Wisconsin dairy country solar power project proves divisive

Bob Bishop is a 61-year-old farmer living in dairy country in southwestern Wisconsin. Today he is helping his two sons pull a downed tree off of a fence line, stepping through piles of cow manure and corn stalks as he drags the branches into the big claw of a skid loader.

Soon, the family will stop raising dairy cows because the industry is in trouble. In 2018, Wisconsin lost 638 dairy farms because of falling milk prices. And the Bishops, who farm in Iowa County, still carry debt from when hog prices tanked in the 1990s...

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Ken Notes: There are several sides to this issue and we need to be talking about all of them. Here is one that is not yet on the table, we are losing small farms by the hundreds and the CAFO`s that are replacing them are not good for our watersheds and environment. I suggest we require large operations to digest waste and heat the effluent. We would get some energy, protect our waters, and help small farms by leveling the economic playing field. Regarding solar it appears farm land is the path of least resistance and the most economical. We should look at roof space, under power lines, and other space as well as farms...