I would like to add my voice to those opposing the large feedlot proposed for a site about 10 miles northwest of Mandan.

A large feedlot would result in the pollution of the air, the land and reduce the general well-being of people living down wind from it. As pointed out in a recent letter, persons living near such a feedlot, at Thief River Falls, Minn., became sick from the hydrogen peroxide fumes from the cattle's manure. Some mega-lots I have read about, located in the Carolinas, caused people to be sickened, the eco-systems around were badly spoiled and folks were forced to move from their community.

Confining large numbers of cattle to be fed out and fattened is an unnatural way to treat animals. The majority of cattle producers in North Dakota allow their cattle to rove on large pastures, but the existence of cattle in feedlot close confinement makes their lives (as a historian once wrote about the people in the Middle ages: "… nasty, brutish and short."

A farmer may have a lot of "clout" due to his money, with impact on the state economy, but that is not sufficient reason to grant him his wish.

The well-being of the residential population in the area must be taken seriously. The strong northwest winds we often experience in North Dakota could affect people far from the site.

The Morton County commissioners would be wise to deny the permit. Let clean air move - and people thrive healthily, all over this land.