Cattle Rancher Loses War With Navy Over Noise

Poor planning and hard economic times forced a central Nevada cattle rancher out of business, not disruptions from Navy training jets screaming overhead, a federal judge ruled Thursday in dismissing an $8.7-million lawsuit.

The suit was filed by Don and Barbara Nonella, who moved to Elko, Nev., in 1988 after abandoning their failed 7C Ranch below Fallon Naval Air Station training grounds 60 miles east of Reno.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Jeff Setness, who defended the government, said the ruling verified his contention that cattle production is not affected by jet noise.

Thompson ruled that evidence presented during the trial in January “established that sonic booms and low-level overflights did not cause plaintiff’s loss of the 7C Ranch. The evidence shows that difficult economic conditions existing in the cattle industry coupled with inadequate financial planning by the plaintiff led to the economic collapse of the 7C Ranch.”

The Nonella’s attorney, Bob Alexander, contended that his clients’ cows stopped producing enough calves to keep the ranch financially sound after being frightened by the military jets flying out of Fallon, the nation’s premiere training ground for Navy pilots.