For four years Supreme Beef owners have been trying to get approval for a Concetrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) near  Monona, Iowa.
Mike Walz, Dean Walz and Jared Walz , who own Supreme Beef have been trying to open a feedlot on the site since 2017, but the proposal has met ongoing opposition. Neighbors and environmentalists are concerned about the 34.5 million gallons a year of manure produced by the feedlot polluting streams and groundwater.
Unlike the rest of the state, northeast Iowa and parts of surrounding states escaped the most recent glaciers and the blanket of soil or “drift” those ice sheets left behind. What we have instead are deeply cut rivers and valleys, woodlands, bluffs, and cold-water streams fed by springs. Those springs emerge from 300-500 million year-old fractured limestone bedrock – or karst. The cracks in the limestone also allow surface water to enter the bedrock, or even the groundwater. Sinkholes may form without warning when water dissolves the limestone, causing the bedrock and land surface to collapse.
Bloody Run is a prime example of the rugged, scenic topography of the Driftless Area, with diverse plant and animal life, natural areas, and recreational opportunities. It deserves recognition and protection.
Bloody Run is a tourist destination in Iowa. Hikers enjoy the terrain and the wildlife while fishing enthusiasts enjoy the stream itself – home to reproducing brown trout  and the  rainbow trout regularly stocked by the DNR.