Commission recommends approval for Winsman tier‑2 poultry feedlot near North Two River with 14‑acre vegetative buffer condition

The Morrison County Planning Commission on Sept. 16 voted to recommend approval of a conditional use permit for Greg and Corey Winsman to establish a tier‑2 chicken feedlot on a 139.8‑acre property in Elmdale Township. The applicants propose two chicken barns totaling 400 animal units; staff and the Soil and Water Conservation District recommended a condition requiring permanent vegetation around the barns.

The commission’s recommendation is a nonfinal administrative action that will be considered by the County Board on Sept. 23. The Soil and Water review and the applicants’ manure management materials informed the commission’s finding that the site is suitable and that the 14‑acre field surrounding the barns should remain in grass to help prevent erosion and reduce runoff toward the nearby North Two River.

Amy, Land Services staff, summarized the application: the property is 139.8 acres, dually zoned agricultural and shoreland with some floodplain designation, and the applicants propose two chicken barns with 400 animal units. The Soil and Water Conservation District conducted an environmental review and concluded the site is suitable for a tier‑2 feedlot; the applicant plans to build a stacking slab at construction.

Shannon Weinstein, district manager for Morrison Soil and Water, said the 14‑acre field where the barns would be located “meets the acreage requirements” and that the barns are “far enough from the wetland edge and the floodplain” with a roughly 140‑foot separation from wetland/floodplain. Weinstein told the commission, “For the placement of the new barns, it will be establishing a new feed lot at this location. And… it’s all within their right to do that and it makes sense for the operation as well.”

Commissioners noted an odor offset rating of 99 percent and that the applicants reported about 420 acres available for manure application while needing roughly 210 acres; the commission heard that the applicants secured a MnDOT permit for the proposed approach. As a staff condition, the commission required that the area surrounding the barns identified in the environmental review be planted and maintained in permanent vegetation; commissioners clarified that this condition applies to the 14‑acre wedge shown on the environmental review map.

The commission voted unanimously to recommend approval to the County Board with the single clarified condition that the 14‑acre wedge surrounding the barns remain seeded and maintained as permanent vegetation. Chair Clint told the applicants the County Board will consider the recommendation on Sept. 23 and advised contacting Land Services with any questions.

This recommendation does not itself authorize construction; final permit issuance and required implementation steps—MnDOT approach permit compliance, feedlot officer confirmation of stacking slab and manure handling, and demonstration that the 14‑acre area is established in vegetation—are contingent on County Board action and subsequent permit administration.