Kosciusko planners to study zoning changes for animal feeding operations after poultry, livestock concerns

The Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission voted Tuesday to direct county planning staff to research potential revisions to local zoning and ordinance language governing animal feeding operations and to convene a committee of stakeholders to advise the work.

The directive came after two hours of testimony from poultry integrators, hog and dairy producers, and residents about disease risk (including highly pathogenic avian influenza), setbacks, manure regulation and notice requirements for new barns and confinement operations.

Kosciusko County planning director Matt Sandy opened the discussion, calling it an "educational, fact-finding meeting" and noting that the commission had no advertised cases but had invited stakeholders to speak on animal feeding operations (AFOs). Sandy said the county currently treats AFOs and larger confined feeding operations (CFOs) similarly in ag districts and that any change would need to be written so staff could reasonably enforce it. "This is a broad topic," Sandy said. "Education is gonna be the baseline of this."

Producers who spoke urged the county to consider setbacks and notice requirements to limit concentration of barns and to reduce the…