CAFO Concerns Continue As DNR Considers Kewaunee County Expansion

Another fight over large farms known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations is ramping up, as a Kewaunee County dairy farm tries to expand.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is holding a public hearing Tuesday regarding the plan by Augustian Farms to double its size to 900 cows. Critics of the plan, like Lynn Utesch of the organization Kewaunee CARES, say that large-scale industrial farms have the greatest potential of causing water contamination and he doesn’t want more farming operations to spread manure.

“It’s not this farm that’s the problem. It’s that we can’t have additional pollution coming to our county and have the accumulation of these nutrients to be causing additional problems,” Utesch said.

Augustian Farms would become the 16th CAFO in Kewaunee County. Owner Todd Augustian said he wants the expansion to maximize use of his milking equipment. He also said that he has access to enough land nearby to safely spread animal waste.