- 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.