"Yankton Sioux Tribe Continues to Fight the Building of Commercial Hog Farm"

Yankton Sioux tribal members stand in defiance as the construction equipment moves into a hog farm location near Marty, South Dakota. (photo courtesy of Yankton Sioux Tribe)

by Shelley Bluejay Pierce

May 19, 2008

MARTY, South.Dakota - The Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota is divided into sections consisting of tribal, private, and deeded land. Concerns about a commercial hog farm moving into the area has served to unite, rather than divide tribal members and non-Native residents fighting to save their quality of life. The conflict in this rural location centers around a large CAFO operation (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) which could house an average of 3,350 sows and produce 70,000 pigs or more per year.

The hog farm is located near Marty, South Dakota and is only a few miles away from many private homes, tribal facilities and institutions, including a Head Start center, schools, hospital, church, the tribal hall, and the Ihanktowan Community College. Additionally, there are ceremonial sites nearby including Sun Dance grounds and sweat lodges. The hog farm is in the vicinity of the town of Wagner, wetland areas, the Ogallala Aquifer and a creek that eventually feeds into the nearby Missouri River.

When construction began in early April, the community attempted to block the completion of the hog farm over concerns of dramatically decreased property values, health and environmental safety issues. The Yankton tribal council passed an exclusion order against Long View Farms, of Hull, Iowa, and asked the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) to confirm its jurisdiction over the road, which would have denied access to the building site.

The BIA paid out millions of dollars in federal money since 1994 for road maintenance and added the road to its inventory following a signed agreement between all agencies. However, on May 5, 2008, a commission in Charles Mix County voted to rescind the agreement in response to the BIA's declaration of ownership.

Charles Mix County did not have zoning regulations in place prior to Long View Farms moving into the community. Though the region is zoned for agricultural properties, there have been no restrictions upon what types of operations may take place near the community center.

On May 13, 2008, this reporter was contacted by a confidential source that requested assistance in making an offer to current hog farm developer, Mr. Arlan Moss. The out of state source then contacted and offered Mr. Moss 110 acres of agriculturally zoned property in Ward County, Barstow, Texas in exchange for the property Longview Farms is currently building the hog farm on in South Dakota.

The 110 acres offered to Mr. Moss is larger than the one inside the Yankton Sioux reservation boundaries. The land in Texas is surrounded by alfalfa and cotton farms whose owners would have need of the fertilizer coming from the hog farm production facility. Additionally, there is a large community of skilled farm workers in the nearby areas who could provide experienced employees for the hog farm. The road into the 110 acres is currently paved whereas the property in the Yankton area is not. The Texas property offered to Moss is located away from private homes, culturally and environmentally sensitive areas.

The confidential source stated that the title-for-title land swap offer was rejected by Arlan Moss. Construction has progressed and the concrete foundations have been placed upon the land in Marty, South Dakota.

Several tribal members have been arrested for protesting on the access road area near the hog farm property in recent weeks. Though tribal leaders insist this road is maintained by the BIA, state and local law enforcement agencies have appeared, often times greatly outnumbering the protestors. Jurisdictional questions about which agency is in charge of the access road has failed to halt progression of legal processes against the protestors. The arrests and continuing prosecution against protestors has placed additional strain on a fragile peace between the various factions.