Pierce County CAFO Expansion Delayed After Permit Decision

Plans for a massive expansion project at a Pierce County Dairy Farm will be delayed following an administrative law judge’s ruling last week.

The project would see Ridge Breeze Dairy add nearly 5,000 cows to its current herd of about 1,700 cows. The Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation, commonly known as a CAFO, required a modified permit from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to undertake the expansion, which was granted last year.

Pierce County residents and the nonprofit group GrassRoots Organizing Western Wisconsin officially challenged that permit soon after it was granted. They filed for a contested case hearing, arguing that the permit did not require Ridge Breeze Dairy to properly monitor the groundwater with an estimated 80 million gallons of manure spread. It also alleged that thousands of acres of land that would be included in the expansion project had incorrect tillage listed in the Nutrient Management Plan and that about 500 acres would be removed from the plan entirely under the permit.

In addition to their issues with groundwater management, those local groups also expressed more broad concerns about how the expansion of the CAFO would impact the ability of smaller farms in the area to remain competitive.

Administrative Law Judge Angela Chaput Foy issued a decision on the challenge last week, finding that the modified permit issued by the Department of Natural Resources did not contain conditions to ensure that Ridge Breeze Dairy has and will continue to meet the state’s groundwater standards. Under that decision, the modified permit will be sent back to the agency to implement additional conditions that would detect whether groundwater standards are being violated.