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After heated hearing, commissioners approve RJ Farms special-use permit with additional animal-welfare conditions
Summary
Following hours of public comment and debate about alleged animal cruelty, the board approved an SUP for RJ Farms subject to new conditions including the presence of a licensed veterinarian and explicit prohibitions against horse tripping and steer tailing; several speakers urged denial.
The Leavenworth County Board of Commissioners approved a request from RJ Farms for a special-use permit (Resolution 2026-11) after a prolonged public hearing and multiple amended motions, adding conditions intended to address animal-welfare and public-safety concerns.
Several veterinarians, humane-society representatives and neighbors urged denial. Dr. Joe Bernand, a veterinarian who said he reported an animal-abuse incident to authorities, told the board: "I ask the board to end this cruel practices in Leavenworth County by denying an SUP to R.J. Farms until [the owner] complies with all state, local, and federal laws." Multiple speakers documented prior complaints and asked for enforceable oversight rather than voluntary commitments.
RJ Farms' representative disputed allegations and described the events as cultural traditions. The applicant said he works with veterinarians and leases livestock for shows, and that he intends to comply with permit conditions. "This is a tradition... I'm not asking for anything out of the normal," the applicant said.
County legal counsel walked the commissioners through the statutory landscape and said her reading of Kansas law led her to the opinion that, as written, steer tailing is not explicitly outlawed under state statute although horse tripping is clearly prohibited; she noted local governments can place conditions on special-use permits and could include stricter language if the board chooses. "In my opinion steer tail pulling is legal," the counselor said, while noting counties can adopt local rules and that the county attorney could prosecute if state statute supported that interpretation.
The board debated multiple specific conditions: whether to require a licensed veterinarian on site during events (the planning commission had proposed this), how long the SUP term should run (the planning commission recommended three years; commissioners discussed one-, two- and three-year terms), and what level of liability insurance should be required. After amendments and multiple votes the board approved the SUP with additional conditions requiring an on-site licensed veterinarian at rodeo events, explicit prohibitions on horse tripping and steer tailing as conditions of the SUP, and finite insurance and term provisions; the board also emphasized compliance with state and federal veterinary and animal-transport rules.
What happened next: the commission completed the vote, and staff will incorporate the adopted conditions into the formal permit and compliance plan. Several speakers asked for a countywide animal-cruelty resolution to provide uniform standards for future permits.
Why it matters: the decision balances property-rights arguments and cultural traditions against documented complaints, animal-welfare concerns and calls for enforceable oversight. Commissioners noted they are bound to apply state law while also using local permitting authority to set conditions.
What comes next: the county will issue the SUP with the board's conditions and the applicant must demonstrate continued compliance; commissioners and staff suggested further work on a county animal-cruelty resolution to provide consistent standards for similar applications.
