Final consideration of state’s largest cattle feedlot in Dundy County delayed again

Final consideration of state’s largest cattle feedlot in Dundy County delayed again
May 18th, 2022 | Paul Hammel, Nebraska Examiner

LINCOLN — Consideration of what may become the state’s largest cattle feedlot has been postponed until June 6.

The Dundy County Board postponed final approval of the Blackshirt Feeders’ 100,000-head feedlot after it was discovered that a public notice of the meeting hadn’t been published in time to allow consideration during the board’s meeting on Monday.

The Blackshirt Feeders proposal has drawn controversy due to its large size and its potential impact on groundwater quantity and quality in Dundy County, which is in the extreme southwest corner of Nebraska.

Developers of the feedlot, who include Benkelman, Nebraska, native Eric Behlke, have assured local officials that the feedlot will meet all local environmental and water regulations.

The $65 million Blackshirt project would employ 85 workers and require up to 10 million bushels of corn a year.

The company would also be required to purchase and retire six nearby irrigation wells to obtain enough water for the feedlot.

In February, the Dundy County Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the Blackshirt project- contingent on 13 conditions, including obtaining approval of water rights from the local natural resources district, devising a dust and fly mitigation plan and giving nearby residents 24 hour notice if manure is to be land applied.

The three-member Dundy County Board initially was unable to muster enough votes to approve or deny the project. But last month, the board was advised that county zoning laws require that such projects “shall” be approved if they meet all county regulations.

Reconsideration of the project, which is on the northern border of Dundy County, had been planned for Monday, until the glitch in public notice was discovered.

A recent series of stories in the Omaha World-Herald detailed how feedlots are growing larger and larger and, because of their leverage on pricing and with packinghouses, are serving to force out smaller feedlots.

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