Livestock Friendly Counties Statute Enacted

LB754, adopted in 2003, (1) allows the Nebraska Department of Agriculture to designate counties as livestock friendly and (2) changes procedures for county livestock zoning permits. Counties must upon request specify what an applicant must do in order to obtain a livestock zoning permit. Counties must provide written statements regarding why a livestock zoning permit is granted or denied. Applicants can upon request be informed of whether they will receive a county zoning permit before applying to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Control for a livestock waste control facility permit. LB754 is the latest (but not the final) chapter in an ongoing legal and political battle over livestock production