Comments pour in about big Eastern Oregon dairy

The public will have another month to weigh in on a controversial new mega-dairy proposed at the former Boardman Tree Farm property.  More than 2,300 comments have already poured in to the Oregon Department of Agriculture and Department of Environmental Quality on the Lost Valley Ranch, an operation that would add 30,000 cows to the area and generate roughly 187 million gallons of liquid manure each year.   ODA and DEQ are responsible for registering the dairy as a confined animal feeding operation, or CAFO. But first, the agencies must approve a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit, which outlines how Lost Valley will manage wastewater and monitor for potential groundwater contamination. A public hearing was held July 28 at the Port of Morrow, where a majority of people favored approving Lost Valley’s permit application. Speakers included the project designer, local contractors and Marty Myers, general manager of neighboring Threemile Canyon Farms, which runs an even larger dairy with 70,000 cows. “Sustainable agriculture is really what we’re talking about here,” Myers said during the hearing.However, the bulk of written comments oppose Lost Valley, arguing such large dairies have a negative impact on air and water quality. Wym Matthews, CAFO program manager for ODA, said the sheer number of comments they received was unprecedented.