Iowa has permitted 15 new digester facilities since 2021, when the Legislature passed a law allowing animal feeding operations with digesters to exceed the state’s limit of 8,500 animal units. Seven of the 15 dairy farms added to their herds since they got digester permits, a review of DNR data shows.
More than 200 Iowans filed complaints last year about drifting agricultural chemicals as erratic weather in late spring and early summer makes it hard for applicators to find time to safely spray.