GRANITE FALLS — Financial concerns were raised again at the Yellow Medicine County Board Ditch Hearing Tuesday in opposition to proposed changes to County Ditch (CD) No. 36.

Farmers along the ditch in Hazel Run Township raised concerns over their neighbor, Buesing-Buesing, LLC was awarded its petition for substantial changes to the ditch system.

According to the public preliminary ditch viewer’s report, Bob and Sandra Weber are being asked to assume an estimated $156,520 of the cost.

“Any average person would be very upset if a neighbor came over and handed them a bill for something they didn’t ask for, didn’t want and didn’t need,” Weber said Wednesday. “What the Buesing-Buesing, LLC is expecting of their farming neighbors is exactly that but much worse.”

“They expect their neighbors to pay for an unnecessary and unwanted change to the drainage system,” Weber’s daughter, Tanya Yerigan said Wednesday. “In their petition, they are proposing farmers, some like my parents who made it through the farm crisis and worked hard to recuperate financially, to take on a debt from which they may never recover.”

Some other area farmers (and their preliminary estimated cost) affected include Stan and Sharon Homan ($110,631), Knudson Brothers Farm Partnership ($12,375), Gunval Kundson ($14,342), Shannon and Laurie Johnson ($32,365), Yerigan said.

These are just preliminary estimates. The cost benefit cannot legally be presented yet, Christopher Balfany, Yellow Medicine County drainage and land use inspector, said Wednesday.

“What would you do if your neighbor brought you any one of these proposed bills?” Weber asked.

“This is not a full list of the farmers who will be financially impacted,” Yerigan said. “It is noteworthy that these figures would be before the acreages are assessed as part of their taxes and interest begins accruing. The unfairness of this is shocking to our entire family and the local farming community.”

The Yellow Medicine County Board approved an amended version of the petition Tuesday to change the existing county ditch into a tiled flat land by applying separable maintenance as provided under Minnesota statute, which would allow for a portion of the ditch to be maintained separately from other portions of its drainage system.

Yerigan responded saying that one person who shares a portion of a drainage system should not be able to impose unwanted and unnecessary debt on his neighbors.

According to the engineer’s report, this open ditch which Buesing-Buesing, LLC is seeking to close at part of their petition is performing above recommendation. Further, Branch No. 4 is not negatively impacting the crop yield (which is above average) of the Weber property, Yerigan said.

“Despite Buesing-Buesing, LLC claim during the commissioner’s meeting Tuesday that this does not benefit them,” Weber said, “it does provide convenience for them and their large equipment as well as the elimination of the need for buffer strips. All of which is at their neighbors’ expense. We plead with the community to become informed about this issue and help protect our local family farmers.” 

Dean Buesing commented Thursday that, “We are happy that the YMC commissioners approved our petition. This will help improve the drainage and land for present and future generations.”