Morrison County planning panel recommends permit for two new poultry barns; 50-foot buffer, manure plan required

The Morrison County Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a conditional use permit to allow Dennis, Anne and Jacob Toma to expand an existing livestock operation to a tier 2 beef/sheep/chicken feedlot by constructing two chicken barns on property in Section 10, Township 29, Range 30 in Pike Creek Township. The commission made the recommendation at a public hearing and agreed to forward the application to the Morrison County Board of Commissioners for final action at its next meeting.

The commission’s recommendation includes two conditions: the property owner must work with the county feedlot officer on siting for temporary manure stacking, and the owner must establish and maintain a permanent 50‑foot vegetative buffer around each proposed barn. Chair of the planning commission and members Marvin and John voted yes on the findings of fact and to forward the application with those conditions.

The county land services staff described the proposal as an expansion of an existing operation and said setbacks and current holding areas meet ordinance requirements. Amy, a county land services staff member, told commissioners that the application references county ordinance section 604.6, which requires a conditional use permit for feedlots, and section 1209, which contains performance standards for large feedlots. Amy read the two conditions into the record before the final vote.

Shannon Witsdine, district manager at the Morrison Soil and Water Conservation District, told the commission that her office completed the environmental review and found the site suitable for a tier 2 feedlot operation. “The soils are very conducive, and there is very little slope at this site, where they’re putting the barns,” Witsdine said. She recommended a 50‑foot grass buffer and said the site’s heavier soils would be suitable for temporary stacking of poultry litter until permanent storage is funded and installed.

Applicants said they plan to seek Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) funding for a future stacking slab and that no permanent stacking slab is proposed at this time. Kendra Toma, speaking for the applicants, said they will pursue NRCS help for manure storage: “As far as the stack and slab for storing manure, we are going to be talking with the NRCS to get funding for that.” The application packet states the applicants currently use a combination of owned acreage and transfer agreements totaling 696 acres in Pike Creek, Swan River and Darling townships for manure application.

During discussion commissioners noted site features that informed their findings: the nearest dwelling is roughly three‑quarters of a mile away, the site slopes about 1 percent away from a nearby drainage ditch, and existing hay and pasture provide vegetative groundcover between the barns and the ditch. A family member of the applicants, who identified themself as Clint Catherine, added that field layout and fencing provide more than 100 feet of filtering distance between the barns and the wetland area.

The planning commission made explicit distinctions between discussion and action: discussion focused on soils, slope, setbacks, buffers and future manure storage; the formal direction was that the owner must consult the feedlot officer on temporary stacking siting; and the formal decision was a motion to recommend approval to the county board with the two stated conditions. Amy confirmed the county board will consider the commission’s recommendation at its next regular meeting on August 26.

No written public comments were recorded as coming in response to mailed notices, and the county staff reported no objections from notified neighbors. The Soil and Water Conservation District’s environmental review and its representative’s remarks were entered into the record and used by commissioners in answering the required criteria questions under county ordinance and Minnesota statute.

If the County Board approves the permit, the conditions require follow‑up action by the applicants and county staff: coordinating siting for any temporary manure stacking with the feedlot officer and establishing the permanent vegetative buffers before or at the time of barn construction, as specified by the commission’s condition. The application packet indicates the applicants plan to apply for funding for permanent manure storage and mortality capacity improvements but does not state a grant amount or a firm construction schedule.

The planning commission closed the public hearing, approved the findings of fact with unanimous affirmative votes from those present, and instructed staff to forward the recommendation to the Morrison County Board of Commissioners for final consideration.