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MN county investigating herd limit increase

May 28, 2015, Winona, MN – The debate over the future of livestock farming in Winona County began recently.

The county Planning Commission is gearing up to consider raising or eliminating the county’s animal unit cap, which limits the size of livestock feedlots to 1,500 animal units or 1,071 mature dairy cows. Members agree the cap has a significant effect on many issues: how family farms operate, how successful they are, how expensive land is, how much perennial ground cover is grown in the county, how clean local surface water and drinking water is, and how vibrant rural communities are. However, Planning Commission members disagreed on whether raising the cap would help or hurt family farms, rural communities, and local water quality. READ MORE