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The Midwest Cattleman · April 23, 2020 · P15
                                                    Kansas Spring Burns Continue ansas Spring Burns Continue
                                                    K
                                                                Despite State Requestate Request
                                                                Despite St

                                                                                         By Greg Henderson
                                                   voluntarily reduce  cardiovascular  issues  and  from April 4 to April 8. Tope-
                                                   the number of acres  other health conditions.              ka’s ozone level surpassed the
                                                   they  plan to burn          State  agriculture  secre- limit April 8.
                                                   this spring. Instead  tary Mike Beam and KDHE                 Friday, April 11, increased
                                                   of a noticeable  cut- secretary Lee Norman ap- grassland fires in eastern
                                                   back, however, of- pealed to property owners for  Kansas  prompted  officials  at
                                                   ficials say they are  restraint amid the COVID-19  the Lincoln-Lancaster Coun-
                                                   seeing a surge of  outbreak.                               ty, Neb., health department to
                                                   pollution.                  “This request should not be  issue an advisory about wide-
                                                      “It really hasn’t  interpreted as an indictment  spread burning in the Flint
                                                   gone as well as we  of the practice of burning,”  Hills and northerly winds
                                                   had hoped,” Rick  Beam said. “However, the cir- producing smoke concentra-
                                                   Brunetti,     director cumstances  surrounding  the  tions  “unhealthy  for every-
                                                   for the bureau of air  coronavirus pandemic have  one.”
                                                   at  the Kansas  De- created a situation that calls            Children, older adults and
                                                   partment of Health  for reducing burned acres  anyone with heart or lung
                                                   and     Environment, this spring.”                         diseases were asked to avoid
         Ranchers in Kansas Flint        told the Topeka Capital-Jour-         Despite the request, mon- outdoor activities this past
      Hills have not reduced burn- nal.  “We are seeing a great  itoring equipment detected  weekend, said Gary Berg-
      ing of grassland despite a plea  deal of burning. We have not  six instances in which levels  strom, air quality supervisor
      from state officials to do so  seen the reductions in burn- of ozone or particulate mat- for the city and county agency
      this spring to lower air pol- ing that we were hoping for.”           ter exceeded safety bench- in Lincoln.
      lution during the COVID-19            Officials say the controlled  marks, The  Capital-Journal            More than 2 million acres
      pandemic.                          burns  have  produced  smoke  reported. The volume of par- of grassland is burned in the
         On  March  26,  the  Kansas  plumes that triggered alarms  ticulate matter surpassed  Flint Hills annually to reduce
      Department of Health and  from Wichita to Lincoln, Neb.,  safety margins in  Wichita,  invasive species and improve
      Environment asked land own- because of surges in air pol- Topeka, Chanute and Kansas  forage for grazing.
      ers and range managers to  lution harmful to people with  City,  Kan.,  at various  times


      JBS                                Falls plant. Smithfield said it
      continued from page 3              was  the  largest  donation  in
      all of its workers for the corona-  company history.
      virus but then “decided to take       JBS USA  closed the Gree-
      more aggressive action and         ley plant last weekend for deep
      self-quarantine  Greeley  beef     cleaning and sanitization. Col-
      employees until plant reopen-      orado  Gov.  Jared  Polis  said
      ing.”                              the plant would be closed for
         Greeley is the second of JBS    two weeks. “Colorado’s beef in-
      USA’s more than 60 U.S. facil-     dustry is a critical part of our
      ities to close temporarily.  The   state’s economy, which is why
      first was a beef plant in Soud-    we continue working closely
      erton, Pennsylvania. In a state-   with the  Weld County public
      ment, JBS USA said it has          health department to ensure
      “experienced  increased  absen-    the safety of the JBS workers
      teeism in a few other plants but   and get the plant open as soon
      continues to operate the major-    as it is safe in order to protect
      ity of its facilities across the   the food supply,” said Polis on
      country at or near capacity.”      Monday.
         The coronavirus pandem-            Besides closing the plant,
      ic  has  slowed  production  or    JBS USA said it would donate
      forced temporary closures at       $90,000  to  a  Greeley  facility
      plants  run  by  other  proces-    for patients recuperating from
      sors.  Among them are  Smith-      COVID-19, $50,000 for produc-
      field Foods’ pork plant in Sioux   tion of masks for local residents
      Falls, South Dakota, and Car-      and other coronavirus relief,
      gill’s plant in Hazelton, Penn-    and  funds  to  replenish  per-
      sylvania.                          sonal protective equipment for
         Smithfield announced the        first responders in Greeley. The
      donation of more than 10 mil-      company also would pay for
      lion pounds of protein worth       1,000  kits  to  test  low-income
      more than $30 million to food      and uninsured local residents.
      banks across the country on  SF
      Monday, the day after announc-
      ing the shutdown of the Sioux
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