I'm a fifth-generation crop and livestock farmer who lives half-a-mile away from Ridge Breeze. I bought my farm when I was 19 and I've farmed the land ever since. Working hard, caring for the land, and passing on my farm to my family is what farmers like me live for. But for years, I’ve watched as small farms are shut down and are replaced by outside mega-dairies like Ridge Breeze. 

I’ve seen how the rules in Wisconsin were rewritten by special interests representing CEOs and shareholders. I’ve seen bigger and bigger operations grow and profit, but people like me struggle to make ends meet. Meanwhile, my neighbors and I have had to suffer from the effects of living near these factories. That’s why towns are standing up to pass operations ordinances across western Wisconsin.

If Ridge Breeze is able to expand to 6,500 cows like they want, 10,000+ truckloads of manure will be leaving the facility every year. These trucks will bring 80 million gallons of liquid manure to fields across western Wisconsin.

There are no protections in place to make sure the roads are being protected. There are no protections to address the hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and particulate air pollution spewed by hundreds of fans running 24/7. There are no requirements to submit fire plans to the county or state to address emergencies. 

If their animals die, like happened in Mondovi when a hog factory went up in flames in 2019, there is no robust carcass disposal plan. And if we get 5+ inches of rain like we did last week, there will be no runoff management for the millions of gallons of rainfall that comes off their 11-acre long barn. Instead some 1.5 million gallons of rainfall will gush directly into the Rush River.

This is why people across western Wisconsin are united behind operations ordinances. According to a May poll in the Sun Argus, 97% of nearly 200 voters support local ordinances for factory farms. This is a unifying cause that farmers and residents all around the region are getting behind.

Our towns are the last line of defense from factory farms like Ridge Breeze. That’s why I support the operations ordinance. Whether you’re a farmer like me or a person who’s concerned about their water, you deserve to know that these factory farms have done their homework. We need operations ordinances to protect our homes, our property, and our small farms.

Ty Fisher is a fifth-generation Pierce County farmer.