To the editor,

In the mid-1970’s-early ’80’s, Jim Harsdorf was my Assembly Representative and State Senator. At that time, I worked for a volunteer advocacy group, “Citizens for a Clean Mississippi.” We organized to address the problem of upstream pollution from the Twin Cities sewage treatment plant degrading the waters of the Upper Mississippi River and Lake Pepin.

Mr. Harsdorf was a great supporter of our cause. He advocated for the “little guys” fighting big government agencies like the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Metropolitan Waste Control Commission. So, I was taken aback by his Aug. 6 editorial supporting a big, outside corporate dairy business’ planned expansion in our neighborhood!

This mega-dairy is owned by the Breeze Dairy Group, LLC, based in Appleton, located 250 miles away. A corporation is not a “family farm” just because the owners/managers happen to be related to one another.

The owners of this industrial farm do not live in the area. They do not have their kids in our schools, serve on our Town/County/School/Village boards, or volunteer as firefighters or EMTs.

Theirs are not the faces you’ll see at the local grocery stores, churches, volunteering at the food pantry or the Lions’ Club fundraiser. Instead, they send paid lobbyists to intimidate and threaten lawsuits against our town boards. Instead, they challenge the legality of Wisconsin law that allows towns to create ordinances designed to protect our health and safety.

I join Mr. Harsdorf in advocating for family-owned dairy farms and farmers. Those families—who care for their land and animals—also produce the dairy products we enjoy. What happens to the livelihood of those “little guys” when the local creameries can no longer accept the milk those family farms produce because they've been shut out by mega dairies?

I invite Mr. Harsdorf to meet with the neighbors of Ridge Breeze Dairy and ask their opinion: Is this kind of mega-dairy good for Wisconsin? Mr. Harsdorf will learn that they can no longer drink their own well water or open their windows. They live with 24 hours of bright lights, noise, dust and foul air. Ridge Breeze's expansion means some 10,000+ truckloads of waste a year will destroy our town roads roaring past fifth generation family farms—reducing property values and peace of mind. All in service to another extractive industry with no roots in our community at all.

Judy Krohn

Town of Maiden Rock