As he grew Nebraska’s largest hog operation, Jim Pillen made economic and environmental assurances to residents of small communities where he was looking to build. Some residents profited. Others say Pillen Family Farms prospered while they suffered.
Out-of-state investors are buying up Nebraska land in part because of the groundwater that can be placed on crops. But there are restrictions on what they can do with that water.
Seven out-of-state buyers, including a Utah church, a Philadelphia corporate farm and a California investment fund, spent nearly $250 million in the past five years on pricey Nebraska farmland, FFP analysis shows.
Monitoring wells at 16 Pillen family-tied operations have tested for nitrate levels far above legal drinking water limit. One was so high, an expert said, “it should be a 911.”
Jim Pillen built one of the biggest hog enterprises in the country. Then he got elected governor. It’s a Nebraska success story — one raising questions about potential conflicts of interest.
Many residents of Nebraska are unknowingly consuming nitrate, an odorless, colorless contaminant that’s widespread in the state’s groundwater. They consume it when they shower, when they cook, when they turn on the taps to get a glass of ice water to drink.
