Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Agriculture Feedlot topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Morrison County planning commission recommends approval for Hebig dairy expansion
Summary
On March 31 the Morrison County Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a conditional use permit allowing Adam and Hannah Hebig to expand their dairy to a Tier 2 feed lot, forwarding the recommendation to the county board April 7, 2026. Soil and Water review and a 94% offset rating supported the decision despite a neighboring odor complaint.
The Morrison County Planning Commission on March 31 recommended approval of a conditional use permit that would allow Adam and Hannah Hebig to expand their registered Tier 1 dairy to a Tier 2 feed lot, forwarding the matter to the County Board for consideration on April 7, 2026.
Amy, land services staff, said the 119-acre property in Swan River Township is the subject of a packet referencing county ordinance sections 604.6 and 1209 and that Soil and Water conducted an environmental review that found the site suitable for a Tier 2 operation. Amy said the applicants reported 11 months of liquid manure storage (nine months required) and that soils on the fields proposed for manure application are suitable. Staff recorded a total proposed annual animal unit amount of 341.6 and an offset rating of 94% (minimum 91%).
A written opposition from neighbor Kevin Lightner was read into the record. In the letter Lightner said he was "formally submitting my opposition" because of a "substantial increase in odor" and warned the expansion could make it "difficult, if not impossible, to enjoy outdoor spaces" and could depress neighboring property values. Amy also pointed to the applicants' feed-lot odor minimization and good-neighbor plans, which commit the Hebigs to notify neighbors before hauling and to incorporate manure within 8–24 hours of application when using liquid or solid manure.
Adam Hebig told the commission the operation times hauling to avoid repeated disturbance: "we try to pump our manure and haul our manure when everybody else is so we're not disturbing the area three, four times" and said gutters or pit enlargement would be used should herd numbers change. Commissioners pressed for technical details about storage design, which staff and the applicants clarified: the pit was initially sized for 14 months and would provide about 11 months of storage at the upper end of the proposed Tier 2 threshold.
Commissioners cited the positive Soil & Water review, the applicants' manure management practices and the 94% offset rating in supporting affirmative answers to the required findings. Commissioner Marv moved to recommend approval; the motion passed on a recorded roll call with all members voting in favor.
Because planning commissions make recommendations only, the county board will consider the application at its regular meeting on April 7, 2026. The commission did not attach additional conditions beyond those discussed in the packet and during the hearing.
Provenance: Staff report, applicant testimony and commission deliberations were recorded on the March 31 planning commission transcript (topic introduced SEG 071; discussion and vote through SEG 626).
