Federal Policy
        • A Farm Bill For Us
      • State Policy
        • MN Farm, Food & Climate Funding
      • Developing Leadership
    • Justice & Stewardship
    • Organizational Stewardship
    • Building People Power
  • Get Involved
    • Take Action!
    • Upcoming Events
    • Land Stewardship Action Fund
    • Connect with LSP
      • Stay Connected
      • Join, Donate, or Renew Today!
      • Shop
      • Employment & Volunteer Opportunities
      • Legacy Giving
    • Network with LSP Members
      • Farmland Clearinghouse
      • Soil Health
    • Farmland Clearinghouse
  • Join, Donate, or Renew Today!
  • Stay Connected
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
Search
More...

LSP Demands Answers Surrounding Recent Manure Spill in Kandiyohi County

Riverview's Meadow Star Dairy Suffers Manure Leak From Biogas Digester System

March 7, 2025

Share

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • email

PENNOCK, Minn. — The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) today called on one of the country’s largest dairy farming firms and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to release details on a recent manure spill that was reported in southwestern Minnesota’s Kandiyohi County.

According to the West Central Tribune, Riverview, LLP officials reported to state officials that on Feb. 28 manure escaped a holding tank at the Meadow Star Dairy near Pennock. Riverview owns the operation, and the tank is part of a manure digester biogas system installed at the dairy by Amp Americas. Amp Americas has also constructed digesters at Riverview’s East Dublin Dairy near Murdock in Swift County, Swenoda Dairy near Montevideo in Swift County and Louriston Dairy near Murdock in Chippewa County.

When contacted by the Land Stewardship Project, a spokesman for the MPCA provided this statement:

“We are aware of a spill of manure at a farm in Kandiyohi County. We are monitoring clean-up and working with the reporting party to determine the cause. At this time, there is no indication that there has been an impact to waterways. It’s important to note that proper siting helps ensure that surface waters are still protected when a major release like this happens. The amount that was released is part of an ongoing investigation. A majority of the release was contained in a stormwater pond, and the owner has transferred the contents to an existing manure storage basin onsite.”

An official with Amp Americas told the Tribune that a “mechanical, physical failure of the tank occurred.” The Tribune reported that “less than a week’s worth” of manure was spilled — no other specifics were provided on the amount of manure released.

According to an article published in Agweek in 2015, Meadow Star Dairy originally went online milking 7,000 cows, with 1,500 dry cows also housed on the 20-acre site. Based on the figure that on a daily basis a lactating cow produces 18 gallons of manure and a dry cow 10 gallons of manure, a conservative estimate is that Meadow Star produces at least 141,000 gallons of manure daily.

To put the spill in context, it would take the average-sized Minnesota dairy farm (223 head) six months to produce the same amount of manure that Meadow Star does in just five days.  If the spill had occurred at an average-sized Minnesota dairy, the amount spilled over a five-day period would be less than what Meadow Star produces in just 3.5 hours.

Riverview is based in Morris, Minn., and is one of the largest milk producers in the country. It also has operations in Arizona, Nebraska, New Mexico and South Dakota. Despite serious concerns raised by local residents related to potential impacts on water and air quality, North Dakota officials recently gave Riverview the green light to build a 12,500-head dairy near Abercombie, in the eastern part of the state.

The Land Stewardship Project is concerned about the lack of information available to local residents related to the manure spill at Meadow Star Dairy. This is particularly important given serious concerns raised in the past by farmers and other rural residents when it comes to Riverview’s potential environmental impacts. Earlier this week, during an LSP town hall meeting held near Morris with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, participants expressed concerns about the impact Riverview’s facilities were having on local water resources. LSP is calling on officials with Riverview and the MPCA to release the following information in an expedited manner:

  1. Specifically, how much manure was released during the incident?
  2. What is the specific nature of the “mechanical” failure that caused the spill, and does similar infrastructure exist at other Riverview facilities in the region?
  3. How much time elapsed between the release of the manure and its discovery?
  4. What measures are being taken to prevent the contamination of local water resources?
  5. What measures are being taken by Riverview to prevent similar future incidents from occurring at Meadow Star, as well as other facilities owned by the firm?
  6. What enforcement actions are being taken by the MPCA in reference to this incident?

As the MPCA moves toward amending its current set of feedlot rules, this manure spill reinforces that rural residents who live and farm in communities near such facilities deserve transparency from the owners of large concentrated animal feeding operations as well as the government agencies whose stated mission is to protect the environment and serve the public good. People and communities that are most likely to be impacted by such incidents deserve to hear firsthand how they occurred and what’s being done to prevent future spills.

-30-

The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering an ethic of stewardship for farmland, promoting sustainable agriculture and developing healthy communities in the food and farming system. LSP has offices in the Minnesota communities of Montevideo, Lewiston and South Minneapolis. 

Category: News Releases
Tags: CAFOs • clean water • dairy farming • factory farm • manure digesters • Manure spills • MPCA • Riverview

CONTACT

Matthew Sheets, LSP western Minnesota organizer, e-mail

Upcoming Events

×

June 2025

Tuesday June 17

9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Silvopasture & Brush Management Field Day
Tuesday June 17
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Silvopasture & Brush Management Field Day
Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge 16797 289th Ave NW Zimmerman, MN 55398

The Sustainable Farming Association is hosting a field day designed for landowners and managers who find themselves struggling to manage invasive woodland brush. The day will include both indoor presentations and outdoor site tours of the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, including a working goat herd. To register for this free event, click here.

Saturday June 21

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Farm-Scale Deep Winter Greenhouse Tour
Saturday June 21
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Farm-Scale Deep Winter Greenhouse Tour
Owl Bluff Farm, 12314 County Road 4 Houston, MN 55943

The University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) and Owl Bluff Farm will co-host an open house to celebrate the completion of the state’s first farm-scale deep winter greenhouse. The event, held on the farm about 45 minutes east of Rochester, is free and open to the public. RSVPs are required at z.umn.edu/OwlBluffOpenHouse.

Wednesday June 25

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
LSP-PFI Grazing Field Day at Hoosier Ridge Ranch
Wednesday June 25
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
LSP-PFI Grazing Field Day at Hoosier Ridge Ranch
Hoosier Ridge Ranch, 15998 Wabasha County Rd 26, Altura, MN 55910, USA

Over the last 50 years, livestock have left many farms. Eric Heins is doing the reverse: bringing cattle – and their poop, pee and hooves – back to his land. Come see how Eric is using his Normande-shorthorn crosses in a variety of grazing situations. During this Land Stewardship Project-Practical Farmers of Iowa field day, you can view permanent pasture, where Eric (like everyone) is battling the cool-season grass takeover. You’ll also learn how Eric is using his cattle in cover crop mixes, prairie and woodlands.

Since purchasing the farm in 2020, Eric has converted the cropland to pasture. He also custom-farms a diverse rotation of crops, covers and small grains on neighboring farms, including an established prairie on Iowa Department of Natural Resources land. A possible bonus: Eric is hoping to have virtual fence collars by the time of the field day, but no guarantees!

A meal featuring Hoosier Ridge Ranch burgers will follow the field day.

See & Discuss

  • Cash-flowing the conversion to pasture on owned versus rented cropland
  • Stockpiling pasture for winter grazing
  • Mechanical buckthorn clearing for silvopasture
  • Grazing agreements on DNR prairie and neighboring cropland
  • A sudangrass mix after a canning pea crop
  • An extended rotation with oats, barley and Kernza

For details and to register, click here.

Saturday June 28

4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LSP's Boots & Roots: A Celebration of Land & People
Saturday June 28
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LSP's Boots & Roots: A Celebration of Land & People
Dream Acres, Co Hwy 8, Spring Valley, MN 55975, USA

Join Land Stewardship Project members and supporters to kick-start the Driftless summer with an evening of good food, good music, and good times. We’ll have activities for all ages that will get you out in nature, exploring the connection between our region’s farms and your community’s food, land, and water. Bring a side or dessert to share for dinner, and the Dream Acres wood-fired oven will provide locally-sourced pizzas and flat breads. Dinner will be followed by live music and contra dancing by the Crater City String Band.  

To reserve a spot, click here.

Camping sites are available at nearby Masonic Park and Forestville Mystery Cave and Lake Louise State Parks. Camping at Masonic is rustic,first-come-first-serve, free, and does not require a reservation. Fillmore County, who manages the park, only asks that you call the dispatchers at507-765-3874 when you arrive with your vehicle information and phone number in case of emergency. State Park reservations cost $25 a night and can be made online.

July 2025

Saturday July 12

All Day
Fishing, Farming & Food: Rush Creek’s Fish Kill Anniversary & Why it Matters
Saturday July 12
Fishing, Farming & Food: Rush Creek’s Fish Kill Anniversary & Why it Matters
Rush Creek area in southeastern Minnesota

The Land Stewardship Project will mark the anniversary of a major fish kill in southeastern Minnesota that spawned citizen action and led to new public policy around how such events are reported. We will have fly fishing classes, birding opportunities, discussions about how regenerative farming systems can support healthy soil and clean water, good food, and fun music.  

More details are forthcoming. For more information, contact LSP’s Kate Rowe at krowe@landstewardshipproject.org.

View Full Calendar

Recent Posts

  • ‘Returning Cattle to the Land’ Field Day June 25 in Altura June 3, 2025
  • Make Your Voice Heard at Upcoming NRCS-SWCD Meetings June 3, 2025
  • Rolling Out the Welcome Mat for New Neighbors May 30, 2025
  • Land Line: Modern Dust Bowl, Corporate Indifference, Farmers’ Market Stores, Soybean Giant, SNAP & Local Foods, Carbon Markets, Farm Economy’s Twin Tale May 28, 2025
  • MN Ag Bill Supports Market Access, Land Access & Soil Health  May 21, 2025

Montevideo

111 North First Street
Montevideo, MN 56265

(320) 269-2105

Lewiston

180 E. Main Street
Lewiston, MN 55952

(507) 523-3366

Minneapolis

821 E. 35th Street #200
Minneapolis, MN 55407

(612) 722-6377

  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Land Stewardship Project. All rights reserved.

https://landstewardshipproject.org/lsp-demands-answers-surrounding-recent-manure-spill-in-kandiyohi-county