The amended ordinance increases the permissible number of animal units from 2,000 to 4,000 for new and existing farms and feedlot facilities within the county.
Farmers face rising costs such as fertilizer, labor, land, building materials and other inputs. As costs increase or the next generation enters the business, farmers must continue to find efficiencies in their business model to remain financially sustainable.
“As dairy farms continue to adopt new science-based best practices and technologies, we continue to find ways to lead in conservation,” said Michael Johnson, a dairy farmer from Fillmore County. “At the same time, we continue to find efficiencies on our farms while addressing new or expanded regulatory requirements. Farms must have the ability to evolve, and one way to evolve is through growth. By increasing the animal unit cap in Fillmore County, we will give farms an additional tool to be sustainable.”