A conditional use permit to allow a facility to buy and sell hogs drew mixed opinions and raised a few tempers Tuesday.

After about an hour of discussion, the Mower County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 to approve a conditional use permit for Lynch Real Estate Corp. to build a livestock buying station in Lansing Township between Lansing and Austin on Highway 218.

The potential buying station would take hog deliveries that aren’t large enough for companies like Quality Pork Producers and Hormel Foods Corp, or hogs that are rejected from these places. They may also take light-weight hogs or hogs with minor injuries.

The business would be a station where the hogs are brought in briefly and then sold to other facilities.

“Their motive is to move them in and move them out,” said Angie Knish, environmental services director.

A small group of people from the Lansing area spoke against the move, and openly voiced their disgust after the commissioners approved the conditional use permit. One man said, “I thought you guys worked for the county?” He then repeatedly said “that’s dumb” as he left the board room.

The county board had differing opinions about the permit. Before the commissioners approved the conditional use permit, a motion to table the permit and a motion to deny the permit both failed for lack of a second.

Commissioner David Hillier said it’s important for the board to support agricultural ventures in the community because the county relies on agriculture.

“We’re an agricultural county,” Commissioner David Hillier said. “We need to be pro-agriculture in the activities of this board.”

Commissioner Dick Lang voted against the permit, stating that he had to vote with the wishes of the constituents. A petition featuring a number of area residents opposing the buying station has been submitted to the board.

Barbara Lewis, who lives about a mile from the site, spoke about her concerns of safety and Highway 251 with the increased traffic on the road.

However, Knish said about 4,400 vehicles travel on the road each day, and the buying facility would add a small number of semis and gooseneck trailers.

Lewis also expressed concerns about the smell of the operation and hog manure.

While Hillier recognized that property will obviously change if this facility is built, he said the owners will need to maintain a clean facility in order to make money.

A petition signed by a number of Lansing-area residents was also presented to the board.

Mower County Coordinator Craig Oscarson said the county board is to look at the zoning ordinance, which is designed to protect the health, safety and welfare of the people immediately affected by the business. If the county board can’t ensure those three criteria by placing stipulations on the property, they would then deny the motion.

The planning commission recommended approval for the project by a 5-0 vote, as long as 11 conditions are met. For example, the applicant must work with the county to correct any valid issues or concerns that are brought up. Another condition stipulated that trucks delivering to the property meet road and bridge weight restrictions, or the applicant would be responsible for repairs, as required by state law.

The applicant was also required to take measures to keep noise and odors from becoming a nuisance to nearby property owners. Along with noise and odors, they have to take steps at minimizing lighted signs and other lighting on the property.

Knish said the property will need a feedlot permit, which is granted administratively after the conditions of the zoning ordinance are met.

One such criteria was that the applicant provide enough off-street parking and space for turning around and backing up. All parking, and turn around is required to take place on the property, not Highway 218 for safety issues concerning the busy road.

There was also some concern about the size of the property. At about 2.7 acres, Commissioner Tim Gabrielson said he was unsure if the property would have enough space for the semis and trailers to come in and turn around.

According to Lynch Real Estate’s Ken Hemesath, they plan to tear out a row of trees and move one power line in order to widen the driveway, which is currently built for car traffic.

Since the buyer station is on Highway 218, the trucks wouldn’t be able to back out of the property. However, the Minnesota Department of Transportation will be dealing with the road access issues.

There’s a second open well on the property that will need to be sealed before operations can begin.

Along with working with MnDot, the applicant will also need to seek approval from the township board.

According to Paul Sween, an attorney with Lynch Real Estate, there will never be more than 300 hogs in the facility at a time, and the business would aim to move the animal in and out quickly.

“It’s a place for them (farmers) to go where someone is desirous of purchasing these animals,” Sween said.

Sween said Lynch is looking at Mower County because there is a large number of hog producers in the community, and because of Hormel and QPP.

Hemesath said the plan is to use dry bedding to control manure, and they don’t plan to store manure on the site. Instead, they have easements with property owners to spread the manure on farm land. Since the animals won’t be at the facility for an extended period of time, Hemesath said small quantities of manure would accumulate compared to larger feedlots and hog operations.

Commissioner David Hillier said truckers aren’t allowed to put animals on the truck at the farm that can’t get on the trailer by their own power. So, Hillier said, it’s highly unlikely that sick or dead animals would be sold to the property.

While people expressed concern about the station buying dead animals, Sween said that wouldn’t happen.