County releases updated feedlot numbers

The number of new livestock facilities built locally in 2020 increased over the previous year. However, the increase is attributed to the cattle industry rather than the hog industry.
Doug Bos, assistant director of Rock County’s Land Management Office, briefed county commissioners of the shift March 16 as they approved the county’s annual feedlot report.
Bos said the Land Management Office in 2020 permitted 11 feedlots, including five new hog barns, five cattle feedlot expansions and one dairy barn expansion.
Bos highlighted the change in the hog permit requests.
“We had about eight on the books but when COVID hit and they shut down production plants, it was a disaster for us,” he said. “We had a few that backed out or pulled back.”
This year permit requests have been slow with only two permit requests in the first three months of the year.
“Normally we’ll have upwards of five sites being permitted or going through the process,” he said.
In 2018, Land Management personnel permitted 10 new hog barns and one hog feedlot expansion. The number dropped to four in 2019.
Cattle feedlot expansions in 2019 involved one new barn. The previous year three barns were built.
Bos said his office stays in contact with all 600 feedlots in Rock County, even if no or very few livestock animals are kept at the location.
“We still register them as a feedlot,” he said. “It kind of keeps it as a placeholder as far as zoning, and they can do everything a feedlot can do in the way of confining animals.”
Of the 600, 547 feedlots are required to be registered with the county, either due to location near a shoreline or the ability to house between 10 to 999 animal units in feedlots.
According to the local report, there are 62 feedlots in Rock County permitted directly through the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to house 1,000 AU or more.
Land Management officials regularly inspect 7 percent of the feedlot sites and oversee any complaints, as per a contract agreement with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
In 2020, 49 feedlots were inspected and two complaints were filed with the local office. Both complaints were resolved.
“Our farmers really do try to do a good job,” Bos said.
“Sometimes you can get into a bit of a neighbor feud if they are spreading too close to a waterway or stream … and sometimes setbacks to road ditches (50 feet). People might forget or they may not have been aware.”
Budget for the feedlot program in 2020 was $105,000 with the state allocation of $56,341 and a local county match of $39,650. An extra $9,021 is earned from the MPCA for extra programming conducted by the local personnel.
Bos said the answer continues to be “yes” as it pertains to the county having enough land available to farmers with livestock.
“We are running about half of our acres with manure application,” he said. “The rest with commercial fertilizer – so we have room.”