By PAUL HAMMEL
Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — A proposal for the largest cattle feedlot in the state — a project estimated to cost $200 million — got the green light from a southwest Nebraska county on Thursday.
The Dundy County Board voted 3-0 to approve plans by Blackshirt Feeders to build a 150,000-head feedlot north of Haigler, near the Colorado-Nebraska state line.
The project will feature a digester to turn manure into methane, and will have a rolled concrete surface that Blackshirt officials say will cut down on dust and be easier to clean.
‘Beyond state of the art’
“This is going to be beyond a state of the art facility,” said Steve Mossman, a Lincoln attorney who represents Blackshirt Feeders.
The site north of Haigler was chosen after controversy arose about another proposed location in Dundy County, 23 miles north of Benkelman.
The new location has fewer neighbors, better water and fewer road issues, according to Mossman, and all the property tax benefits will go to Dundy County schools.
Richard Bartholomew of Benkelman, the vice chairman of the Dundy County Board, said there were few negative comments about the new site.
Built in phases
“It’s kind of hard to predict the future, but we’re certainly hopeful that this will be a positive influence on our county, on our area,” Bartholomew said.
The facility, which will be built in three phases of 50,000-head capacity each, is projected to provide 65 full-time jobs in Dundy County. The rural county of just under 2,000 people is west of McCook, in the extreme southwest corner of Nebraska.
The facility is being developed by three Canadian veterinarians with experience in feedlots, including Dr. Eric Behlke, a native of Benkelman.
The approval came with nine conditions concerning groundwater testing, controlling flies and dust and proper disposal of dead livestock.
Concern about smaller operations
The facility still needs to gain permission from the local natural resources district and the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy before it moves ahead.
Mossman said that 13 center-pivot irrigation systems in the vicinity of the proposed feedlot will be retired to transfer enough water for the project.
Among the concerns raised locally and elsewhere was the increasing size of such feeding operations, and whether it might push smaller livestock feedlots out of business. Mossman said a bigger issue is too much concentration in the meatpacking industry.