Livestock Feedlots in Red Willow County, Nebraska

Red Willow County's Livestock Friendly designation and livestock-oriented zoning aren't just policy language -- real feedlot and waste-storage projects have gone through the county's conditional-use process in recent years, each also requiring a separate state permit. Here's how the two-layer process actually works, illustrated with two real, named county cases.

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

Two permits, not one: a county CUP and a separate state DWEE permit

Siting or expanding a livestock feeding operation in unincorporated Red Willow County is a two-layer process, and a buyer or operator needs to clear both, not just one. At the county level, a Large Feedlot Operation (LFO) or an associated waste-storage facility goes through Red Willow County's conditional-use permit (CUP) process, administered by Planning & Zoning (which, as the county hub explains, is staffed under contract by Miller & Associates Consulting Engineers rather than an in-house county office). A real example: Haag Land and Cattle submitted a CUP application for a Large Feedlot Operation Waste Storage Facility in the county, which the Planning & Zoning Committee recommended for approval -- classified as a Class 1 LFO under the county's zoning regulations, which requires the operator to secure impact easements from affected neighboring landowners as a condition of the permit, and which drew public comment specifically about odor, insects, rodents, and increased traffic during the review.

Separately, and independently of the county CUP, any operation above Nebraska's regulatory size thresholds -- generally 1,000 animal units for cattle or 2,500 head for swine over 55 pounds -- needs its own state permit from the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment (DWEE) under its livestock waste control / NPDES general permit program, with applications required at least 180 days before the facility begins operating or before an existing permit expires. A current, real example specific to this county: Hauxwell Land & Cattle, LLC's "Kingdom" facility, located at 72081 Kingdom Dairy Rd near McCook (Section 33, Township 04N, Range 29W), went through a DWEE public notice and comment period running from June 25 through July 27, 2026. If you're evaluating land near an existing or proposed feedlot -- or planning to site your own -- expect to track both processes, on two different agency timelines, not one.

What the county's Livestock Friendly status does, and doesn't, change

Red Willow County's Nebraska Department of Agriculture Livestock Friendly County (LFC) designation confirms the county's zoning already meets the state's siting and setback criteria for livestock operations -- it does not exempt a project from either the county CUP process or the state DWEE permit described above, and it does not waive the statutory animal-unit-based setback scale (roughly a quarter-mile at 1,000 animal units, growing to three-quarters of a mile at 20,000 animal units) that still applies to distances between a feedlot and neighboring residences, wells, and other protected uses. What LFC status does mean in practice is that the county's own zoning code is written to accommodate livestock expansion as a compatible land use rather than push back against it by default -- but the specific setback, impact-easement, and waste-storage requirements for a given parcel and herd size still have to be confirmed case by case with Planning & Zoning and, for larger operations, with DWEE directly.

For a buyer evaluating land near an active or planned feedlot, or considering starting one, three concrete verification steps follow from how this actually works here: first, ask Planning & Zoning whether any CUP application -- active, pending, or previously approved -- exists for the specific parcel or its neighbors, since a Class 1 LFO designation and its impact-easement requirement run with the specific facility, not the zoning district generally. Second, check DWEE's own public-notice and permit-status pages for any state waste-control permit tied to a nearby facility, since that process runs on a separate timeline from the county's and is where technical waste-storage and discharge requirements are actually spelled out. Third, if buying land specifically to start or expand an operation, budget realistic time for both processes running in parallel -- the state's 180-day pre-application window alone means a from-scratch livestock operation is not a fast-track project here even with the county's welcoming zoning posture.

Livestock Feedlots in Red Willow County, Nebraska

Two permits, not one: a county CUP and a separate state DWEE permit

What the county's Livestock Friendly status does, and doesn't, change

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