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Stearns County planners approve after‑the‑fact conditional‑use permit for Painesville feedlot
Summary
The Planning Commission approved a conditional‑use permit for Jerome and Cindy Humber to legalize several roofed open lots and increase permitted animal units after staff found recordkeeping and permit mistakes that have since been corrected.
The Stearns County Planning Commission on Dec. 19 approved a conditional‑use permit to legalize several previously unpermitted structures and to increase animal units at a Painesville feedlot owned by Jerome and Cindy Humber.
Staff told the commission the feedlot, registered since Aug. 10, 2000, sought permits for three roofed open lots (identified in the staff report as structures to be brought under the CUP) and to raise permitted animal units from 468 to 631 to accommodate additional beef cow‑calf pairs and steers. A site inspection on Sept. 11, 2024, found the operation compliant with water‑quality discharge standards but noncompliant for the unpermitted construction and for manure records; the owners subsequently submitted manure records and a manure management plan, which staff reviewed and found compliant. The sewage treatment system certification was received and approved Nov. 8, 2024, staff said.
Staff acknowledged an earlier permitting error: two structures had been issued a short‑form construction permit in 2020 when they should have been permitted under a CUP. The commission heard that correction of that error was the reason for the after‑the‑fact application. Staff also noted there were no valid complaints on file and that the stream adjacent to the property is a Sauk River tributary (not listed as impaired).
Applicant Jerome Humber said he wanted to consolidate animals from a rented site into the on‑site buildings to make daily operations easier, explaining that the off‑site facilities were aging and causing logistical burdens. "I'd like to bring them into these buildings…so we'd have everything on one site and we would just give up the rent on the other site," he said.
Commissioners asked about site separation and potential impacts; staff reported the nearest residence is about 942 feet to the southwest and that no additional environmental permits (environmental assessment worksheet, NPDES, or state disposal system permits) were required for the changes proposed.
A motion to approve the CUP, including the two conditions recommended by staff, passed on an affirmative voice vote. The commission recorded the motion as carried and closed the public hearing.
