The Incredible Edible Egg

Such sentiments might doom Golden Oval's plans for extrusion before they even get rolling. CEO Dana Persson says that ever since the company won its permit, it has fielded calls from everyone from animal-rights activists to fried-chicken lovers. "There is a perception problem here," he concedes, adding that the plant has shelved plans to extrude carcasses pending more research into public opinion. For now, Golden Oval intends to use the extruder only on "eggshells and juice," he says. "The economics [of extrusion] works. It's preferable to taking up land, and animal protein is a good source of protein."

But in part because of a past controversy dubbed the "Babe-in-a-blender" incident, Renville residents don't seem reassured. In December of 1995, the animal health board granted Val Ad Co, a large hog operator in the town, a permit to try a new method of carcass disposal. Dead pigs were tossed into a giant blender, liquefied, and poured into the farm's manure lagoons. The manure would then be allowed to "ferment" until Val Ad Co needed fertilizer.

Diana Watters

Related Content

• Minnesota streams are full of drugs
  March 11, 2011
• Warren Jeffs inundating county officials in rural Minnesota with certified and priority mailings
  March 14, 2012
• Tornado watch in Twin Cities until 9 p.m. [UPDATED]
  June 17, 2010
• Food "rescued" from grocery stores helps stock food shelves
  May 18, 2011
• Tax-subsidized Minnesota mining company considers expanding elsewhere
  February 1, 2012

More About

• Renville
• Keith Friendshuh
• Ronnie Cummins
• Julie Jansen
• Animal Diseases

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter: Our weekly feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more - minus the newsprint and sent directly to your inbox.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

Renville activist Stephanie Henricksen says that although the hog farm stunk worse than usual, neither the board nor Val Ad Co informed the community about the experiment. "I'd been hearing rumors about pig bodies in the lagoons," she says, "and I started asking questions."

In December 1996 the experiment's permit came up for renewal. Henricksen rallied other Renville residents to protest. In addition to odor complaints, residents voiced concerns about the overall safety of the process. Adding raw pigs to manure pools, they contended, was a recipe for disease--especially if the resulting sludge was spread on farmland. Despite these protests, the board granted Val Ad Co a six-month extension. However, in light of the community's vehement opposition, the company quickly abandoned the project.

Friendshuh says unhappy Renville residents should feel free to attend the board's meetings. "We always reserve time for the public to voice their opinions," he says.

Golden Oval, too, says community input is welcome. "We're going to study this for another 30 to 60 days before we make a decision [about carcass extrusion]," says Persson. "We're members of this community, too, and we want to do what's right for our neighbors."