The Junction City Commission has instructed City Staff to look into what it will take to amend a current farm lease and city code to allow cattle on a piece of land within the city.

The land in question is located adjacent to Elmdale Road and is owned by the city and leased to Double KS Farms, Inc..

In the lease it states that the property can be used for the “harvest of crops” only. Through Double KS Farms, the Geary County Cover Crop Group is using the property to conduct research on the use of cover crops. In their research they wish to now introduce cattle to portions of the crop to study the impact cattle can have to the cover crop.

Jim Schmidt, who signed the lease and is a part of the Geary County Cover Crop Group explained that the research opportunity has grown considerably from when they first started leasing the property on March 1st of this year.

“This research is far reaching, not just within our city or within our county, it’s within our region and beyond. Because quite frankly there’s not very many people out there that are studying the use of cover crops and it’s connection with livestock grazing,” says Schmidt.

Currently the property is not zoned to allow cattle on the land. The property is zoned as a planned development district. The only zoning regulation that does allow the harboring of cattle within city limits is suburban residential under specific conditions.

Cheryl Beatty, Interim City Manager explained that to allow the cattle on the land there are a number of steps they first have to take.

“Which in essence is going to take rezoning and a rewrite of the code in order for this to happen. In a different reference, in the animal code, we are going to have to change animal code likely as well, and so on and so on,” explained Beatty.

Commissioner Mick McCallister explained that he felt it was the board’s duty to try and help this group in all ways possible.

“I understand that our hands are tied at a certain point. But I think it is our duty to do as much as we can for the community, and something like research that would benefit, not only the county, but the state and maybe beyond, I think it’s our duty to look outside the box,” says McCallister.

City staff will now look into what all the steps would be to allow the use of cattle on the land in a special use form, and present it back to the commission at a later meeting.