Livestock Feedlots in McLeod County, Minnesota

Registration: the threshold that changes based on where the feedlot sits

Under McLeod County's Feedlot Management Ordinance (approved June 24, 2003, implementing Minnesota Rule Chapter 7020), any feedlot -- new, existing, or expanding -- reaching 50 animal units (AU) anywhere in the county must register with the county's Environmental Services Department. That threshold drops to just 10 AU or more if the feedlot sits within the shoreland district. An animal unit is a standardized measure under state rule, not a headcount: it's calculated by multiplying the number of animals of a given type by that type's AU factor (for example, roughly 50 dairy calves at a 0.2 factor works out to 10 AU), so a small number of larger animals can cross a threshold faster than the same headcount of smaller ones.

Two additional dollar-and-acreage triggers sit alongside the animal-unit count and apply regardless of shoreland status. A feedlot needs manure testing once it reaches 100 AU, and a written manure management plan once it reaches 300 AU -- both administrative requirements that kick in well before the CUP threshold discussed next, and both worth budgeting time and, in the case of manure testing, a lab relationship for before you'd otherwise expect a permitting conversation with the county.

When a Conditional Use Permit is required, not just registration

A Conditional Use Permit (CUP) from McLeod County Planning and Zoning -- a substantially heavier process than registration, involving a public hearing before the Planning Commission -- is required in any of three situations: the feedlot is new or existing at 800 AU or more; the operation has less than one-half acre of owned or leased land per animal unit available for manure disposal; or it's a new feedlot registering with less than 40 acres owned at the facility site. Any one of these three conditions triggers the CUP requirement on its own -- a smaller operation that's well under 800 AU can still need a CUP purely because it's short on owned manure-disposal acreage or site acreage, which is easy to miss if you're only tracking the animal-unit count.

Feedlots in the shoreland district face an additional, separate constraint on top of the lower 10 AU registration threshold: expansion of a shoreland feedlot is capped at 999 animal units, and no part of an expanding shoreland feedlot may sit closer to the ordinary high water mark than the ordinance's setback distances specify. A general 300-foot setback applies from rivers, streams, and any DNR-protected wetland classified as type 3 through type 8 -- a wider buffer than a buyer might assume applies to routine agricultural land use near water.

What to check before buying agricultural land here with livestock plans

1. Confirm the parcel's shoreland status first -- it determines whether the registration threshold is 50 AU or 10 AU, and whether the 999 AU shoreland expansion cap applies at all.
2. Calculate your planned animal-unit count using the state's AU factors, not a headcount, before assuming you're under a given threshold -- McLeod County Environmental Services can confirm the current factor table if you're unsure how a specific species and class of animal converts.
3. If you're at or expect to grow past 100 AU, budget for manure testing; at or past 300 AU, budget for a written manure management plan -- both apply before you'd hit the heavier CUP threshold.
4. Check owned/leased manure-disposal acreage (0.5 acre per AU) and site acreage (40 acres for a new registration) even if your animal-unit count is well under 800 -- either shortfall triggers a CUP on its own.
5. For any parcel near a river, stream, or DNR-protected wetland, confirm the exact 300-foot setback line with Environmental Services before assuming a barn, pen, or manure storage area's planned location is compliant.
6. Ask whether an existing feedlot on a target parcel is currently registered and in good standing with the county -- don't assume it's grandfathered under the 2003 ordinance's original terms without confirming its actual registration status.