County livestock sites to be re-inventoried
What’s new?
The Todd County Feedlot Program is in the process of re-inventorying all livestock sites in the county.
How?
The state database has over 1,200 potential livestock sites inventoried in Todd County dating back to 2001. This information is outdated. Approximately 300 registrations will be sent out to farm owners each year for 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 in order to update our inventory by 2020.
When?
The registration update forms for those farms placed on the 2016 mailing list were mailed out starting September 1, 2016.
Due to increased processing time for data entry into the new state data system, the Todd County Feedlot Program is enlisting the cooperation of landowners on the 2016 mailing list to update their livestock registrations on or before October 31, 2016. To all others not on the 2016 mailing list, your registrations and associated protections will extend until the year you are sent an update form.
Who?
o All landowners, livestock or not, who receive a registration in the mail in 2016 will be asked to respond. Some mailings may incidentally go to landowners who no longer have livestock on site and no longer wish to retain a registration for future rights for their families or other future land stakeholders. There will be a section on the form for landowners to indicate this desire.
o Any new or unregistered livestock owner (within the last four years) in Todd County is required to register if you raise 10 or more animal units.
o Any landowner who has a liquid manure pit (in use, not in use, full or empty) on his/her property is required by state law to remain registered.
Why?
o Registrations for livestock confined to lots and/ or barns at any time or season are required by Todd County Ordinance and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for water quality inventory purposes.
o Maintaining continual registration for livestock sites in Todd County provides landowners certain zoning change protections and rights pertaining to the raising of livestock.
o• Livestock registration aids Emergency Response Teams in the event of a disease outbreak such as the recent 2015 Avian Flu by locating and identifying potentially impacted farm sites, number of head and species impacted, and in providing safe zones for farms and residences in the event of such catastrophe.
o Registration also helps the county obtain resources in the form of funding, economic opportunity and other benefits to areas of the state and county defined as “Rural Farmland”.
If you have further questions about livestock registrations in Todd County, call Deja Anton, SWCD Livestock Advisor/ Feedlot Program lead, or Sarah Katterhagen, SWCD Office Coordinator, at 320-732-2644.
