Pierce County CAFO Receives Approval for Massive Expansion

A Pierce County concentrated animal feeding operation received a permit from the Department of Natural Resources for a massive expansion.

The Department of Natural Resources signed off on a modified permit for the expansion, allowing Ridge Breeze Dairy to add nearly 5,000 cows to their operation. The farm currently features about 1,700 cows, and the expansion will allow them to grow to feature about 6,500 cows.

The permit approval was granted despite strong opposition from local residents. According to a WPR report, many of those residents expressed concerns over manure spread and groundwater contamination. The Department of Natural Resources permit does not require the farming operation to monitor the groundwater. Agency officials say the area is less vulnerable to groundwater contamination with 200 feet between the surface and water table.

Residents also expressed concerns over nitrate contamination following a report by Pierce County that found many of its wells exceed the federal drinking water standard for nitrates. Environmental activists are considering the possibility of contesting the permit approval, saying they want to protect nearby residents.

Environmental concerns have become a common theme in Western Wisconsin in recent months. Earlier this year, another Pierce County farm received nearly $20,000 in grant funding to install a solar electric array. Neighboring St. Croix County also recently received a surface water protection grant from the Department of Natural Resources for conservation efforts along the Kinnickinnic River. St. Croix residents are also pushing back against a planned solar farm in the county, again citing environmental concerns.