TONIGHT A MEETING IS BEING HELD AT PRINCETON HIGH SCHOOL STARTING AT 8 PM IN REGARDS TO PREMIUM STANDARD FARMS.
THE MEETING WILL HAVE DISCUSSIONS ON TEH ISSUE OF REGULATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN IMPOSED ON PREMIUM STANDARD FAMRS TO COMPLY WITH BY AUGUST OF THIS YEAR.
MISSOURI STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL CHRIS KOSTER WILL BE ON HAND AT THE MEETING TO DISCUSS THE ISSUES INVOLVING PREMIUM STANDARD FARMS AND TO ANSWER QUESTIONS.
PREMIUM STANDARD FARMS EMPLOYEES ABOUT 2500 PEOPLE IN NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MISSOURI.
REPRESEANTIVE CASEY GUERNSEY OF BETHANY'S STATEMENT ABOUT THE SITUATION ATPREMIUM STANDARD FARMS.
IT SEEMS EVERY WEEK WE RECEIVE UNSETTLING NEWS REGARDING JOBS, GOVERNMENT SPENDING, WARS, HIGHER COSTS OF LIVING, ETC. THESE ARE TOUGH TIMES AND THE GOVERNMENT SEEMS ONLY BENT ON MAKING THEM WORSE. IN MY VIEW, THOSE OF US LUCKY ENOUGH TO LIVE IN RURAL MISSOURI CAN STAND HARD TIMES BETTER THAN MOST BECAUSE WE KNOW HOW TO WEATHER THE STORM AND SURVIVE. THIS IS WHY I CONTINUE TO BELIEVE RURAL MISSOURI IS THE BEST PLACE TO LIVE, WORK & RAISE A FAMILY. THE PROBLEMS WE FACE TODAY ECONOMICALLY ISN’T ANYTHING WE HAVEN’T SURVIVED IN THE PAST. HOWEVER, I DON’T KNOW OF ANYTIME IN OUR HISTORY WHEN WE HAVE EXPERIENCED AS MUCH GOVERNMENT INTRUSION IN OUR LIVES THAN WHAT WE ARE FACING TODAY. SINCE I’VE BEEN ELECTED, I’VE COMMITTED TO FIGHT THE ENCROACHMENT OF GOVERNMENT IN OUR INDIVIDUAL LIVES AND FIGHT THE EXPANSION OF GOVERNMENT IN RURAL MISSOURI. I’M AFRAID WE ARE JUST NOW SEEING HOW MUCH OF A FIGHT THIS COULD POSSIBLY BE.
TWO WEEKS AGO WE RECEIVED NEWS THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES (DNR) IS ESSENTIALLY FORCING OUR REGIONS LARGEST EMPLOYER TO GO OUT OF BUSINESS. HEAVY HANDED BUREAUCRATS ARE USING A "CONSENT JUDGMENT" AS A VEHICLE TO MANDATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF UNSUSTAINABLE, UNWORKABLE AND UNREASONABLE TECHNOLOGY ON PREMIUM STANDARD FARMS (PSF). I AM STRONGLY IN FAVOR OF LARGER SCALE ANIMAL OPERATIONS TO BE MADE TO USE THE BEST POSSIBLE TECHNOLOGY TO PREVENT WATER POLLUTION AND CONTROL ODOR. IN FACT, I WOULD GO SO FAR TO SAY IT IS THEIR RESPONSIBILITY AND OBLIGATION TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND COMMUNITY. PSF HAS PROVEN TO BE COMMITTED TO THIS AS THEY HAVE SPENT IN EXCESS OF $40 MILLION ON TECHNOLOGY MANDATED UPON THEM BY DNR OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS.
DNR IS PARTY TO A MANDATE THAT PSF SPEND AROUND $30 MILLION ON SOMETHING CALLED A "BIO-FILTER" BY JULY 31 OF THIS YEAR OR FACE DIRE LEGAL CONSEQUENCES. THIS BIO-FILTER IS TECHNOLOGY THAT HAS NEVER BEEN IMPLEMENTED, TESTED OR EMPLOYED. EVER. PSF IS COMMITTED TO CONTINUING INVESTMENT IN TECHNOLOGY, JUST NOT TO BE USED AS A GUINEA PIG FOR IMPLEMENTING UNPROVEN TECHNOLOGY. WITH ANY BUSINESS, IF YOU CONTINUE TO LOSE MONEY FOR YEARS BECAUSE OF BAD MARKETS YOU CAN NOT AFFORD TO INVEST TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON ANYTHING UNLESS YOU KNOW IT’S GOING TO WORK AND BE SUSTAINABLE. THIS IS NOT THE CASE WITH BIO-FILTERS. I HAVE VISITED PSF FARMS THAT HAVE TESTED THIS FILTER AND CAN SEE WHY THEY DO NOT WORK. THESE FILTERS ARE AN ENORMOUS ELABORATE CONTRAPTION THAT ESSENTIALLY FORCES THE AIR SUCKED FROM BARNS THROUGH AN ENORMOUS PIT OF WOOD CHIPS. THESE WOOD CHIPS ARE OUT IN THE ELEMENTS, RAIN OR SHINE, AND EVERYONE IN NORTHWEST MISSOURI KNOWS WHAT HAPPENS TO WOOD CHIPS LEFT OUTSIDE; THEY TURN INTO COMPOST. NOW, BECAUSE I’M JUST A FARMER AND NOT AN "EXPERT" LIKE THESE DNR OFFICIALS MY OPINION IS DISCOUNTED. I HAVE BEEN ASSURED BY DNR THAT THE EXPERTS WHO ARE MANDATING THIS TECHNOLOGY ON PSF KNOW MORE ABOUT AGRICULTURE THAN ANYONE ELSE AND I’LL LET YOU DECIDE IF YOU AGREE. THESE GENTLEMEN ARE PROFESSORS AT UNIVERSITIES IN MICHIGAN, TEXAS AND NORTH CAROLINA, THEY HAVE NO FARMING BACKGROUND AND CERTAINLY NO STAKE IN THE STATE OF MISSOURI.
BECAUSE OF THIS SITUATION PSF WILL BE FORCED TO CLOSE THEIR DOORS JULY 31 OF THIS YEAR AND A BILLION DOLLAR COMPANY WILL LEAVE THE STATE OF MISSOURI. WHAT’S EVEN MORE OUTRAGEOUS IS THE FACT THAT PSF HAS GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND TO DEVELOP EXCELLENT ALTERNATIVES TO THESE "BIO-FILTERS" AND SPENT ENORMOUS SUMS OF MONEY TO PROVE THEY ACTUALLY WORK. THIS IS MADNESS!
AS A LEGISLATOR I AM FRUSTRATED THAT NO BILL WE MIGHT PASS OUT OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY COULD REVERSE A CONSENT JUDGMENT. THIS IS BECAUSE SUCH A MEASURE WAS ARRIVED IN THE COURTS. HOWEVER, WE HAVE TWO EXECUTIVES FOR MISSOURI THAT ARE ELECTED OFFICIALS AND CAN ABSOLUTELY FIX THIS PROBLEM. ONE IS THE GOVERNOR AND THE OTHER OUR ATTORNEY GENERAL. I AM SHOCKED THAT GOVERNOR NIXON HASN’T TAKEN THE TIME TO SPEAK TO THE PEOPLE OF NORTH MISSOURI AND ASSURE THEM THAT HE WILL INTERVENE TO PROTECT THE THOUSANDS OF JOBS AT PREMIUM STANDARD FARMS AND DIRECT HIS DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES TO REVERSE ITS DECISION SUPPORTING THE SPENDING OF MILLIONS OF ADDITIONAL DOLLARS BY PREMIUM STANDARD FARMS FOR UNSUSTAINABLE, UNWORKABLE AND UNREASONABLE ODOR TECHNOLOGY ON ITS FARMS. INSTEAD HE SENT ONE OF HIS TOP AIDES TO MEET WITH ME WHO JUST A YEAR AGO RAN A STATEWIDE CAMPAIGN AGAINST ANIMAL AGRICULTURE AND CONTINUES TO HOLD PREMIUM STANDARD FARMS AND OTHER ANIMAL PRODUCERS IN CONTEMPT.
I AM ENCOURAGED TO HEAR THAT ATTORNEY GENERAL KOSTER IS PLANNING TO VISIT WITH THOSE MOST AFFECTED BY THIS DISASTROUS SCENARIO IN A PUBLIC FORMAT. HE WILL BE IN PRINCETON AT THE GYMNASIUM AT 8:00 PM AND I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO ATTEND. IT IS IMPERATIVE WE RESPECTFULLY LET HIM KNOW WE NEED OUR JOBS. I COMMEND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND AM ANXIOUS TO HEAR WHAT HE HAS TO SAY. I BELIEVE HE KNOWS THIS IS A VERY REAL SITUATION THAT WILL AFFECT EVERYONE WHO SELLS CORN IN NORTH MISSOURI TO THE 2500 EMPLOYEES OF THE COMPANY NOT TO MENTION THE TOWNS, SCHOOLS, EMERGENCY SERVICES & COUNTIES THAT RELY HEAVILY ON THE TAXES SPENT BY PSF EVERY YEAR. THE BOTTOM LINE TO ME IS AS FOLLOWS: THIS IS A PROBLEM WE CAN OVERCOME AND IT ISN’T A COMPLICATED FIX. WE NEED PSF TO ADHERE TO SOUND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES BUT THEY SHOULD NOT BE REQUIRED TO SPEND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN TECHNOLOGY THAT HAS NEVER BEEN TESTED, IMPLEMENTED OR EMPLOYED.
