Additional speaker: Dairy farmer Sarah Lloyd, President of Columbia County Farmers Union, and Board Member of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board
Media Contact:
Bob Clarke, bclarke113@yahoo.com. 608-296-1443;
Terry Tinkle, costink@uniontel.net. 715-228-3919
Ice Cream Social and Rally – serving 100% rBGH free ice cream!
Date: Sunday September 4th
Time: 3:30 to 5:00 PM (presentations begin at 4:00)
Place: Coloma Community Park
COLOMA – Citizens gather to continue their opposition to a nearly 5,000-cow factory farm (CAFO) called the Richfield Dairy. They will hold an ice cream social and rally on Sunday September 4th at 3:30 PM. Held in the Coloma Community Park, a session to update the gathering on the continued opposition will begin at 4:00. Guest speaker Representative Brett Hulsey will address the crowd.
“It is important to continue to make all of the facts public and available for discussion. There is so much at stake that will negatively impact our drinking water, area lakes and streams, and our property values”, stated resident Linda Kwiatkowski.
Legal action has already been taken as a first step in halting the CAFO’s construction. Part time resident Bob Clarke joined with Family Farm Defenders (FFD) to file a request for a contested case hearing with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and a petition for review in Dane County Circuit Court. On June 24, 2011, the Water Division of the WDNR had given statutory approval to the plans and specifications for the Richfield CAFO, owned by Milk Source Inc.
“We are not pleased with the statutory approval,” said Arlene and Hiroshi Kanno, board member of FFD and one of the parties who are bringing the complaint.
Many issues are of concern to area residents including air quality, significant increases in heavy truck traffic, and decreases in property values. The primary concerns however focus on water quality and the heavy pumping of ground water that this CAFO will require. Local farms will also feel the impact. Sarah Lloyd, who farms with her husband and his family outside the Wisconsin Dells said “I don’t need 5,000 cows’ milk dumped on my market and I don’t need the increased land rent prices we are seeing as land competition grows because of these large farms.”
The proposed location for the Richfield Dairy is in the Town of Richfield, Adams County, but is adjacent to the Town of Coloma, Waushara County. This area is near the very popular Ice Age Rock formation and landmark, known as “Ship Rock.” According to public records the proposed CAFO will:
* Initially house nearly 5000 animals
* Increase annual traffic volumes by nearly 15,000 loads – over 40 trucks a day every day of the year
* Release nearly 600 tons of ammonia per year
* Create nearly 60 million gallons of liquid manure and 8.5 tons of solid manure per year
Milk Source already owns and operates a number of other CAFOs in Wisconsin. According to the Milk Source website, its current sites include: Tidy View Dairy, 6,800 cows (Kaukauna, Outagamie County); Omro Dairy, 2,700 cows (Omro, Winnebago County); Rosendale Dairy, 8,000 cows (Pickett, Fond du Lac County); and Calf Source in Greenleaf (Brown County), with 7,500 calves. It is also moving forward with New Chester Dairy in Adams County, with 4,300 cows.
More information can be found online at http://www.stoptherichfieldcafo.org, or by contacting Bob Clarke, bclarke113@yahoo.com, 608-296-1443; or Terry Tinkle, costink@uniontel.net, 715-228-3919
