Jan Shepel
Associate Editor
MADISON
A group of 20 to 30 concerned citizens including several farmers stood on a street outside the hotel where the Dairy Business Association was holding its annual conference Tuesday (Dec. 1) to protest what they see as undue influence the group has with state government.
Matt Urch, one of the farmer-protesters, said he was there because he feels the DBA is drowning out citizens’ voices and he objected to the siting law that the DBA was instrumental in passing.
Urch, of Viroqua, said he is a part-time farmer with a herd of 30 grass-fed beef cattle and pastured hogs that he direct markets to consumers.
Many of the demonstrators came from Vernon County, where they have opposed a proposed 3,200-cow dairy operation. Urch said the group opposes further streamlining of the permitting process for confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) which have been proposed by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
“We feel this process is too streamlined already,” he said.
They were also on the street outside the Concourse Hotel to protest a memorandum of understanding between the DNR, the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and the DBA. “It was quietly negotiated and it shows how influential this group is and how much access they have at the state agencies,” Urch said.
Carrying signs that said “Real Farms, not Factory Farms” and “Support Family Farmers Now,” the protesters included some residents of Madison who joined in the protest. Bill Anderson, who works in Madison but is pursuing a Wisconsin cheese maker’s license, said he joined the process because he feels that the state and big dairy processors are conspiring against family farmers.
Another protester carried a sign reading “CAFO – Your ‘accident’ is my catastrophe.” Many said they opposed the siting law in general and CAFOs in particular.
Urch said he and his group weren’t looking for a confrontation with DBA members over the large dairy issue. “If there’s a community that wants these types of facilities and thinks they are beneficial they should take them,” he said. “We don’t think CAFOs are farms. They are run like factories and they should be regulated like factories.”
Jim Goodman, a dairy farmer who joined in the protest, said he was there because he believes small farms are what keep small rural communities alive and he fears the environmental problems that could come from CAFOs.
The demonstrators argued that the DBA works for the aggressive expansion of large confinement dairy operations to the detriment of small- and medium-sized family farmers, rural communities and the environment.
Urch said he believes the DBA is “working to make sure that Wisconsin opens its doors to California-style megadairies, even those proposed by absentee investors. If factory farms were the boon to rural communities like the DBA says they are, people would be fighting to bring them in, instead of struggling to keep them out.”
Jerry Meissner, president of the DBA, said that the protest shows that the DBA is having an impact. “These are things we’ve dealt with before and will continue to deal with,” he said. “We are fighting for what we know is right. We don’t have a problem dealing with these issues.”
Meissner, who has been the president of the DBA for several years, said that with a shrinking number of dairy farms in the state the rhetoric of small versus large dairies is damaging. “We are here to facilitate the growth of dairy farms in the state of Wisconsin. It’s not true that we work only for big farmers,” he said.
It was the tenth annual conference for the Dairy Business Association.
Some of the issues they have worked on with the DNR and DATCP are things affecting all dairy operations, he said. “Working with the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, we are being proactive, positive and informative.”
Matt Frank, State Natural Resources Secretary, said the memorandum the protesters referred to, which was drafted between the DBA, his agency and DATCP was one that allowed the industry and regulators to come together to solve problems.
“We want to make sure there’s a regulatory process that’s sufficient and predictable and it’s appropriate to work with groups we regulate,” he said.
“There’s room for all kinds of farms in Wisconsin and we have many, many small- to medium-sized farms and we want to see that diversity continue,” Frank said. “The larger farms are the only ones regulated and we take that responsibility very seriously.”
According to DATCP statistics, there are now about 13,000 dairy farms in the state and about 150 of them are large enough to have gone through the DNR permit process.
Frank disputed the claim that the work with DBA created what the protesters called a cozy relationship between regulators and regulated farms. “We have been extremely transparent in the process and we are accountable for the decisions that are made. I think it’s a healthy thing to be listening so we understand the implications of regulations,” he said.
The DNR would like to streamline the permitting process, he said, so they can put more time into compliance issues. “We have a great track record with large farms. We’re proud of our record. Is there more that needs to be done? Absolutely. We take compliance very seriously,” he said.
Frank said he wanted to be very clear that the regulatory authority rests with the DNR, having been placed there by the Legislature. “We have not ceded that to any organization,” he said.
