TOWN OF MAIDEN ROCK – In light of CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) entering or looking to expand in western Wisconsin, the people of rural Maiden Rock are aiming to put regulations in place to protect their water, land, air, roads and more.

The town of Maiden Rock put together a committee of volunteers to do research on industrial farming and its effects along with studies on Maiden Rock’s land/water and what could be at stake. The committee held a public hearing for an ordinance that would require an entering CAFO to work with town staff significantly more than they would have otherwise.

Collaboration pieces that the ordinance would enforce that otherwise would not be necessary under the current town regulations include air pollution controls, an infectious disease plan, a carcass disposal plan, a biosecurity plan, a road plan, a water use plan, an impact on property value analysis, a fire response plan and a financial bond if a factory closes. In addition, the permittee fields the costs of regular enforcement, and instead of the manure storage plan and manure spreading plan operation on a self-reporting structure, the permittee would pay costs for enforcement.

If approved, the ordinance would be a living one that could be altered as the board sees fit.

The ordinance faced a public hearing at the Lund Fire Hall in Stockholm on Saturday and will head to the town board in December for a decision.

In June 2023, Maiden Rock township approved a 12-month moratorium on the expansion of current or proposed CAFOs, and used that time to develop a more permanent solution.

Committee member and Maiden Rock township resident Judy Krohn shared community input the town received when they adopted a comprehensive plan in 2008.

“Respondents indicated a preference for maintaining a rural atmosphere in the town, supporting various forms of agriculture and compatible cottage industries along with a strong emphasis on land use regulations that protect groundwater, surface water such as Pine Creek and Rush River, our forests, natural areas, wildlife and clean air,” Krohn said.

In a county survey cited by Krohn, 63% of town residents supported land use regulations to protect groundwater.

A reason CAFO talks have been at the front of the minds of many Pierce County residents stems from the proposed expansion of the CAFO Ridge Breeze Dairy in the town of Salem. A DNR public hearing on their proposed expansion from about 1,700 cows to about 6,200 cows saw pushback as 140 people filed into the Elmwood auditorium to speak, with nearly all the attendees opposed to the expansion July 11. GrassRoots Organizing Western Wisconsin (GROWW) has been a part of the process of organizing hearings and meetings with the goal of holding CAFOs accountable and protecting communities.

At that meeting, Maiden Rock resident and committee member Bruce Thomas shared a paragraph approved by the town Board of Supervisors.

“The Maiden Rock Township Board of Supervisors does not have confidence that the welfare of our community is protected,” the paragraph read.
As part of the committee’s research, they visited the Ridge Breeze sight to see a CAFO in operation.

Of roughly 90 attendees during Saturday’s meeting, the ones who spoke were either in favor of the ordinance itself, or in favor of even stricter regulations of CAFOs.

Lisa Doerr, a Polk County hay farmer, has been involved in the issue since an Iowa group attempted to gather enough land near her house to establish a 26,000 hog farm. Ever since, Doerr has been active in advocating for the protection of rural communities.

Doerr said they believe this ordinance is legal because two lawyers reviewed the ordinance and seven other communities have adopted the ordinance, facing other lawyers to get the approval along the way.

“This is not a ban,” Doerr said. “We don’t think there’s legal authority for a ban.”

Also, Doerr said CAFO advocates in Madison are attempting to ban the ordinance.

“They say it’s illegal, but if it’s illegal, why are they trying to ban it in Madison?” Doerr said.

Some lawmakers attempted to pass legislation to ban the ordinance, which was ultimately vetoed by Gov. Tony Evers. Doerr addressed concerns of the ban eventually going through by telling people to contact their representatives and share their opinion. Doerr also said there is a chance that municipalities that already adopted the ordinance may be grandfathered in to avoid the ban.

Each of the committee members shared a piece of what the ordinance would protect including common concerns of pollution and roads.

Maiden Rock township updated its road ordinance this year, regulating the number and weight of trucks on its roads. There were fines for damages in the original ordinance, but the update allows for treble damages, as $1,000 worth of damage can lead to a $3,000 penalty.

“We’re doing everything we can to protect our roads, to protect the investment we’ve already made in this township and to protect our future,” committee member and board Supervisor John Danneker said.

Thomas’ portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussing what happens when an industrial farm goes out of business. Thomas cited Pure Prairie Poultry, an industrial chicken farm that filed for bankruptcy in September.

“Facilities as close as Mondovi, and others in Buffalo and Trempealeau counties, six farms total, have met with financial hardship, and the corporation that owns them, in essence shut down these facilities by not providing funds for feed, salaries nor to ship birds off to the slaughter,” Thomas said. “Some were selling birds to the public at a dollar a bird or less to get rid of them. Many birds were reverting to cannibalism as funds were not available to euthanize them.”

State governments had to step in to help euthanize the birds, including 1.3 million chickens by Iowa’s Department of Agriculture.

Kim Dupre, a former town of Emerald resident, used to live near CAFO Emerald Sky Dairy in St. Croix County, and shared examples of the harm the farm caused. After multiple spill occurrences and a $65,000 settlement reached from a 2019 fish kill, Breeze Dairy Group became the owners. The group also owns Ridge Breeze Dairy.

“I have lived this nightmare you’re trying to avoid,” Dupre said. “I want to commend you all for taking the initiative and being proactive, but that’s not what happened to us about 25 years ago.”

Dupre said it all started with a biogas plant that was telling the community about their sustainability focus. When the plant got going, she said the concerns started to increase.

“They usually don’t live in your neighborhood, and they take this local sustainability concept and have turned it into a profit maker for global investors,” Dupre said.

Dupre said the community was told it was the future of dairy and experts, including the DNR, assured them it was safe.

“The nitrates at the town well, which happen to be right across from the dairy, increased six-fold in just 15 years, and now it consistently tests well over 30 parts per million at the town hall. It has gone as high as 62 parts per million,” Dupre said.

Dupre said phosphorus soil tests have ranged from 180-200 parts per million, 5-6 times the recommendation from UW Extension. E. coli, fish kills and green lakes have all popped up in Emerald. Much of the community lost their trust in the drinking water, and some families do not give the water to their pets.