Dairy proposal draws questions from locals
BRADFORD TOWNSHIP — Most Rock County residents have never seen a farm with 5,200 cows.
It’s no wonder people have questions about how such a facility would affect the community.
Topics of the questions range from the environment to the economy to human health.
Nebraska dairy farmer Todd Tuls in March plans to break ground on a 160-acre dairy farm on Highway 14 between Janesville and the Walworth County line. The farm would be the biggest in Rock or Walworth counties and the fourth-biggest in the state.
The town of Bradford, Rock County and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources each has a list of permits that Tuls must get to operate.
He could break ground before receiving all the permits.
Here are questions and concerns gathered from those sent to the Gazette, the DNR and a group of local residents opposed to Tuls’ plan:
Q: Don’t confined animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, such as the proposed Rock Prairie Dairy increase the danger of antibiotic, hormone or pathogen contamination in local groundwater?
A: No standards are in place to regulate antibiotics or hormones that could be released from large farms, according to the DNR’s environmental analysis of the proposed dairy.
Such contamination is a growing health concern recognized by many U.S. agencies, the analysis states.
The DNR permit that Tuls needs to operate prohibits any water discharge from the facility.
Q: Won’t that many cows smell bad?
A: The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection regulates odors in the state. Odors are monitored only at the facility itself, not in the fields where manure is applied.
Tuls is proposing to cover his manure lagoons, which would significantly reduce odor emissions, the analysis states. He has contracted more than 5,000 acres to apply waste by knifing it into the soil, spreading it on top of the soil and spraying it through center-pivot irrigators onto growing crops.
Because center-pivot application is uncommon in Wisconsin, Tuls has reduced the number of center pivots in his plan from 16 to 10. More could be added in the future, although he would have to apply for the change, said environmental engineer Jennifer Keunig, who has worked on the design plans for the facility.
Q: Local farms already are going out of business at a fast pace. How will those remaining compete with Tuls’ buying power?
A: Here’s how the DNR’s environmental assessment responds:
“The socio-economic issues are difficult to quantify, and there is significant disagreement as to the validity of these concerns.”
In other words, it’s hard to prove exactly why small farms go out of business.
It’s a common concern among Gazette readers, but experts interviewed by the Gazette said it shouldn’t be.
The addition of Rock Prairie Dairy would help support the local milk processing infrastructure, said Randy Thompson, UW Extension dairy and livestock agent. Farms that choose to stay small would not be in direct competition with Tuls and would use different production methods to profit, said Bob Cropp, UW-Madison dairy economist.
Q: Doesn’t Wisconsin’s Livestock Siting Law take away local control?
A: Yes. The goal was to keep things consistent for producers so that the rules were the same no matter where a new or expanded farm is located, said Cheryl Daniels, the attorney for the Wisconsin Livestock Siting Board.
The state requires local governments to use the law “if they choose to require conditional-use or other permits for siting new and expanded livestock operations,” according to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection website.
The town of Bradford in October 2006 adopted the state of Wisconsin’s livestock siting law as the town’s ordinance.
When the state created the law, towns were mandated to adopt it in order to be involved in the permitting process, Bradford Town Board Chairman Ron Duffy said.
If a town didn’t adopt the law, the state would handle its applications.
Duffy and others have said that people who oppose—or support—the livestock siting law should communicate those opinions to their state legislators.
Q: How can the DNR move this project forward at the same time it’s trying to reduce phosphorous and sediment loads in the Rock River and Turtle Creek?
A: The DNR is wrapping up work on a study about the amount of phosphorous and sediment the Rock River can hold and still remain healthy—referred to as “total maximum daily load.” The project will create a “pollution budget” for the Rock River basin, which covers nearly 3,800 square miles of southcentral Wisconsin.
Turtle Creek flows two miles southwest of the proposed farm site, which is located within the Rock River Basin.
The DNR permit that Tuls needs to operate prohibits any discharge from the production facility and requires practices that would reduce the risk of runoff from fields where manure is spread, according to the DNR’s environmental analysis of the project.
Tuls has contracted more than 5,000 acres of fields to dispose of manure. Those fields currently would be treated with commercial fertilizer. The manure will replace that fertilizer.
Erosion could be reduced by 20 percent in some of the fields because they are not currently part of a nutrient management plan such as the one Tuls uses, the analysis states.
The reduction would come from the addition of cover crops or the use of alternative soil tilling methods, the analysis states.
“In many cases, the net nutrient application will not change,” the analysis states, “only the type of fertilizer.”
Feb 2, 2011 at 8:56 p.m.
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Todd Tuls is a limited - liability- corporation. He is only responsible for $1,000 worth of any scale of damage.He can just walk away . He can pollute wells, kill fish and make it so people are hating where they live, and he gets away with it.
Feb 1, 2011 at 11:18 p.m.
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Oh, lovemycountry, your reading skills seem very poor. I never said wind wouldn't be an issue, even with the drop-nozzle irrigation. I stated the wind wouldn't be an issue when the corn is taller than the distance of the nozzles off the ground. Ever stand in the middle of a mature corn field on a windy day? You don't feel the wind because of the density of vegetation. I never apologized for Tuls, I just stated it's a great thing that he immediately offered to fix the issue and there are no immediate waterways next to the proposed farm. The nearest being Spring Creek - read below. Of course groundwater is always susceptible to accidents and unknowns...when did I say it wasn't? And the comparison of the opposition - again, reading comprehension skills - I stated much of the opposition comes from the fear of something new. It wasn't a comparison between the two entities. Comprende?
Feb 1, 2011 at 10:19 p.m.
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Dwight - you are adding to the halftruths...apologizing for Tuls correcting a problem of flooding a fish pond full of manure - when he really can't "correct" that damage. Claiming manure from center pivot irrigation can't be carried by the wind. This type of manure spreading is actually more smell offensive in the wind. And manure smell is manure ! Implying that all water is safe from millions of gallons of stored liquid manure. Groundwater is always susceptible to accidents and unknowns. Comparing opposition to a golf course to opposition to a CAFO !
Feb 1, 2011 at 9:48 p.m.
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You have your opinion, I have mine. I agree to disagree with you. However, I will continue to correct misinformation and half-truths.
Feb 1, 2011 at 8:48 p.m.
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Dwight-
If you don't care if it comes in or not why are you on this blog?
People who think that factory farming is the future are the ones who want to get out of farming because they have been frustrated with the damaged markets for meat and dairy due to the overproduction of factory farms. THERE is NO MILK SHORTAGE.The end of industrial ag is near...It just takes the midwest longer to pick up a trend.Even if its old and done with. The trend is over.We will be stuck with the pollution the other states kicked out of theirs. Organic agriculture is the only way.
Feb 1, 2011 at 2:36 p.m.
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Kestrel -
I have the answer to the species change: No. It can't happen.
Both the DNR's wastewater discharge permit and the local permit that could be issued under the state's Livestock Siting Law are written specifically for each farm. If the farmer applies for a permit to raise 2,000 turkeys, he or she would be permitted for 2,000 turkeys. They would not be allowed to switch species without getting the permit modified.
Does that make sense?
That info is from Mark Cain with the DNR and Michael Murray, the livestock siting manager with the Department of Agriculture.
Ann Marie Ames
Feb 1, 2011 at 11:39 a.m.
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Kestral - Actually, the application is indeed for 5,2000 cows. They add up to 7,280 animal units.
I don't know if a producer can switch species on their WPDES permit. I have asked the question to a DNR engineer and will post it as soon as I learn.
Thanks for your interest.
Ann Marie Ames
reporter
Feb 1, 2011 at 11:30 a.m.
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Can't you get over the fact that an average, normal citizen supports the farm? Don't worry tequila, I'm not the only one.
Feb 1, 2011 at 11:12 a.m.
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All concerned Wisconsin citizens- check out your karst topography at this site!
http://www.uwec.edu/jolhm/Cave2006/Karst...
Feb 1, 2011 at 9:16 a.m.
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Dwight-
Do you work for a PR firm?
Big mega dairy pays big bucks for repackaging their industry to make it warmer and fuzzier.....Or are you just part of Tul's and Bos's 3 ring circus frenzy with lawyer David Crass as the ring leader?You do not have to meet Tuls to be part of the Big Ag circus.
When excavation begins for the manure storage, and they hit a spring, will they re-design the site? How do engineers deal with water rising beneath the membrane liner? How does that liner not get punctured as solids are getting "retrieved"from the center of the manure pond or lagoon? What is the life of that liner? Once a liner is compromised on karst, the contents of that manure pond or lagoon may "flush" like a toilet to Lord knows where. Municipalities have had the same dilemas on K A R S T bedrock.IL. and WI. share this same geological feature.....
For all you karst debaters, please refer to your Illinois State Geological Survey- February 2004, by C.P. Weibel. Now, check the legend on the map. When you compare Jo Daviess County and all of Northwest Illinois to the Southeast tip of Illinois there is a major intensity of springs and karst where we live and Elizabethtown is karst but definitely less karst than Jo Daviess. Elizabethtown is located just off the Ohio River.
There was a photo taken in February, 2010,it is a photo of a sinkhole.The sinkhole appeared out of nowhere. This was located at the bottom of the municipal sewage treatment plant in Elizabethtown IL. The contents of this pond went down the sinkhole beneath the clay liner. If you call the mayor or their local paper, both will verify that this happened.
After the membrane gives out- you only have clay Dwight.
Feb 1, 2011 at 6:08 a.m.
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Tequila, get a clue. I have never met Tuls, and I honestly don't care one way or another if the farm goes it. However, it would be nice to get straight, factual answers and comments; not rumors and half-facts. I was born in Janesville, lived on rock prairie a majority of my life, went to school in Milton my entire life, and still have many friends living close to where the farm will be going in. Look at my post history, the only commenting I have done about farms is when the story began to break on here. http://www.gazettextra.com/users/DwightK...
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If the misinformation stops, I will stop.
Jan 31, 2011 at 9:19 p.m.
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Dwight is running interference for Tuls. He keeps telling us how new and great these operations are...They're all the same. They overproduce manure and milk- THERE IS NO MILK SHORTAGE! Just market take overs.
Dwight is a proffesional blogger trying to sway the public perception- a lobbyist. He will always deny this. He wants you to admire his vast knowlege of MODERN AG.
Dwight you are not a resident. Leave these people alone. If you adore these operations and the way they tick go live by one!There are plenty to choose from already. I bet you can find a house dirt cheap.
Jan 31, 2011 at 6:23 p.m.
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Looking at this video, it appears Tuls performs tail docking at their CAFOs. Video from Tuls Nebraska operation shows cows with what looks to be 1/2 their tail chopped off. Tail docking is done for handler convenience and is generally performed on an unanesthetized animal. Tail docking is banned in the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rnLNR9wr...
Jan 31, 2011 at 4:30 p.m.
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wasn't making*
Jan 31, 2011 at 4:30 p.m.
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I wasn't make a correlation of environmental impact between the two, but making an observation that many people are hesitant to embrace something simply because it is new.
Jan 31, 2011 at 4:14 p.m.
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Prairie Woods? That's a stretch Dwight! The only manure I see from that place is in the bar after 18 holes when they compare their scores!
Jan 31, 2011 at 2:47 p.m.
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Prairie Woods was met with a fierce opposition before it was built. It has turned to to be one of the biggest assets to the area.
Jan 31, 2011 at 2:45 p.m.
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I'm defending it from false pretenses, which are the biggest reason for much of the fear surrounding the farm. Take for example, the center-pivot irrigation method of spreading manure. When people hear that, they think the manure will be sprayed and atomized from the top of the irrigators like you often see in corn fields; and that couldn't be further from the truth. There will be many small hoses which drop down from the irrigator to a height of 36" (1 yard) off the ground. The nozzles at the bottom of the hoses spray the manure water in much larger droplets so that it is not atomize or carried by the wind. The irrigators are only going to be used when corn is actually growing, so the majority of the spraying time, the corn will be as high or higher than the nozzles, so wind wouldn't be a factor anyway.
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There is one fine example of how misinformation, lack or information, or a simple fear of something new lead to foregone conclusions that the farm is "bad".
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I read the 20-page DNR analysis. Did you?
Jan 31, 2011 at 2:29 p.m.
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DwightKSchrute, why are you so interested in this farm/factory? The way you are constantly defending it makes me question whether you are personally invested in getting it here.
Jan 31, 2011 at 2:18 p.m.
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The only other way for manure, running over land, to get from that parcel to Spring Creek would be for it to first flow east to near Trescher Road and then south. It would take an extremely long/heavy duration to get overland flow from the farm to Spring Creek going that route - that is, if the water contains any manure at all.
Jan 31, 2011 at 2:11 p.m.
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Oh? Spring Creek is on the opposite side of a rise in elevation on the south side of Hwy. 14. Unless water can flow uphill (at least 30 feet), I just don't see how it would reach Spring Creek.
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After 2008, the parcel where the farm will be built was partially covered with water for much of the summer because of a small depression at the property. Obviously when the farm is built the land will be leveled. It would take months of rain to fill the lagoons - something well beyond the scope of 2008. Quite frankly, they can be pumped quicker than they are filled.
Jan 31, 2011 at 1:43 p.m.
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Dwight-not true. Spring Creek is close enough to the proposed area, and surface runoff during a large storm can reach the creek, and has in the past.
Jan 31, 2011 at 1:42 p.m.
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My biggest concern is this: if we have an historic rain event like the one in 2007-2008, where the intersection of Scharine Road and Highway 14 were underwater, will the tanks be able to hold all the manure and the rain? The waste tanks will be along the southern edge of the property along Highway 14-the part that was underwater. How do they propose to keep the manure in the pits when the big rains come again?
Jan 31, 2011 at 1:24 p.m.
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Thankfully there aren't any fish ponds, or rivers, or lakes nearby to pollute if it happens here (not that it would with the implemented spillway). If anything, the article shows Todd's willingness to work with neighbors to correct any problems that may arise.
Jan 31, 2011 at 1:07 p.m.
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Tuls dairy farm in Nebraska manure spill accident -
Overflow from a lagoon at a Shelby dairy farm ran into a neighbor's fish pond, killing all the fish. http://columbustelegram.com/news/article...
Jan 31, 2011 at 12:28 p.m.
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Keep in mind that the application is not for 5,200 cows. It is for "animal units". The applicant can change the type of animal on the property to anything that they want at any time, as long as they conform to the "animal units" and the permits. So, 5,200 dairy cows could be 18,200 pigs. And, there is nothing that you can do about it.
Jan 31, 2011 at 5:01 a.m.
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Businesses are leaving the State in droves because of the High Tax Wisconsin burdens business owners with. If this guy wants to bring this business here... & it sounds like he's made provisions for ground run off, & smell.. then let him come. My issue of concern would be.. "Is he going to hire legal residence of the United States, or Illegal. Because this is being a farm proposed, & I know many farmers in this area hire illegals because they'll work for pennies on the dollar... I know this is a problem already here. If he plans on adding to it, then I say forget it.
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