Sheep ranchers say a proposed feedlot in Molt would help preserve the industry and make a big economic impact, but some have concerns.
Henry Hollenbeck raises sheep and cattle near Molt, and he wants to pass his ranching business on to his children eventually.
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“My dad's kind of passing this whole sheep outfit to me, and I’m trying to do something big to pass it on to my kids,” said Hollenbeck.
Something big is a nearly 63,000-square-foot sheep feedlot to manage and feed lambs, along with a second phase for the construction of outdoor pens.
“Put up an indoor confinement feeding facility,” Hollenbeck said. “It's all enclosed pit, slatted floor type barn. ”
Eventually, the facility would hold up to 6,500 head of sheep and 26,000 annually.
But for those living nearby like Vicky and Paul Smith, it could change their life.
“The smell and, and the flies, of course,” said Paul Smith. “And it's not really a place to have a feed lot, especially right across the street from my house. ”
The Smiths have lived in their home for 47 years.
Hollenbeck estimates 330 truckloads per year that will come and go from the proposed facility.
“The location is great for transportation,” Hollenbeck said.
Molt resident Clint Schmidt says the nearby community center has been a venue for wedding receptions, memorials, and other functions.
He fears it will all disappear.
“In July when it's 80, 90 degrees, you have a picnic out here when there's 4,500 sheep, you know, 200, 300 ft away,” said Schmidt, who is the community center chair. “We'll have to see, I guess. ”
He is concerned about what effect that will have on events.
And then right across the street from the center is the old hardware store and the Prairie Winds Café.
A woman had plans to turn it into an antique shop, but that has been put on hold.
“It will effectively destroy the little town of Molt,” said Amy Larson Neely, who grew up in Molt and owns the Prairie Winds building. “We've already experienced that firsthand with the cancellation of the agreement to purchase our store. ”
Still, the economic impact is hard to ignore.
Ben Lehfeldt, president of the American Sheep Industry Association, says the proposed Molt facility will give them more flexibility.
“Maybe wait for a little different price, have a little more control of that time period, just gives overall the ranchers a little more option,” Lehfeldt said.
Options that longtime sheep producers need to keep the industry and their family legacy alive.
But Molt residents also want to hold on to their lifestyle.
The public will have a chance to hear more and comment at Stillwater County Planning Board meeting on June 3.
The board will look at issuing a conditional use permit that will allow the feed lot to be built.
