Do new hog facilities affect property values?
A. New, large livestock facilities were strongly associated with higher nearby residential property values in an independent, scientific study paid for by the Minnesota Legislature and conducted by the researchers at the University of Minnesota. The study, the largest of its kind to date, looked at actual sales prices of 292 rural residential properties located near livestock facilities larger than 500 animal units (1,250 head of hogs). The study showed a mean price increase of 6.6% for a rural residential property near a new feeding operation of this size or greater.
