BENKELMAN - A proposal for the largest cattle feedlot in the state — a project estimated to cost $200 million — got the green light from a southwest Nebraska county on Thursday.

The Dundy County Board voted 3-0 to approve plans by Blackshirt Feeders to build a 150,000-head feedlot north of Haigler, near the Colorado-Nebraska state line. The project will feature a digester to turn manure into methane, and will have a rolled concrete surface that Blackshirt officials say will cut down on dust and be easier to clean.

“This is going to be beyond a state of the art facility,” said Steve Mossman, a Lincoln attorney who represents Blackshirt Feeders.

The site north of Haigler was chosen after controversy arose about another proposed location in Dundy County, 23 miles north of Benkelman.

The facility, which will be built in three phases of 50,000-head capacity each, is projected to provide 65 full-time jobs in Dundy County. The rural county of just under 2,000 people is west of McCook, in the extreme southwest corner of Nebraska. The facility is being developed by three Canadian veterinarians with experience in feedlots, including Dr. Eric Behlke, a native of Benkelman.

The approval came with nine conditions concerning groundwater testing, controlling flies and dust and proper disposal of dead livestock.

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