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Feedlot violations cost MN farm $30,000

January 19, 2011,
Brainerd, MN – Dhs Farms and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
recently reached an agreement that required the facility to pay $30,000 for
alleged feedlot violations.
January 19, 2011,
Brainerd, MN – Dhs Farms and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
recently reached an agreement that required the facility to pay $30,000 for
alleged feedlot violations.

The feedlot is located east of Menahga, in northern Wadena
County’s Shell River Township.

According to MPCA and
Wadena County feedlot staff inspection reports for 2009 and 2010, the feedlot
was permitted to hold a maximum of 300 head of feeder cattle, but had more than
1,700 head housed there during two inspections that took place nearly a year
apart. When a feedlot exceeds 1,000 head of cattle, it is required to obtain a
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. Dhs Farms
failed to obtain the NPDES permit, and failed to notify local zoning
authorities of its expansion.

The facility also allowed
manure and manure-contaminated runoff to discharge into area waters, failed to
notify the MPCA of the discharges, and failed to keep records on file of manure
transfers for land application.

In addition to paying the
$30,000 civil penalty, Dhs Farms is completing a series of corrective actions.

When calculating
penalties, the MPCA takes into account how seriously the violation affected the
environment, whether it is a first-time or repeat violation, and how promptly
the violation was reported to appropriate authorities. It also attempts to
recover the calculated economic benefit gained by failure to comply with
environmental laws in a timely manner.

For a comprehensive list
of enforcement actions by the MPCA, refer to the agency’s web site at
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/newscenter/enforcement.html.