Livestock Feedlots in Stanton County, KS: Permits & Operations

Stanton County, in the far southwest corner of Kansas, has no confirmed county zoning department -- but that doesn't mean confined livestock operations here go unregulated. Two real, named, state-permitted facilities operate in the county today, and both sit inside the Kansas Department of Health and Environment's confined-feeding permit system, which is the actual layer of oversight a buyer near one of these operations needs to understand.

This page covers what's specific to Stanton County. For the general explanation, see the national guide.

Two confirmed, named operations

The Winger Feedlot, located west of the city of Johnson (Johnson City), is an 8,000-head, source-and-age-verified certified cattle feedyard that has been approved for expansion to 10,000 head. Separately, Syracuse Dairy, LLC operates at 6800 W Road 8 in Stanton County under Kansas Permit No. A-CIST-D002 and Federal (NPDES) Permit No. KS0096121, most recently confirmed through a public notice covering an existing facility permitted for 4,200 head (5,880 animal units) of mature dairy cattle plus 1,100 head (1,100 animal units) of cattle weighing more than 700 pounds, for a combined 6,980 animal units. Syracuse Dairy has an approved Nutrient Management Plan on file with KDHE, which governs how manure and wastewater from the operation are stored and land-applied.

For a buyer, these are concrete, checkable reference points rather than a general 'there might be a feedlot nearby' caution -- both facilities' permits are public records searchable through KDHE's own permit and public-notice system, which will show current animal-unit capacity, permit status, and any pending modification or renewal application. Before buying land near either facility, or any other confined feeding operation in the county, pull the current KDHE permit file directly rather than relying on a listing's description of 'nearby agricultural use.'

The permitting framework that applies, given no county zoning

Stanton County's own department directory does not list a Planning and Zoning office, which means confined feeding operations here are not filtered through a county conditional-use or special-use zoning process the way they might be in a zoned county. Instead, the operative layer of regulation is the state's: KDHE administers confined animal feeding operation permits under its Livestock Waste Management program, applying state design standards for confined feeding facilities and, for larger operations like Syracuse Dairy, a federal NPDES permit addressing water-quality discharge. Kansas's separation-distance statute, K.S.A. 65-171d, additionally sets required buffer distances between a new or expanding confined feeding facility and neighboring residences, public buildings, and water sources, scaled to the facility's animal-unit capacity -- the same statutory framework that governs feedlot siting in other unzoned or lightly zoned southwest Kansas counties.

The practical upshot for a buyer: without a county zoning process layered on top, KDHE's own permitting and separation-distance rules are the primary check on where a new confined feeding operation can locate near your land, and the primary source of information about an existing one's legal capacity. If proximity to livestock operations matters to your plans for a Stanton County parcel -- whether you want distance from them or are considering starting one yourself -- confirm current facility locations, permitted animal-unit counts, and any pending expansion applications directly with KDHE's feedlot permitting staff, and confirm applicable K.S.A. 65-171d separation distances for your specific situation with the Kansas Department of Agriculture or KDHE directly.

Livestock Feedlots in Stanton County, Kansas

Two confirmed, named operations

The permitting framework that applies, given no county zoning

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