On top of those expenses, Nelson also has been billed by the Lake Crystal and Madelia fire departments for the work they did at the farm site after the explosion. A propane tank that had been filled with anhydrous ammonia, a chemical used for making meth, was being stored in a deep hole inside the shed. It blew up, turning the cylinder into a flat piece of metal, hurling chunks of concrete as far as 50 to 60 feet and leaving a gaping hole in the shed’s tin roof.

Another bill could be coming from the county and law enforcement agencies for the cost of cleaning up the suspected methamphetamine lab.

Hard sell

Just like water damage in the basement, roof problems or a non-compliant septic system, whether you’ve had a methamphetamine lab on your property is something potential buyers want to know, said Darrell Hylen, a real estate agent with Wingert Realty and Land Services in Mankato. The information is now commonly included on real estate disclosure forms.

Hylen grew up about seven miles north of the Smith farm and owns land nearby. What happened at the farm is a topic of conversation for neighbors, he said.

“There’s a lot of good people who live out there,” he said. “They’ve lived out there their whole lives. They don’t like seeing this happen.”

As agriculture has changed, though, it’s gotten more difficult to sell the building sites of old farms, said Chuck Wingert, owner of the business. Farmers will buy tillable land, but they often don’t need the houses, out buildings and storage bins.

There’s a demand for building sites that can be used as hobby farms for raising horses, a few smaller animals or some chickens. But those buyers usually only need a barn for their animals and, maybe, a storage shed. They also want to be within five to 15 miles of town.

And sellers don’t want to keep the building sites and rent them out due to the same headaches Nelson found with getting good tenants, he added. That’s without considering the problems meth labs bring.

“A good party on the weekend can do $5,000 in damage,” Wingert said. “So it doesn’t take long to cure them of that notion.”

Even if good tenants are found, it’s hard to get the amount of rent needed to justify the cost of building sites.

Judge’s last trip

Todd Schwanke and Mike Smith, Norbert Smith’s brother-in-law and brother, still own a strip of rough acres between Nelson’s property and the river. They use for hunting and gathering firewood.

Schwanke, married to Smith’s sister Mary, is a deputy with the Steele County Sheriff’s Department. He said he has suspected something illegal was going on at the farm for awhile.

In November, while Schwanke and his son were working in the woods, they found the remains of a portable meth lab. He knew what it was immediately and reported the find to the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Department.