ELMWOOD — Last month, the DNR conditionally approved a proposal by Breeze Dairy Group to almost quadruple the size of their industrial dairy operation in the Town of Salem, Ridge Breeze Dairy. At 4 p.m. Thursday, July 11, the DNR is holding a virtual hearing for public comment and residents and families around the Town of Salem plan to turn out in opposition. If given the green light, Ridge Breeze’s plan would expand the herd in their enclosed operation to 6,500 animals, making it the largest of its kind in western Wisconsin and producing an estimated 80.7 million gallons of untreated liquid manure and wastewater a year.   
One group of residents around Salem, People Protecting Pierce, has been working with GrassRoots Organizing Western Wisconsin (GROWW) since April 2023 to stop the proposed expansion until community concerns are addressed. 
Among the reasons residents like those with People Protecting Pierce oppose Ridge Breeze’s expansion are the holes in their plan to manage the massive increase in manure and untreated liquid waste. The Nutrient Management Plan Ridge Breeze submitted to the DNR incorrectly lists multiple local farmers’ acreage for spreading the waste the expansion would produce. Some of those landowners say they have never heard from Ridge Breeze about a spreading agreement. Some say they’ve never heard of Ridge Breeze. 

“People around these expanding livestock operations deserve to know that their properties and families won't be impacted by more and more untreated waste,” said Danny Akenson, a Field Organizer with GROWW working with the residents around the town of Salem. “Right now, Ridge Breeze isn't meeting the minimum requirement for acreage to responsibly spread the liquid waste, and locals are worried. As it stands, Ridge Breeze either lied or made some serious mistakes on their application.” 
Without adequate acreage for spreading, animal waste from factory farms of this size can leave communities with a dangerous mess. The land simply cannot absorb and process everything and untreated runoff can seep into adjacent properties, public land, and water. Last month, the DNR rejected a similar application for a hog factory in Burnett County due to failure to submit written agreements for manure spreading. Akenson says that’s a hopeful precedent for residents who oppose the expansion. 

The operation in Burnett County couldn’t find enough land to spread all their waste on.  

“With operations of this size, that’s always going to be the biggest stumbling block,” said Akenson. “When it comes to Ridge Breeze, we hope the DNR holds them to the same standards.” 

Pierce County resident Judy Krohn has been working with Akenson and the People Protecting Pierce team as they raise concerns about the proposed expansion.  

“I’ve been a resident of the Town of Maiden Rock since 1974. There were three 40-cow dairies right around us at that time, and for years, family dairies were part of the magic of living here. Unfortunately, these big operations like Ridge Breeze are something else entirely. As big operations like these get bigger, I worry about our futures here. All the small family dairies that used to be our neighbors are closed now. Our roads are getting torn up because of the bigger, heavier trucks, and with contamination from more industrial runoff, a lot of us have to worry about whether our homes have clean water coming out of the tap. We need the DNR and other county and state officials to do their jobs protecting our future here.” 

According to Akenson, he knows dozens of county residents who plan to share their experiences and oppose the expansion at the DNR’s public hearing.  

“They view it as a fight for their homes and way of life,” he said.  

Residents will join opposite representatives from Ridge Breeze’s parent company Breeze Dairy Group out of Appleton.  

Any western Wisconsin residents interested in making or listening in to comments at the DNR hearing on July 11 at 4 p.m. may register to join online.   

Learn more about GROWW, visit us at GRO-WW.org, on Instagram at @GrowWisconsin, or on Facebook at Facebook.com/GROWWisconsin. 

Submitted by GROWW