Planning commission recommends Lauer beef operation expansion in shoreland overlay with management conditions

Stearns County planning commissioners on June 26 recommended approval of a conditional use permit for an expansion of a beef cattle operation owned by Gerald and Suzanne Lauer (applicants Joel and Susan Lauer appeared) at a Clearwater area property that includes land in the 300‑foot shoreland overlay.

The proposal seeks to construct two total confinement barns (one of them—Barn No. 8—lies within the shoreland overlay) and an attached open lot, plus three rotating open lots to the north (labeled 9a, 9b and 9c). The feedlot permit application requests an increase to 291 animal units composed in staff materials of roughly 100 slaughter steers, 120 beef cow–calf pairs, 100 feeder cattle and one horse. The combined parcel acreage described in staff materials is roughly 360 acres; the original feedlot registration dates to January 5, 2000.

Staff told the commission the existing facility is registered and has met state and county registration requirements. A 2024 compliance inspection found the facility compliant for water quality discharge. Because Barn No. 8 is proposed where an earlier barn historically stood, staff concluded the siting did not further encroach into shoreland than the preexisting footprint. MinFarm modeling (county/state feedlot modeling software) and staff analysis informed the recommended condition limiting use of open lots 9a/9b/9c so that only one of the three lots may be used in any one growing season; that condition also requires any lot use to be limited to livestock types and numbers that would not create a pollution potential unless otherwise approved by Environmental Services Department (ESD).

Two written public comments were read into the record opposing the expansion; authors Curtis and Judith Olsen and Ronald M. Hansen expressed concerns about water quality degradation, shoreline habitat loss, potential violations of shoreland protections, public‑health risks, and the availability of alternate sites. The applicants said the chosen location is an existing cattle facility and that the alternative site they considered still would have encroached on shoreland.

Stearns County staff described site details in the packet: the site lies within the shoreland overlay for Hansen Brook / 3 Mile Creek (a trout stream) with the shoreland zone at 300 feet in this location; maps show 36 homes and eight registered feedlots within one mile and the closest residences at about 708 and 711 feet from portions of the proposed site. The staff report listed three recommended conditions: (1) construct improvements as submitted unless otherwise approved by ESD; (2) limit use to one of the three rotating open lots (9a, 9b, 9c) per growing season and to livestock types/numbers that would not create a pollution potential (or as otherwise approved by ESD); (3) owner contact ESD within three days of construction completion for a post‑construction inspection.

After commissioner questions about the shoreland trigger (staff explained it is the proposed construction in Barn No. 8, not strictly animal‑unit numbers, that required a CUP because the barn is within the shoreland overlay), the commission moved, seconded and approved the staff recommendation. The matter will be forwarded to the Stearns County Board for final action on July 8.