Posted: August 2nd, 2022

Support the Decision to Open Feedlot

1. Introduction

To write the essay you will need to view (or read the transcript of ) Joseph L. Badaracco’s Defining Moments: A Framework for Moral Decisions. The directions for accessing this video are below. You can also read a transcript of the video, which I have added to the appropriate module.

2. Background to Case:

First read the following articles:

1. Iowa company will convert cow manure into natural gas. But is it an environmental asset or hazard? https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/agriculture/2017/11/15/walz-energy-feedlot-biogas-threatens-outstanding-iowa-waters/800229001/

2. Walz Energy fined again for pollution in Bloody Run Creek trout stream watershed – https://www.sierraclub.org/iowa/blog/2019: 2024 – Online Assignment Homework Writing Help Service By Expert Research Writers/10/walz-energy-fined-again-for-pollution-bloody-run-creek-trout-stream-watershed

3. 11,000 cattle feedlot near Monona up for DNR review, no digesters this time -https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/supreme-beef-cafo-monona-iowa-dnr-cattle-feedlot-20200905

4. DNR announces virtual public meeting for Supreme Beef, LLC nutrient management plan – http://guttenbergpress.com/articles/2020/08/25/dnr-plans-virtual-public-meeting-supreme-beef-llc-nutrient-management-plan

You are welcome to read and use additional sources to support your arguments, but you are not required to do so. For any source that you use or quote, please be sure to cite it on a Works Cited page (this does not count toward your page count). This includes the above sources and the Badaracco video.

Support the Decision to Open Feedlot
As a research intern, it is my honor to be a participant in the Department of Natural Resources’ vital decision-making process on whether to open or decline to open the Supreme Beef, LLC. Based on research, comprehensive analysis, and overall consideration, it is my perspective that we should support the decision to open the Supreme Beef, LLC based on the fact that it will be overall helpful to the people of Clayton County, Iowa. Below are my main reasons for the decisions.
Badaracco identifies that a defining moment challenges an individual by compelling them to choose between two or more ideals in which they believe in. This Badaracco recognizes the underlying concept in decision-making when considering between two right decisions when trying to choose that may benefit one party and harm the other. In the context of decision-making, there is a deeper consideration to make, taking into account the ethical, moral, and legal standpoints of the controversy at hand. In deciding whether to establish or scrap the idea of the feedlot, I have gone to great lengths to do research and make reference to the appropriate information central to the well-being of the ecosystem, economy, and people next to the project.
The main ethical problem identified in regard to this controversy centers on the controversy that emerges between environmental management of the Bloody Run Creek and the lack of storm water control measures at the construction area in contrast to the corporate interest of Supreme Beef, LLC, formally known as the Walz Energy Company (Posten). Supreme Beef LLC identifies that its operation is beneficial for the people of Clayton County and specifically Giard Township, as a majority of its feed for the animal units in the feedlot will be fetched from the nearby farming institutions.
Under Badaracco A Framework for Moral Decisions I outline the following aspects to identify the advantages of supporting the decision to open the feedlot. Under Badaracco’s framework, the net-net consequences recognize that any ethical decision requires evaluating the benefits and limitations of supporting the decision. Herein, I considered that setting up the feedlot, as an action plan, would have provided the most good and the least harm to the people of Giard Township. The feedlot would be a source of revenue to the township, a source of employment, and a key sector that would boost the supply of feeds within the township. Jordan identifies that people often get stuck on identifying the potential failures of the problem posed by the feedlot as opposed to the probability that the project in its sheer size would be beneficial for the town. Feed commodities and employment that the feedlot would bring would increasingly be very beneficial for the town. The business brings about a greater economic opportunity as opposed to letting the land stand idle.
The winners in this decision would be the Giard Township officials, who will gain immensely from the money that the business will bring in revenue. Businesses in Clayton County would also greatly benefit from the opportunity, as they will be required to supply the feedlot consisting of 11,600 animals. The township’s residents will additionally benefit heavily from its presence as its presence will provide combined increased accountability from its officials. The decision to set up base in the town already resulted in increased local media coverage and local residents’ participation in the decision-making process (Sierra Club Iowa Chapter). In contrast, prior to Supreme Beef, LLC’s interest in the location, the local administration, and Giard Township people blamed the state for heavily neglecting the Bloody Run Creek flow, especially around the Spook Cave campground that is in close proximity to the slated location of the feedlot.
Admittedly, the rights of the people that depend on the Bloody Run Creek are to be respected at all costs. For this reason, I had to place immense interest in evaluating the disadvantages of the feedlot and identifying various alternatives or ways to minimize the potential damages that the feedlot can bring. Eller identifies that water is at the center of the concern and opposition to the project. Water is a human right and a basic need for the community’s survival within the township. As such, there is a need to keep Bloody Run Creek’s purity away from any contamination. This is a priority to the town’s residents as a political, economic, and human right. It will also be beneficial for Supreme Beef LLC to treat the water, as it is a source of sustenance for the 11,600 cow units. The idea of setting up a biodigester facility to help minimize the wastage and manure sippage into the creek should be reintroduced if the project is to be supported. The biodigester, as already reviewed had its own potential dangers to the project but in the grand scheme of things, the potential dangers that it posses when compared to greenlighting the project without one would be limited.
Overall, for the project to go ahead, even with our decision to support the project, there is an immense need for inclusive talks with the public (as the main stakeholder) and all the other stakeholders on how to effectively carry out the project at each turn. This is especially aimed at Supreme Beef, LLC, which has in the previous sessions been uncooperative with regulators and their policies, as it failed to prevent illegal discharges to the Bloody Run Creek, and also failed to recognize two consent orders in the past resulting in a cumulative fine of $20,000. Oversight on the project’s course will be greatly appreciated.

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