Board Action Not Expected to Stop Dairy Farm Fight

The Wood County Board has approved a Town zoning ordinance that would outlaw a proposed mega-dairy farm. The action is not expected to stoplawsuits filed over the development.

The Wysocki Family of Companiesand its subsidiary Golden Sands Dairy have proposed a 7700 acre farm that would house 3500 milking cows in the Town of Saratoga.The Town did not have a comprehensive zoning plan at the time, but has one now, and it would outlaw the proposed development.Yesterday, the full Wood County Board gave its approval.Supervisor Ruth Moody, who lives in the Town of Saratoga, voted with the majority.

“I have been trying to tell the Town Board to get their butts off the seats and their heads out of the sand and get it done,” she says.

Golden Sands Dairy has sued the Saratoga Town Board over a failure to approve building permits, and company president Jim Wysocki says the new zoning was designed after the fact to stop his farm.County Supervisor Moody admits that the opposition of town residents may have been a factor.

“There’s some very, very, very definite opposition to the Wyscockis,” she says.”I guess we have to wait until the lawsuits are settled and the DNR gets involved.”

Wood County’s approval of the new Town zoning was not unanimous.Four supervisors voted no, including Hilde Henkel of Rudolph, who called the zoning restrictions, “an insult to every farm and every farm family.”The Wysocki Family of Companies’ lawsuit names all of the Town of Saratoga board members by name.