The review and changes to the Rice County Feedlot Ordinance were initiated by the Planning and Zoning Department last year to more closely align the County ordinance with the State ordinance. It was expected that this would make the County ordinance easier and less expensive to administrate. Of Course, one of the most important changes would be in the maximum animal units (a.u.) allowed in any feedlot operation. The State does not have an animal unit cap and, there is a difference in the way animal units are calculated between the two ordinances with the State's definition being more lenient. However, being the fearless leaders that they are, the Commissioners decided to part with the State Ordinance on the issue of a.u. caps.
The numbers 1,500, 2,000 and 3,000 animal units were kicked around but after "careful" consideration during the deliberations, three of the Commissioners came to the conclusion that the maximum number of animal units within the county should be capped at 2,000 a.u. Although a vote cannot be taken until the language is cleaned up and the discussed additions to the Feedlot Ordinance are made, Commissioners Plaisance, Gillen and Brown have declared their intentions to vote for the 2,000 a.u. cap.
It is no surprise to anyone who follows the Commissioners Meetings that Plaisance and Gillen would vote for the cap, after all, Gillen is a dairy farmer and Plaisance has animal farming in his background. However, Brown's reason for voting for it took those of us in the audience by surprise. He stated that by adopting the State definition of a.u.s, a modest increase in actual animal numbers would accrue to all farmers except the dairy farmer. His gobbledygook reasoning was that the dairy cow was lighter than the steer which is the foundation from which all the manure output of the other animals is calculated. He said the "differentiation between species" was inconsistent and, by going with the higher 2,000 a.u. number, the dairy farmers would also benefit with a modest increase in numbers of animals.
Commissioners Bauer and Malecha stated that they intended to vote against the proposed cap number because there was no support for the change in their districts. They were then subjected to considerable pressure from the other Commissioners who lionized the importance of natural fertilizer in this day and age, adding that it would soon be helping to power energy plants. However, Bauer and Malecha stood their ground for the sake of their constituents. Good for them! We should all be so lucky to have Commissioners who represent us that well.
Commissioners speak:
"If we didn't have no livestock in Rice County, we wouldn't have any natural manure at all!" Milt Plaisance
"I'm sticking with 1,500 a.u. based on calls and e-mails I have received." Galen Malecha
"I asked for support, but I can't get any support for it in my district." Steve Bauer
"The NaySayers are not well informed." Jim Brown
"I am standing behind what I proposed." Jake Gillen
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