Kosciusko County planning board forwards AFO rules and Table A updates to commissioners

The Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission voted unanimously to recommend a new Animal Feeding Operation (AFO) ordinance and related Table A amendments to the county commissioners at its hearing.

The board’s staff described the AFO ordinance as a regulatory layer for larger animal operations. "Anything with 300 animals or more would be a regulated operation," staff said during the public hearing, defining the trigger for new permitting and site‑plan review requirements. The proposal requires at least 20 acres for a new AFO and sets setbacks: 100 feet from rights‑of‑way, property lines and most shorelines (the board discussed increasing water setbacks to 300 feet), and 400 feet from identified "sensitive uses" such as schools and recreation areas.

The ordinance also references state controls on manure and mortality, and requires operators to provide a premise ID from state health/animal authorities. "Premise ID…is through the Indiana Board of Animal Health," Shannon Shepherd explained, describing how registration helps trace animals during disease events. Shepherd and other commenters noted many 4‑H participants already hold premise IDs.

Producers at the hearing generally supported a single numeric threshold rather than species‑specific counts. Chad Tucker of Tucker's Golden Beef said the 300‑animal total simplifies enforcement and captures mixed operations that can nonetheless pose disease risks.

Board members framed the measure as an initial step that can be amended: several members called the ordinance a "living document," saying they expected to revisit numbers and setbacks as needed. With that understanding, an unidentified member moved to recommend the ordinance to the county commissioners; the motion passed unanimously.

The hearing also included a set of Table A changes to zoning use lists. Staff proposed adding AFOs as a permitted use in agricultural districts and adding or clarifying other permanent and exception uses: equine stables and training facilities, commercial event venues and wineries/breweries as exception uses, motorized vehicle sales with explicit inclusion of fuel sales, and industrial exceptions that would allow agricultural product processing, battery manufacturing, and carbon sequestration facilities in specified industrial districts.

Supporters said the updates align the ordinance with recent Board of Zoning Appeals decisions and local market realities; some members asked staff to prepare additional information about data centers and soil suitability. The board voted to forward the Table A amendments with a favorable recommendation to the commissioners.

Next steps: the recommendations will be on the county commissioners’ agenda for consideration; if adopted, staff said the AFO ordinance would take effect immediately and remain subject to future amendment after implementation experience.