TORRINGTON – The Goshen County Planning Commission voted unanimously last week to recommend approval of a request from Dinklage Feedyards for capacity expansion from 27,000 head of beef cattle to 33,000. 

At the commission’s meeting on Sept. 16, representatives from Dinklage explained the benefits of the expansion. No residents attended the meeting to offer comment on plans for the business, located approximately four miles east of Torrington on Highway 26.

Goshen County Planner Gary Childs said the county Land Use Plan requires a feed yard with more than 1,000 cattle planning to make a significant change needs to secure a county permit. Childs said the county requires the documentation be prepared by a state-licensed engineer or surveyor, a site location map, evidence the project complies with Goshen County flood damage prevention regulation and a drainage report showing runoff disposition, all of which they’ve presented.

Childs said the nearest drinking water well is far enough away, as is the nearest occupied dwelling, to conform to county regulations.

Planning commission member Vickie Zimmer said, in the past, feedlots have brought unpleasant odors into the city, but Dinklage’s water sprinklers have greatly alleviated that problem and will be included in the upcoming expansion.

“I’m very pleased to hear that, because even though they fulfilled all the other things, one of the things that is not in our requirements that I’ve read is anything about air quality or odor,” Zimmer said. “So this seems to take care of that problem.”

Childs said the expansion also includes 72 new pins in the runoff collection pond. 

Rex Trumbull, general manager of the region’s four Dinklage Feedyards, said they are intent on “being good neighbors to everybody.

“We’re serious about being a positive part of the community and this expansion with expanded business with farmers and above and beyond the scope we’ve done locally here as it would be positive for the community,” Trumbull said. 

Trumbull said with the expansion, Dinklage will use roughly three million bushels of locally grown corn, 15,000 tons of hay and 20,000 tons of silage. Their total payroll in Torrington comes to a little over one million dollars with benefits for employees, and with the expansion they plan to bring on close to four more employees, he said. 

Rondel Carman, manager of Dinklage’s Torrington location, said they do business with several businesses in town at which they spent over $300,000 in 2019. 

“We do everything that we could possibly do as local as we can do it,” Carman said. 

“I am pleased to know that you’re going to continue and add to our community by doing this expansion,” Zimmer said.

The Goshen County Commission is set to vote on the matter based on the planning commission’s recommendation.