(A) General. All agricultural operations in existence upon the effective date of this chapter shall be a permitted Use. However, all regulations contained herein and other City chapters in effect shall apply to all changes of the agricultural operation which will cause all or part of the area to become more intensively Used or more urban in character. Setback and other regulations shall apply to agricultural operations just as they do to urban developments. Any Agricultural Buildings exceeding $1,000 in value erected on a farm shall require a Certificate of Compliance and shall meet the provisions of this chapter.
(B) Rural agricultural operations.
(1) Rural agricultural operations may occur on parcels of ten or more contiguous acres in agricultural districts. Rural agricultural operations may include the production of farm crops, such as vegetables, fruit trees, grain and other crops and their Storage on the area, as well as for the raising thereon of farm poultry, domestic pets and domestic farm animals.
(2) Rural agricultural operations may include necessary Accessory Uses for treating, storing or producing retail farm market products; provided however, that the operation of any such Accessory Uses shall be secondary to that of the primary agricultural activity.
(3) Rural agricultural operations may not include Commercial livestock pen feeding (feedlots) without first receiving a Conditional Use permit from the City Council and a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency feedlot permit.
(4) Commercial feeding operations shall not include the feeding of garbage to swine or other animals.
(C) Suburban agricultural operations.
(1) Suburban agricultural operations may occur on parcels of less than ten contiguous acres in Agricultural or R-1 Districts. Suburban agricultural operations may include the production of crops such as fruit trees, shrubs, plants and flowers, vegetables and domestic pets, provided such produce is intended for the use of the residents on the property or sale away from the property, or for temporary seasonal produce sales which require no Roadside Stand.
(2) Suburban agricultural operations may include domestic farm animals, provided:
(a) The Parcel is at least a Nominal Five Acres in area with at least two acres of grazable acreage per animal;
(b) An adequate animal shelter Structure can be constructed; and
(c) A Minnesota Pollution Control Agency permit can be obtained by the Owner/applicant.
(3) Suburban agricultural operations shall not include the raising of domestic farm animals (on parcels of less than five acres), Roadside Stands for Sale of products, processing or packaging operations or similar Uses.
(D) Farm operations not in agricultural district. The City Council may require any farm operation not located in an agricultural district to secure a Conditional Use permit to continue said operations in the event of the following:
(1) A nuisance on a farm is adjacent to or within 100 feet of any property line and may be detrimental to living conditions by emitting noise, odor, vibrations, hazards to safety and the like; and/or
(2) The farm operations are so intensive as to constitute an industrial type Use consisting of the compounding, processing and packaging of products for wholesale or retail trade and further, that such operations may tend to become a permanent industrial type operation that cannot be terminated as can a normal farming operation. Excessive trucking operations shall be considered as intensive Use.
Penalty, see § 157.999