Feed yard

Everyone wants the community to grow, to bring in more businesses and to prosper. At this point, I am feeling pretty conflicted.

A feed yard wants to establish a 7,000-head feedlot a little less than 5 miles west of town. That would make it probably 10 miles from my home. So where's the conflict?

For one thing, I don't think I've ever heard of a feedlot that stayed at the size it began. My fear is that it will increase in multiples of that opening number. In a few years that 7,000 head could become 21,000 head.

Make no mistake about it, cattle poop stinks - a to-high-Heaven stink. If you think that smell won't penetrate the city, think again. If the wind is in the right direction, you'll be able to sniff that smell for miles. And what direction do our winds come from in the fall and winter? Yep, the north/northwest.

In my opinion, the community I lived in for most of my life made a huge mistake when they allowed a feedlot to be established a mile north of town. It's impossible a good share of the time to hang clothes outside because when you bring them in they'll smell like the feedlot.

"Smells like money," some will say. Well, maybe for the feedlot owners, but I don't think the average resident will think money smells all that great.

Now, if you live on a farm or ranch, the smell just goes along with the job and you expect it.

I don't know how far out of town you need to establish a feedlot to keep the stench from permeating the whole town, but I'm pretty certain it's more than five miles.

I sure hope some deep thought goes into the location of this feedlot (and I have no idea who is developing the feedlot). Air quality is a pretty precious gift and it's hard to get it back once it's polluted.