Gage County changes to agriculture setbacks considered, CAFO fee put on hold

BEATRICE – A tightening of setback regulations for agriculture operations is being recommended by the Gage County Planning Commission.

After two hours of discussion Thursday night, the commission voted to recommend reducing setback requirements on the two smallest categories of animal unit operations…..from a quarter-mile to one-eighth of a mile for Class A…and from three-eighths of a mile to a quarter-mile in Class B.

Setbacks would remain the same for other larger classifications.

The commission postponed action on a proposal that would charge a fee of $100,000…for an out-of-state agriculture entity receiving permit approval to establish a confined animal feeding operation, or CAFO…in the county.

The proposal was suggested by Commission member Terry Acton, of Liberty…who said the current administration of Governor Jim Pillen, “is on a binge to get big agriculture here”.

"If you're coming in here...and you want to put down a CAFO...the people that are living around that CAFO have been paying to the NRD for all the years they've been living there...they've been taxed to protect the land, water and air. So, why is it that somebody from out of state can come in and for the same fee, get access to our land, water and air?"

Acton has been an opponent of large, out-of-state operations coming into Gage County. Two previous applications by Iowa-based Summit Pork were considered by the county….with one near Pickrell gaining approval…..but a second near Liberty, being rejected.

Summit partnered with a Gage County landowner to begin an operation in the county.

Acton compared charging a higher fee for out-of-state ag operations, to Nebraska institutions of higher learning that differentiate between resident and non-resident tuition cost.

Acton defended local landowner input on large agriculture operations seeking to locate in the county. Factors in considering such operations include setbacks, management plans and compatibility with other property uses.

Current setbacks in the county were established around 2004….three years after county zoning regulations were put in place.

The Gage County Planning Commission next meets, March 24th.