MOUNT VERNON, S.D. (AP)--A plan to expand a cattle feedlot in Davison County is pitting a family farm against neighbors worried about property values.

County commissioners on March 15 approved a conditional use permit to let Larry and Travis Hostler of Mount Vernon expand their feedlot, but then denied a variance letting the Hostlers operate at the location.

The Hostlers want to expand from between 500 and 900 head to as many as 5,000, but they are less than one-half mile from their nearest neighbors, Larry and Cheryl Baker.

State law requires feedlots to be at least one-half mile from any home, and the Bakers said they won't agree to the expansion unless the feedlot moves or pays to relocate them. They said the smell will cause their property values to plummet.

"I'm not living across the fence from them," Larry Baker told commissioners March 15.

If the Bakers don't consent, the ranch may have to shut down or move out of Davison County.

Travis Hostler said the family's livelihood is at stake.

His 23-year-old brother, Kenny Hostler, wants to return to the family business after he graduates from South Dakota State.

"I want to come back to the farm, but with things like this, you kind of wonder if you're going to be able to," he said

Scott Estabrook, of rural Mount Vernon, said if someone chooses to live in rural South Dakota, there should be an assumption of agricultural activities. He said if businesses of a similar size came to the area, tax incentives would be offered.

"A decision not to support the largest segment of our economy is a dangerous one," Estabrook said.

Commission Chairman Jerry Fischer, who voted against the conditional use permit, said safety was a concern. He said there's a lot of traffic on the road, and mud makes the surface slippery.

"5,000 head of cattle would just compound the problem," Fischer said.

Date: 3/23/05