The South Dakota Senate passed legislation that would raise fees on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) for the second time in two years. Fees would jump from 17.2 cents to 43 cents for dairy cows; from 12 cents to 30 cents for other cattle; from 4.8 cents to 12 cents for hogs; and from 11 cents to 27 cents per chicken.

The state’s CAFO program ran for 28 years under the original pay structure of $250 for operations with 2,000 or more animal units; $175 for 1,000 to 1,999 animal units; and $100 for less than 1,000 animal units. Then, in 2025, the state’s Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources sought legislation that led to a series of three fee increases over three years.

The new fees proposed this year are more than what was originally established for the second year of the plan but less than what the third year of increases would have been. As of late January, the measure had moved onto the House of Representatives for consideration.