Have you ever heard the term animal units? It was news to me as well when researching hobby farms for a client. I spent several hours calling each city hall around the metro to find which areas my client could have a couple horses. Obviously Minneapolis and St. Paul proper were quickly eliminated along with the first couple tiers of suburbs. But, as I got further out I was told by one zoning expert that the number of horses was determined by how many animal units were allowed per acre. "Animal units?", I asked. I'm a city girl with deep roots in Iowa farmland and had never heard of such a thing! This particular community determined that a pig was one animal unit. Inquiring minds needed to know what the basis was for the pig. It's based on the "output" of the animal. Huh? Output equals waste! As my kids would say, "TMI" (too much info for those without kids to translate!). I've long since forgotten how many animal units a horse was worth, but the concept should be put in a stand up comedy routine! Real estate is never simple OR boring!
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