Morrison County board approves variance to allow poultry barn 100 feet from property line

Morrison County’s Board of Adjustment voted unanimously May 13 to approve a variance allowing Ryan Geertz to build a poultry egg‑laying barn 100 feet from his north property line, a 100‑foot reduction from the 200‑foot side setback required by county ordinance.

The variance was approved with two conditions: that any manure stockpile be bermed on its north (and cornering west) side to limit runoff and that a 50‑foot grass buffer be established around the barn after construction and grading. The motion to approve was made by Clint (board member) and seconded by Brent (board member); the vote was recorded as five ayes with no nays or abstentions.

The request was presented during a public hearing before the Board of Adjustment. Amy, land services staff, told the board the property is currently a registered tier 1 dairy feedlot and that adding the laying barn would not change its tier status because the proposal would not increase animal units beyond the existing registration. Amy said the applicable setback is section 1208.1 of the Morrison County Land Use Ordinance and showed aerial photos and a site drawing marking the north property line and the proposed barn location.

Neighbor Marvin Free, who lives across the road, spoke in public comment and said odor was his main concern. "The only time they smelled the manure and stuff was when they were hauling manure out or cleaning the barn," Free said, describing his conversation with a resident living about 400–500 feet from an existing egg operation.

Board members discussed site constraints cited by the applicant, including that the barn size was determined by Pilgrim (the poultry integrator) and that farm parceling and hilly topography limited alternative placements. Members also discussed manure handling: Ryan Geertz said his plan is to "scrape and haul" manure off fields rather than stockpile it, and that stockpiling would only occur if receiving fields temporarily could not take material. The board recommended and conditioned berming stockpiles so any temporary piles would not run off toward the neighboring property.

During their finding‑of‑fact review, members answered the ordinance's six variance criteria in the affirmative, citing the area's agricultural character, the applicant's acreage, and the unusual lot layout created when the farm was split prior to Geertz’s purchase. George (board member) noted that placing the barn where proposed keeps it farther from the northwest neighbor and preserves crop land to the south. The board also noted that Bridal Township had provided a letter of support for the request.

After the vote the board advised Geertz to work with the county feedlot officer, Colette, to obtain required permits and to notify her when grading and seeding are complete so staff can verify compliance with the conditions. Amy confirmed the feedlot officer will inspect the buffer after construction.

The approved variance applies only to the setback shown in the application and does not change other feedlot or land‑use requirements; the board recorded that no conditional‑use permit was required because the operation will remain a tier 1 feedlot under county rules.

Next steps for the applicant are to obtain construction permitting and coordinate final verification of the berm and grass buffer with the Morrison County feedlot officer.