Site Considerations Potential sites for livestock facilities must be accurately and thoroughly evaluated to consider all the implications that a production facility would have at a specific location. Some of the key components that you need to think about include: Land Area There needs to be adequate land area that is available to spread the manure nutrients produced by the animals in a manner that is environmentally acceptable. Water Supply A water supply of sufficient quantity and quality can be developed to serve the production needs of the facility. Accessibility A site that is considered for a large animal confinement operation must be accessible to a highway network that will allow large trucks access during construction and that also will provide adequate access for marketing products and purchased production inputs. An all-weather route between the highway network and the site will be required to transport the produced agricultural commodity to market as well as to transport necessary production inputs into the operation. Electrical service and other necessary utilities must also be available to the site. Utilities and all-weather access can be developed for a site if not available. Isolation The site needs to be isolated so that prevailing winds and air drainage patterns do not create nuisances for neighbors or local public areas. It is desirable for prevailing winds from an operation to blow away from neighbors instead of blowing towards the neighbors. When wind velocity is low, air will drain following the same general paths as water. It is desirable to have air drainage follow paths that are not toward a close neighbor. Each potential animal production site must be thoroughly evaluated in order to minimize the chance of future nuisance complaints. Biosecurity Separation of animal production units is desired and sometimes required to prevent the spread of disease organisms into the units from neighboring units. Topography The topography at a building site needs to be level or gently sloping so that buildings can be properly located and constructed to the desired slopes without excessive cuts or fills. Gentle slopes are usually desired to transport manure effluent from the livestock buildings to manure treatment and/or storage facilities. Steep slopes make movement of wheel traffic, animals, and workers difficult. Planning is needed to insure drainage of rainfall runoff from the site is accomplished without affecting the operational routines of the production units. Space The space available to develop a site may dictate the potential size of an operation that a given site can support. Space will be required for the building site as well as land space requirements for spreading manure nutrients or for developing a fresh water supply. Adequate space between buildings needs to be provided for proper operation of the building. Space is also required for the manure management facilities, feed storage and other required facilities. Planned traffic lanes for efficient movement of wheel traffic, animals and workers must be incorporated into the overall facility layout. Significant amounts of open space inside the site will be required if road tractors and semitrailers are to be used for either transporting commodities or supplying inputs for the operation. Detailed site development plans are required to insure that air movement to the naturally ventilated animal housing buildings is not restricted. The detailed site plans should also include provisions for expansion and/or implementation of new technologies. If expansion plans are not known at the initial planning stage, plans that allow the proposed operation to either double in size or maximize the site capabilities should be initiated. Neighbor Relations Developing and maintaining positive relations with neighbors is important when operating an animal production system. Be sure to discuss the project with neighbors and give them an opportunity to discuss their concern. They will be more accepting of new construction if they are not hearing about it for the first time when they receive a neighbor notice letter during the permit process or during the building phase. Another good practice is to notify neighbors a few days prior to land application of manure; this will allow neighbors to prepare for any outdoor activities they may have during this time. Zone Planning The zone planning concept provides a procedure for arranging components of a farmstead with respect to the family home or residence. Modern livestock production operations may not have a residence as part of the farmstead. Zone planning is useful during site evaluation to determine if a production unit can be developed to operate efficiently while minimizing the impact on adjacent properties. For example, if a surface water supply needs to be developed, the fresh water impoundment could possible be located between the animal facilities and a sensitive location. Similarly, locating manure management facilities on the opposite side of an operation will further isolate a sensitive location. Air drainage, prevailing winds and other factors must also be included in the overall planning process. Sometimes a site for animal production is not acceptable because an efficient layout to adequately support the operation would cause a negative impact to a sensitive location. This information provided on this page was taken from the document Livestock Production Site Evaluation Procedures. Additional information on selecting an appropriate site for an animal production system is available in this document. Return to Step 2  |   Return to Overview