The Mayville Farmer's Coop Elevator is one of several elevators in many small towns owned by Farmer's Co-Op, which is based in Portland ND.
The Mayville elevator has been in existence for many decades, but is both a blessing and a curse. As the town and capacity of the elevator has grown, the elevator has become a controversial nuisance. It faced an unexpected firestorm of opposition when it announced plans to expand. The opposition included this YouTube video of the dust emitted by the elevator:
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From the Fargo forum website: (
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"Mayville grain elevator expansion causes dustup over dust
By: TJ Jerke, Grand Forks Herald (
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GRAND FORKS - Dust and debris emitted from the Mayport Farmers Co-op Elevator has some Mayville, N.D., residents concerned for their health and urging the elevator to install dust control systems before expanding.
Jeff Bachmeier published a full-page ad in Wednesday’s Grand Forks Herald, writing a letter from the residents of Mayville to the elevator and its board of directors. The ad called on the board to “become a good, responsible neighbor and make the needed changes to the current facility.”
“I think the directors are good people but as a corporation, we don’t seem to be getting the results we are asking for, and we’re not asking for no dust or pure clean air,” Bachmeier, who lives within a block of the elevator, said in an interview. “We’re asking to put those items in place that can reduce the dust to an acceptable level.”
‘Looking at this’
Bachmeier said “an interested party outside of Mayville” helped finance the ad, which cost just more than $1,000.
The same letter was sent to all nine board directors before it was printed in the newspaper, he said.
Richard Moen, president of the elevator’s board of directors, read the letter over the weekend. He said a proposal to build two new storage silos has been submitted to the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission. The proposal includes the installation of a $249,000 bag-filter system, which would connect the old and new storage silos and help maintain the dust.
“We have been looking at this,” Moen said. “But when we want change, nothing happens fast enough for any of us, but we’ve been looking at this for several years.”
Mayville City Auditor Gail Olstad said the elevator filed for a building permit with the commission May 14. The commission is waiting for a letter of understanding to determine if the elevator can build in a zone that is designated for general business.
But the plan isn’t happening as fast, or how, Bachmeier and others would like it to. The group wants the board to install a dust control system to the existing structure first, to ensure it works properly.
“Before they add anymore issues to what’s currently there, we ask to have it tested instead of building the silos and have something that doesn’t work,” Bachmeier said.
Moen said that is a possibility; however, it makes more economic sense to do it as one project, cutting labor costs.
Health impact?
Bachmeier contends if the elevator can purchase two new silos, they should be able to afford dust control systems for the existing facility.
“To an organization building those silos, I think it’s a cost they can afford to spend and help out the citizens of Mayville,” Bachmeier said. “I think it would satisfy enough citizens to allow the building of the new silos.”
The issue first began after two silos and a grain dryer were built in 2006. Bachmeier said the new expansion increased grain storage, resulting in more dust that bothered more residents.
The expanse in storage was direly needed, Moen said, with trucks continually dumping their harvests and rail cars loading their hauls. He said depending on the wind, the dust from both can affect different areas.
“Some days are worse than others, some crops are worse,” he said.
As a result of the debris, Bachmeier said he has found it more difficult to breath, developing asthma sometime after moving into his house in 2002. He said others in the area have asthma, too, but is not sure how they developed the condition.
Bachmeier is waiting on his medical records to see if the elevator could have contributed to his condition.
“I believe my real issues with my conditions began the end of 2006 and beginning of 2007 after the new additions went on,” Bachmeier said. “The only thing that has changed in my environment was the new addition.” [end]
A few months later residents were still fed-up with this elevator. From WDAZ-TV, Jun 6, 2012: (
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MAYVILLE, ND (WDAZ-TV) - Some people in Mayville are trying to get the word out about what they believe could be a serious health hazard.
They're asking a local elevator operator to reduce the dust and noise coming from the operation and they've even purchased advertising space in newspapers to spread the word.
The ad is a letter printed in both the Fargo Forum and Grand Forks Herald this week. It's written by Jeff Bachmeier who lives near the Mayport Farmers Co-op Elevator.
In the letter, Bachmeier asks the Mayport Farmers Elevator to be a good neighbor and install equipment that would cut down on the amount of dust and noise coming from the elevator. Living right across the street from the elevator, he knows how bad it can get.
"It's like a snowfall of bees wings. You can stand in your yard and watch the stuff come down and the cars will be layered with it," Bachmeier said.
Bachmeier says he expects there would be some dust from the elevator but believes it has gotten much worse since an expansion was complete six years ago.
"Even after it is done falling, when you mow it kicks it up again and we believe there are particulates in the air that are causing health issues, especially with asthma," Bachmeier said.
Now the Elevator Board wants to expand again and it's seeking a building permit from the city. Mayville Mayor Don Moen has been told that with the expansion will come equipment that reduce dust emissions.
"But there is some concern about that because of dust problems that have occurred in the past and because there was come expectation they would be fixed sooner and they are still with us," Moen said.
President of the elevator's board of directors Richard Moen says they are aware there is a problem, and they will work to fix it, but it may never satisfy everyone.
"They were never promised no dust. In the elevator or ag business, you can't guarantee zero dust. It won't happen," Mayville Co-op President Richard Moen said.
Bachmeier says he would like to see a health study done to see if in fact there are health issues with the dust."
Perhaps this last development on the saga will help the residents and the elevator go back to a peaceful coexistence:
"After legal threats Mayville elevator will filter dust
Published June 22, 2012, 10:52 AM
Grand Forks Herald
MAYVILLE, N.D. (AP) — The board of directors for a Mayville grain elevator has voted to install a dust filtering system before expanding, after residents organized and hired attorneys who threatened legal action.
The Mayport Farmers Co-op Elevator plans to build two more storage silos. That worries residents who say they have dealt with troublesome dust since the co-op added two silos and a grain dryer in 2006.
Mavyille Clean Air Campaign spokesman Jeff Bachmeier tells the Grand Forks Herald that he is satisfied with the elevator's decision." [end]
"Under scrutiny, Mayville grain elevator to install dust-control system" (
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Published 27 Jun 2012
By TJ Jerke
MAYVILLE, N.D. – The Mayport Farmer’s Co-op Elevator has revoked a building-permit application for two new grain silos and is moving forward with installation of a dust-control system for the building it has now.
And all eyes in town are on the elevator to ensure the new system works properly.
More than 25 residents and co-op board members voiced their opinions about the issue Wednesday night during a meeting of the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
Residents are pleased with the decision to add a filtering system, but spoke on the co-op’s inability to control the dust and noise emitted from the elevator since its expansion in 2006, which has been blamed for causing possible respiratory issues.
Co-op Board President Richard Moen said the co-op hopes to have the dust control system ordered and installed as soon as possible, but expects it to take at least three months.
“It’s a way to move forward,” he said. “It’s a way to make progress.”
Karen Huso lives two and a half blocks from the elevator. She said the co-op has told residents they were going to take care of the debris when it expanded the elevator in 2006.
“I would like some assurance and to see comparisons of systems to know they are choosing the best options,” she said during the meeting.
Moen and board members assured her they were choosing the best system, saying it will diminish the debris substantially.
The move to install a filtering system came after the co-op’s board of directors voted to install the system ahead of the proposed expansion project, which pleased Huso, but only time will tell to see if it works, she said.
“There’s no way we’re going to drop the ball,” Huso said. “We’re going to be watching them.”
To contest the proposed expansion project and push for the filtering system, residents have formed the Mayville Clean Air Campaign.
The group hired Craig Richie, an attorney from Fargo, to represent it. The campaign has established itself as a nonprofit, asking for contributions to help with attorney fees. With a goal of $10,000 to $20,000, some residents have already contributed upward of $200 to $500 each.
Rather than expanding, Richie said at the meeting the co-op should look at moving out of town.
“Economically, it’s not to their advantage to fight this when they want to be successful,” Richie said.
“Maybe this is the time to look at another site somewhere in the future, somewhere out of town that won’t cause problems,” he said at the meeting. “It certainly is going to be cheaper in the long run to build something new than keep adding onto something. We don’t want Mayville to be a place where people get sick and have trouble breathing.”
Once the filtering system is in place, Moen said the next phase will address the expansion project.
But city zoning ordinances currently prevent the elevator from expansion.
John Shockley, of Ohnstad-Twichell law firm in Fargo, is representing the city of Mayville after Mayville City Attorney Lynn Slaathaug Moen recused herself because she represents the co-op, too.
Shockley determined that the proposed expansion is not consistent with city zoning laws. He said the commission will have to determine if the co-op is defined as a warehouse or wholesale business to approve the expansion proposal.
The elevator would then have to be rezoned into a light industrial zone and then apply for a conditional-use permit.
Such a permit can be used for land or structures that produce, process and clean materials not previously allowed by city ordinance."
In Dec 2012, this video was been posted to YouTube thanking the city, state, and grain elevator for working to install new dust-suppression equipment by 1 Jun 2013:
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