County relaxes feedlot capacity restrictions

Local livestock producers have permission to exceed their feedlot capacity permit, if needed, due to coronavirus outbreaks shutting down meat processing plants.
 Rock County commissioners on April 21 approved a resolution — The Rock County Feedlot Permit Relief for 2020 – that allows local feedlots to exceed maximum capacities up to 90 days.
The shortage of the operation of pork and beef processors has left thousands of live market hogs and cattle in area barns and feedlots with no place to go.
The relief applies to all of Rock County’s 620 feedlots, but producers must apply for it online, according to Doug Bos, Rock County’s feedlot officer.
“Basically, it (the permit relief resolution) gives a 45-day ‘pass’ to exceed their registered or permitted animal unit numbers,” he said.
“This also allows a 45-day ‘pass’ on zoning requirements to temporarily exceed conditional use permit thresholds.”
Producers must request the “pass” or waiver, which is automatically granted, by sending an email to MPCA.COVID19REGFLEX@state.mn.us.
Requests can be completed by individuals or grouped by company.
Among other information requested online, producers must provide that the site:
•has adequate storage capacity for the additional manure that may be generated.
•has adequate land available to apply manure at agronomic rates.
•can meet all applicable setbacks during manure application.
Records must be kept referencing the number of animals, when they arrived and when they left, for each feedlot.
Currently, each feedlot is assigned a maximum animal unit threshold, which cannot be exceeded without re-registering or re-permitting with the Rock County Land Management Office.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency contracts with the LMO annually to enforce regulations for feedlots under the 999 animal unit threshold.
MPCA regulates feedlots over 999 animal units.
An animal unit ranges from 1.4 (a mature dairy cow) to 0.003 for a chicken under 5 pounds. In Rock County the average feedlot is permitted for 300 to 720 animal units, according to Bos.
Feedlot operators who do not submit a request for permit relief could face enforcement action if they exceed their permitted animal units.
All applicants receive email approval, a copy of which is sent to respective counties’ feedlot officers.
During the waiver period, feedlot owners or managers must try to reduce animal units on site to the permit levels as soon as practically possible.
The first waiver is for 45 days or until June 1 with the possibility of applying for an additional 45 days.
“We are not sure how this is all going to turn out,” Bos said.
Originally the relief was only for hog producers, but with regional beef packing plants ceasing operations due to the coronavirus outbreak, cattle producers were also included.
“They (MPCA) will handle the relief requests in the same way as hogs,” Bos said.