Wisconsin Dairy Alliance: All-encompassing approach to environmental management needed


Wisconsin Dairy Alliance: All-encompassing approach to environmental management needed


A recent article published in the Wisconsin State Journal portrayed a false perception regarding the impact of large permitted farms on the environment. 

The article, headlined “Tony Evers, Republicans both looking to get factory farms to pay for cleaner water,” (by Steven Verburg) is highly slanted against Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO’s) and takes the stance that increasing the financial burden on these larger permitted farms would lead to a substantially cleaner water system. 

The Wisconsin Dairy Alliance (WDA) fully supports actions taken to reduce pollution in our waterways. WDA agrees with the article in that designing permits, facility inspections and enforcement with compliance are all necessary elements of a clean water strategy...   ...more

Ken Notes: I am worried! The WDA has become a very strong voice for CAFO`s with a well crafted message. There is no strong voice for the thousands of smaller dairy farmers that are forced to sell their herds and abandon their farms. CAFO`s are factories that can have thousands of cattle in huge barns that never see the light of day. Automation makes this profitable and while they are required to get permits they dump exponentially more waste on fields with no intention of improving the soil using rules that were simply not designed for farms of this magnitude.

There is a solution. This waste can be digested and used to produce energy and treat the effluent - IT IS NOT (except for a few farms which I will do my best to highlight) and our government is being lobbied heavily to keep it that way.

These are new developments and require new and creative regulations. I do agree with the WDA in that increasing fees and taxes may not lead to cleaner water. A systemic change as to how they process there waste will. WDA states, "Municipalities are allowed to dump tens of millions of gallons of sewage at will. In addition, there are approximately 8,000 dairy farms with fewer than 1,000 animal units who are only mandated to comply with pollution regulations." THIS IS WRONG no city or municipality pipes human waste to farm fields miles away and dumps it untreated!!! Smaller farms have a 200 year tradition of soil management and while we can look to improve this, they are not the new problem it town. CAFO`s are.

There are few voices speaking for the smaller farmers, there are none except me speaking for mandated digestion and treatment, there is real money available to those supporting CAFO`s and even the environmental groups are fearful of weighing in. I want everyone to post this -- argue with me, tell we the loss of thousands of small farms is no big deal, suggest the current practices of CAFO`s is safe, I even published an article above to get you started. Lets introduce Digestion Legislation and take notes of who voted it down. The Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is that Good Men Do Nothing...

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- - Volume: 7 - WEEK: 16 Date: 4/15/2019 8:11:14 AM -