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Judge stays county manure handling ordinance

A judge has granted an order staying a county ordinance requiring farmers to have a nutrient management plan in place to apply manure or poultry litter to fields.

“The injunction means that these farmers can continue to operate as they did when the rule was not yet in place,” said Brent Haden, the attorney representing farmers who sued the Cooper County Public Health Center Board of Trustees  to have the ordinance overturned.

The central Missouri county passed the ordinance in late August. Haden says another burden to farmers is that it was effective immediately.

“We Just didn’t believe it was going to be possible to have nutrient management plans in place for most of these farmers in the county before they needed to be able to use manure and litter this fall,” said Haden, “particularly with the relatively early harvest we’ve had with dry weather.”

Haden says the suit to invalidate the ordinance is still active. The injunction delays the ordinance until the middle of next July. The attorney representing the Cooper County Health Center did not respond to a request for comment.

AUDIO: Brent Haden (6 min. MP3)

 

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