Pierce County residents, grassroots group challenge large dairy farm’s permit to expand

Pierce County residents and a grassroots group are challenging a permit for a large livestock farm’s plans to nearly quadruple in size.

Ridge Breeze Dairy currently runs a 1,700-cow dairy farm in Pierce County. Under the plan, it would grow to about 6,500 cows next year. The expansion would generate nearly 78 million gallons of manure and wastewater annually.

In February, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources granted a modified permit for the concentrated animal feeding operation, or CAFO.

Midwest Environmental Advocates filed a petition for a contested case hearing Monday on behalf of the nonprofit group Grassroots Organizing Western Wisconsin, or GROWW, and five Pierce County residents. They include Larry Brenner, Ty Fisher, Kay Kashian, Dick Dart and Gerald Steien.

Brenner said in a statement that he long dreamed of owning land by the Rush River. He owns a home and local restaurant near fields where the farm plans to spread manure.

“With 6,500 cows, 80 million gallons of very potent manure being spread next to my land and around the county, I worry that dream could become a nightmare,” Brenner said. “I have two wells, one for the house and another for my business that are now at risk of being contaminated.”

A DNR spokesperson said the agency is reviewing the petition and unable to comment further. Gregg Wolf, CEO of Breeze Dairy Group, said in a statement that farm officials believe the DNR followed all laws in modifying the permit.

“Ridge Breeze Dairy remains committed to operating responsibly and transparently as our farm continues through the regulatory process,” Wolf said. “As part of our expansion, we are following all state and federal environmental guidelines, including a rigorous permitting process administered by the DNR.”

An attorney with Midwest Environmental Advocates said the group is challenging the permit on behalf of residents because it doesn’t provide enough protection from potential manure contamination of local waterways and groundwater. Opponents of the expansion note the DNR isn’t requiring any groundwater monitoring of the farm or fields used by Ridge Breeze Dairy.

A 2024 report found 14 percent of tested wells in Pierce County exceeded the federal drinking water standard for nitrates, and the petition notes areas of the county are highly susceptible to groundwater contamination.

Wolf said the same groundwater that supplies their neighbors also supplies their cattle, workers and families.

“We are dedicated to keeping our aquifer just as healthy — if not healthier — than when we first arrived,” Wolf said.

Nitrate contamination has been linked to blue-baby syndrome, thyroid disease and colon cancer. Around 90 percent of nitrate in groundwater can be traced back to agriculture.

In the agency’s decision, the DNR said groundwater monitoring isn’t warranted because the farm’s production area is less vulnerable to groundwater contamination. The DNR found the depth to groundwater is roughly 200 feet or more from the surface in the farm’s production area.

In 2021, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled the DNR had authority to impose groundwater monitoring requirements on large farms to protect water quality, but some farms have said groundwater monitoring is too costly.

Opponents of the expansion have pointed to around 200,000 gallons of manure spilled by farms owned by Breeze Dairy Group, which Wolf has said are past issues that have been resolved.

Beyond water quality concerns, the petition claims the farm’s nutrient management plan doesn’t meet state standards because around 475 acres aren’t covered by affidavits approving use of the land for manure spreading.

Residents and GROWW had previously urged the DNR to verify access to land for manure application. The farm provided the DNR with affidavits from growers renting land, who said they received approval from landowners.

Danny Akenson, GROWW’s field organizer, said some landowners continue to say Ridge Breeze doesn’t have permission to spread manure on their land.

“This is a broken process and a bad permit that puts Pierce County residents and landowners at risk,” Akenson said in a statement.

The petition also states manure would be spread above nitrate levels recommended by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension on roughly 1,600 acres, adding thousands more could be subject to overapplication of manure.

Wolf said its plan would bring thousands of acres under a nutrient management plan where none currently exists, improving soil quality. He added the farm’s practices will ensure protection of the environment while strengthening local agriculture.

The farm’s owner said it will create 20 jobs and contribute more than $25 million to the local economy each year. Prior to the petition, the dairy had planned to begin construction of additional facilities this summer and grow its herd early next year.