GrassRoots Organizing Western Wisconsin (GROWW) is continuing to set its sights on passing operations ordinances to protect Pierce County towns from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). The first ordinance they passed was in Maiden Rock in December, and they are looking ahead to what is next.

GROWW organized a meeting with 75 area residents in Maiden Rock on Jan. 31, discussing the passing of the ordinance. It was the first operations ordinance People Protecting Pierce has helped lead in Pierce County, and the group has its sights on passing more.

The group also plans to focus on lobbying legislators to help and allow local governments to have full control over these ordinances.

“Our members need and want them to protect their homes and they want to be able to raise kids here, raise a family, start a small business or a small farm,” GROWW Field Organizer Danny Akenson said. “Making the case to our legislators that these ordinances need to be protected and our local control needs to be protected.”

An example Akenson gave of the necessity of local control and local protection from larger legislation was a Polk County case that brought into question a local ordinance regulating CAFO operations in the Town of Eureka. The case was dismissed back in January, leaving the ordinance protected for now.

“WMC's lawsuit against Eureka is part of a three-prong strategy by this industry with one goal - no regulation," Lisa Doerr, a Polk County farmer who helped develop Eureka's ordinance, stated in a release from Sustain Rural Wisconsin Network. "They use lawsuits to intimidate local officials who pass legal ordinances. At the same time, they have a lawsuit challenging any state authority. Finally, their Madison lobbyists are pushing state legislators to ban all local control.”

Rock Elm is currently studying the ordinance according to Akenson, with a committee put together to look into it.

“It was a signal that not only is it one town that’s passing this ordinance, but it’s clear that there’s a lot of interest from other towns and surrounding areas that want to do the same thing,” Akenson said. “Having one town kind of take the plunge and be the first to pass this ordinance I think is going to be really important in making the case to other towns that they can show that same courage.”

On March 22 at 10 a.m., GROWW is hosting Sonja Eayrs, the author of “Dodge County, Incorporated” at an undecided location. The book tells of Eayrs’ family’s legal battles against the Dodge County Board against a factory farm across the street from their family farm.

Over the summer, GROWW spent much of its time combatting a permit for the expansion of Ridge Breeze Dairy. People mentioned at a public hearing with the DNR that they had never agreed for Ridge Breeze manure to be spread on their land despite being put on a list.

The DNR sent back the application under the idea that written spreading agreements would need to be signed. Since then, Akenson said people have continued to come out and say they never agreed to be taken off of the Nutrient Management Plan.

“The DNR seems to be backtracking on their requirement for Ridge Breeze to submit signed agreements with landowners and are now just requiring them to submit affidavits with the renters that are listed on the Nutrient Management Plan,” Akenson said. “We are still continuing to make the case to the DNR that the landowners need to be the people who are consenting to have manure spread on their land and this is really a property rights issue.”

GROWW covers a seven-county area with the mission of ensuring everyone can make ends meet, live with dignity and have a voice in shaping decisions that impact them. Each of the counties face slightly different challenges and GROWW tries to touch on them all.

An example Akenson gave is advocating for housing ordinances in Dunn County. They look to encourage people who share their mission to run for local boards and committees.