Area residents gathered in Bay City to hear from GrassRoots Organizing Western Wisconsin (GROWW) leaders on the contested Ridge Breeze Dairy expansion permit’s status and the latest news with the previously pondered $18 million public bond to fund it.

Ridge Breeze Dairy applied for a permit through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to expand from 1,700 to 6,500 cows, prompting a lengthy battle between Ridge Breeze and nearby residents who oppose the expansion. The DNR made the approval with the exception that Ridge Breeze submits signed agreements with landowners saying their land can be used for spreading of waste. This came after some landowners mentioned their land was listed in the Nutrient Management Plan without them actually agreeing to it at a July public hearing. GROWW has decided to contest the case, rallying public support to fight back against the expansion.

Adam Voskuil, a staff attorney for Midwest Environmental Advocates, is representing GROWW pro bono as they contest the DNR’s decision. Voskuil said the timeline for contesting the case can get lengthy, and he is pushing to the judge for a chance for public testimony. A meeting July 17 will set a specific schedule for the remainder of the contested case.

“The specific terms of a permit that are challenged are administratively stayed, so they aren’t in effect,” Voskuil said. “The contested case hearing itself specifically challenged the Nutrient Management Plan. And so I take that to mean the ability to spread under the proposed Nutrient Management Plan of 7,500 acres for those 9,000 animal units is stayed.”

At previous meetings, residents have asked why Ridge Breeze is undergoing construction for their expansion despite the challenge. Voskuil said the construction projects are not stayed because they are not a part of the contested case.

GROWW and its members have asked area town boards to consider ordinances that increase the regulations, the application processes, environmental analyses and monitoring required to bring a CAFO into their town. Thus far, Maiden Rock has approved an ordinance and Gilman, Isabelle and Rock Elm are among those exploring options.

GROWW Field Organizer Danny Akenson cited a poll posted on westernwisconsin.news, the publishers of the Woodville Leader and the Sun-Argus newspapers, which asks “Do you support local CAFO ordinances?” As of June 2, the vote has 185 votes in favor and six votes against (96.9% in favor).

Opponents of the ordinances have pushed back on their legality, mentioning that state regulations are already in place, and these ordinances overstep those. GROWW is working through Madison to try to protect the ordinances at the state level.

A recent development in March was Ridge Breeze potentially being approved for $18 million in public bonds to help finance its expansion. Akenson mentioned Ridge Breeze representatives have spoken as if they are no longer seeking the bond, but said there has been no proof of them rescinding the request to the Public Finance Authority (PFA).

“The magic is that they’ve classified manure as solid waste or garbage,” Lisa Doerr of Polk County said. “The bonds that are supposed to be used to finance basically landfills and be considered tax exempt under the IRS code, they’ve turned this manure magically into solid waste.”

Doerr said this classification makes the bonds tax exempt, leaving the bonds to the higher tax brackets for purchase. Doerr estimates they are saving 2% on interest, good for $360,000 a year, decreasing as the principal decreases.

“We have people around here milking 65 cows, they’re not going to get this deal,” Doerr said. “You’ve got to be selling at least $10 million worth of bonds.”

Kay Kashian led off the event by saying there are about the same number of cows as there ever was, but they are more concentrated than ever before. Kashian said this was presented as a positive statistic; however, it was not to her as it showed the squeezing out of small farmers.

“This legal challenge against Ridge Breeze’s expansion is going to take a lot of continued organizing, it’s going to take a lot of building power,” Akenson said. “Power comes from organized people and organized money.”

GROWW members passed around petitions to the PFA to showcase their disapproval for the use of public funding to finance the expansion. Akenson shared two of the group’s successes so far, putting together a 5-year, 300 well groundwater study and putting together the July Elmwood gathering that ended up being the largest public hearing in DNR CAFO Department history, according to Akenson.