PIERCE COUNTY — On Monday, April 21, GROWW and a group of Pierce County residents initiated legal action after the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued a permit that would allow Ridge Breeze Dairy to nearly quadruple in size and become one of the state’s largest factory farms. This decision came after prolonged community opposition amid concerns over negative impacts to water, air, roads, and small farms.

Midwest Environmental Advocates (MEA), a nonprofit environmental law firm, filed a petition for a contested case hearing on behalf of five individual Pierce County residents and GrassRoots Organizing Western Wisconsin (GROWW), a nonprofit grassroots organization.

“One of my earliest memories of the Rush River was fishing at Fisherman’s Rest in beautiful El Paso, Wisconsin with my dad and brother, just off my Grandpa’s land and dairy farm. Since then, I’ve long had a dream of owning land along the beautiful Rush River,” said Larry Brenner, owner of the restaurant Vino in the Valley in the Town of El Paso. Brenner is one of the six petitioners involved in the contested case. His home and restaurant are both near fields that Ridge Breeze intends to use for manure spreading. “With 6,500 cows, 80 million gallons of very potent manure being spread all next to my land and around the county, I worry that dream could become a nightmare. I have two wells, one for the house and another for my business that are now at risk of being contaminated with excessive nitrates.”

The permit in question would allow Ridge Breeze, which is classified as a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO), to expand its herd from 1,700 dairy cows (approximately 2,400 animal units) to more than 6,500 dairy cows (approximately 9,000 animal units). The expanded facility would produce nearly 80 million gallons of liquid manure annually.

“Our clients are challenging the permit because it does not adequately protect local surface water and groundwater from being contaminated by the enormous amounts of manure that Ridge Breeze would produce,” said MEA Staff Attorney Adam Voskuil.

Many local residents are concerned about Ridge Breeze’s ability to safely dispose of so much manure, especially in a region known to be susceptible to groundwater contamination. The permit includes approximately 500 acres they believe should be removed from the Nutrient Management Plan. Additionally, thousands of acres appear to have incorrect tillage listed, which could lead to overapplication of manure. Despite these concerns, the DNR is not requiring any groundwater monitoring on site or on spreading fields.

GROWW and the individuals who are challenging the permit are also concerned with what they see as a lack of transparency about the amount of farmland on which the manure will be spread. Ridge Breeze acknowledges that it owns fewer than 100 acres and relies entirely on rented land. After community members urged the DNR to verify the amount of farmland Ridge Breeze claims to have access to, the agency required Ridge Breeze to submit land affidavits as part of the permit application process. This came after several landowners came forward to state that their land had been listed on the Nutrient Management Plan without their knowledge or consent.

“Even after affidavits were submitted, landowners have continued to come forward and request that their land be removed and attest to the fact that Ridge Breeze has never had permission to spread manure on their land,” said Danny Akenson, field organizer for GROWW, an organization which has been organizing against the expansion for two years. “This is a broken process and a bad permit that puts Pierce County residents and landowners at risk.” 

The DNR will now decide whether to grant or deny the petition for a contested case hearing. In the meantime, GROWW and local residents will continue to organize for the health and safety of their community.

Submitted by Midwest Environmental Advocates