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GrassRoots Organizing Western Wisconsin
People.
Power.
Change.
Forge your own politics.
Together we’re creating our own vision for the future of WI. Become a delegate at the GROWW Assembly to help shape the first GROWW State Legislative Agenda.
GROWW is a grassroots movement of people across western Wisconsin building power to protect our communities and shape a future where all of us can live and work with dignity, look out for our neighbors, and make ends meet.
We’re neighbors, parents, farmers, renters, and Wisconsinites of all shades coming together to take back local control and hold decision-makers accountable to the people — not corporate interests. Through our organizing, leadership development, and collective action, we’re building the power we need to balance the scales.
Together, we’re proving that when ordinary people get organized, we can change what’s possible — in our towns, our counties, our state and beyond.
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, March 25
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM at
Research Meeting Training: Building Power Relationships to Win Our State Agenda
As we head into the 2026 campaign season and prepare for the 2027 legislative session, building real relationships with legislators and candidates is essential to advancing GROWW’s state legislative agenda....
Saturday, April 11
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM at North Hall
Public Forum: The Future of Agriculture and Rural Wisconsin
GROWW & Pepin-Pierce Farmers Union will be hosting a community forum on Saturday, April 11 focused on lifting up the voices of small and medium farmers and producers from across...
We build power together to create the change we need for everyone in our communities to make ends meet, live with dignity, and have a voice in shaping the decisions that impact us.
See GROWW in the News
- Rural Wisconsin vs. Corporate Ag
WQOW: Western Wisconsinites demand state action to protect family farms, rural communities
Tuesday morning, dozens of western Wisconsin farmers gathered to raise awareness about the impacts of a controversial factory farm expansion project.
- Rural Wisconsin vs. Corporate Ag
Residents speak out against expansion of Western Wisconsin factory farm
Residents are speaking out against the expansion of a factory farm in Western Wisconsin.
Tuesday, people could be seen with signs saying, “people over profit” and “small farms not factory farms” in front of the state Department of Administration building on Clairemont Avenue in Eau Claire.
- Rural Wisconsin vs. Corporate Ag
Western Wisconsin Residents Continue Fighting CAFO Expansion
Pierce County residents and GrassRoots Organizing Western Wisconsin officially challenged that permit by filing for a contested case hearing nearly a year ago. Many expressed environmental concerns about the expansion, specifically over manure spread and groundwater contamination. They’ve also expressed more broad concerns about how the expansion of the CAFO, or concentrated animal feeding operation, would impact the ability of smaller farms to remain competitive.
- Rural Wisconsin vs. Corporate Ag
Western Wisconsin residents try to turn back a massive factory farm’s DNR permit
“Whether it’s a data center coming into your community, or a massive factory farm like Ridge Breeze, everyday people need to continue to stand together, organize and create greater change that will protect and put the power back into the hands of regular people,” Danny Akenson, an organizer with Grassroots Organizing Western Wisconsin, said at a news conference before the hearing.
Akenson told the Wisconsin Examiner that it’s no surprise that people of “all political stripes” are seeking basic protections for their communities against corporate extraction.
“The reality is that rural America — and really communities of all different sizes, rural, urban, suburban — are standing up against massive corporate overreach and the extraction of wealth from their communities into the pockets of shareholders and investors,” he said.
GRO-WW has been heavily involved in the fight against Ridge Breeze and against the growing popularity of factory farms across western Wisconsin. The organization helped connect the plaintiffs in the contested case with attorneys from Midwest Environmental Advocates to dispute the permit decision.
Their petition against the permit asks that at the very least it be modified to make sure the DNR is monitoring the local water so the farm is held accountable if the state’s groundwater pollution rules are violated.
- Rural Wisconsin vs. Corporate Ag
Ridge Breeze Legal Hearing: Here’s what to know
The legal battle to stop the proposed Ridge Breeze expansion to 6,500 cows will come to a head on Tuesday, March 3, when a contested case hearing opens in Eau Claire.
The first day of the hearing will be for public testimony, during which area residents and business owners will be able to provide comments about the expansion’s threat to their water and the environment.
- Rural Wisconsin vs. Corporate Ag
Big Ag lobbyists try to take money from program for small farms
Big Ag lobbyists are attempting to undermine legislation designed to support small dairy farms in Wisconsin. Senate Bill 323 and Assembly Bill 363 would create a low-interest loan program for farms under 1,000 animal units, but the Wisconsin Farm Bureau is pushing to remove that limit—opening the door for large factory farms to access funds intended for small and mid-sized farmers. Bill author Sen. Rob Stafsholt has stated he does not intend to change the threshold, emphasizing the bill’s original purpose: helping smaller farms afford needed improvements.
The effort comes amid broader concerns about corporate consolidation in Wisconsin’s dairy industry. A recent report highlights how large industrial operations have pursued public financing for major expansions, including a proposed 6,500-cow facility in Pierce County that sought $18 million in tax-exempt funding before local residents successfully pushed back. Advocates argue that communities must remain vigilant, using local tools and statewide policy reforms to ensure public resources prioritize small farms and protect rural health, infrastructure, and water.
- Rural Wisconsin vs. Corporate Ag
WQOW: Western Wisconsinites demand state action to protect family farms, rural communities
Tuesday morning, dozens of western Wisconsin farmers gathered to raise awareness about the impacts of a controversial factory farm expansion project.
- Rural Wisconsin vs. Corporate Ag
Residents speak out against expansion of Western Wisconsin factory farm
Residents are speaking out against the expansion of a factory farm in Western Wisconsin.
Tuesday, people could be seen with signs saying, “people over profit” and “small farms not factory farms” in front of the state Department of Administration building on Clairemont Avenue in Eau Claire.
- Rural Wisconsin vs. Corporate Ag
Western Wisconsin Residents Continue Fighting CAFO Expansion
Pierce County residents and GrassRoots Organizing Western Wisconsin officially challenged that permit by filing for a contested case hearing nearly a year ago. Many expressed environmental concerns about the expansion, specifically over manure spread and groundwater contamination. They’ve also expressed more broad concerns about how the expansion of the CAFO, or concentrated animal feeding operation, would impact the ability of smaller farms to remain competitive.
- Rural Wisconsin vs. Corporate Ag
Western Wisconsin residents try to turn back a massive factory farm’s DNR permit
“Whether it’s a data center coming into your community, or a massive factory farm like Ridge Breeze, everyday people need to continue to stand together, organize and create greater change that will protect and put the power back into the hands of regular people,” Danny Akenson, an organizer with Grassroots Organizing Western Wisconsin, said at a news conference before the hearing.
Akenson told the Wisconsin Examiner that it’s no surprise that people of “all political stripes” are seeking basic protections for their communities against corporate extraction.
“The reality is that rural America — and really communities of all different sizes, rural, urban, suburban — are standing up against massive corporate overreach and the extraction of wealth from their communities into the pockets of shareholders and investors,” he said.
GRO-WW has been heavily involved in the fight against Ridge Breeze and against the growing popularity of factory farms across western Wisconsin. The organization helped connect the plaintiffs in the contested case with attorneys from Midwest Environmental Advocates to dispute the permit decision.
Their petition against the permit asks that at the very least it be modified to make sure the DNR is monitoring the local water so the farm is held accountable if the state’s groundwater pollution rules are violated.
- Rural Wisconsin vs. Corporate Ag
Ridge Breeze Legal Hearing: Here’s what to know
The legal battle to stop the proposed Ridge Breeze expansion to 6,500 cows will come to a head on Tuesday, March 3, when a contested case hearing opens in Eau Claire.
The first day of the hearing will be for public testimony, during which area residents and business owners will be able to provide comments about the expansion’s threat to their water and the environment.
- Rural Wisconsin vs. Corporate Ag
Big Ag lobbyists try to take money from program for small farms
Big Ag lobbyists are attempting to undermine legislation designed to support small dairy farms in Wisconsin. Senate Bill 323 and Assembly Bill 363 would create a low-interest loan program for farms under 1,000 animal units, but the Wisconsin Farm Bureau is pushing to remove that limit—opening the door for large factory farms to access funds intended for small and mid-sized farmers. Bill author Sen. Rob Stafsholt has stated he does not intend to change the threshold, emphasizing the bill’s original purpose: helping smaller farms afford needed improvements.
The effort comes amid broader concerns about corporate consolidation in Wisconsin’s dairy industry. A recent report highlights how large industrial operations have pursued public financing for major expansions, including a proposed 6,500-cow facility in Pierce County that sought $18 million in tax-exempt funding before local residents successfully pushed back. Advocates argue that communities must remain vigilant, using local tools and statewide policy reforms to ensure public resources prioritize small farms and protect rural health, infrastructure, and water.
Read our Latest Posts
- Rural WI vs. Corporate Ag
REALEASE: Ridge Breeze Legal Hearing Set for March 3
February 16, 2026
The petitioners in the legal challenge to Ridge Breeze’s proposed expansion. (From L to R): Dr. Richard Dart, Jenelle Ludwig-Krause, Gerald Steien, Kay Kashian, Attorney Adam Voskuil, Larry Brenner, and Ty Fisher. The outcome of the hearing could determine whether Ridge Breeze is allowed to expand to become the largest…
- Housing Justice
VICTORY: Menomonie Residents Win Proactive Renter Protections
February 9, 2026
New Ordinance Expands Safety and Protections for Renters and Local Accountability for Some Negligent Landlords Last week, after nearly two years of organizing, research, and community conversations, the Menomonie City Council voted on February 2 to pass a proactive renter protection ordinance designed to improve housing safety and accountability across…
- Local Elections
All in Favor – A Year in Reflection
December 23, 2025
2025 Reflections from Organizer, John Calabrese 2025 has been an epic whirlwind. It seems at once to have flown by and lasted for far longer than 12 months. All in Favor began with a busy January, much like we’re preparing for next month. Nomination papers for local office were turned…
- Rural WI vs. Corporate Ag
Gilman Passes Operations Ordinance for Factory Farms
December 18, 2025
The third town Operations Ordinance in Pierce County was unanimously passed on December 10 The Town of Gilman unanimously passed an Operations Ordinance on December 10 to protect their community from the harmful impacts of factory farms. Gilman is the third town in Pierce County and the tenth in Wisconsin…
- Civic Solidarity
The Corporate 1% is Consolidating American Resources And Wealth. To Stop Them We Must Stand Together.
December 12, 2025
When I was a teenager, because of my dad’s work, I lived in a town in France. Sometimes, chanting mixed with the buzzing of the doorbell would wake me up in the middle of the night: USA GO HOME, USA GO HOME. I would lie in bed, my throat tightening…
- Rural WI vs. Corporate Ag
Public Calls for Oversight of Factory Farms at Pierce County Committee Meeting
November 23, 2025
The support comes as multiple towns look into local ordinances of their own. Pierce County, WI – Residents made it clear they want protection from the harmful impacts of factory farms at the November 17 meeting of the county’s Groundwater Advisory Committee. Over 50 residents turned out in person and…