MONROE - The Green County Land and Water Conservation Committee chose four members of the Livestock Facility Study Group, who will evaluate the impact of large-scale dairies on land throughout the county.
The group will make recommendations to the Green County Board based on an effort to protect the health and welfare of residents.
Discussion during closed session of a monthly meeting of the committee on Thursday found that Craig Edler, Bethany Storm, Bert Paris and Jen Brooks were best suited to serve in the group. A goal of the land and water conservation committee when they had recommended a 270-day moratorium throughout the entire county was to put in place a study group with various members that included four residents, two of whom operated farms; one large, one small.
Committee members chose four people with agriculture experience. Edler, a resident of Martintown, oversees a dairy operation with 650 cattle. Dayton resident Paris has 80 dairy cows and Brooks oversees 100 in the township of Twin Grove. Storm raises pork, goats, sheep and poultry in York Township.
Other committee members have been appointed because of their expertise in the field.
Mark Mayer, University of Wisconsin-Extension ag agent, Extension educator Victoria Solomon and Green County Health Director RoAnn Warden were chosen to facilitate each group meeting.
Solomon presented an outline she referred to as a guide to aid the study group in its operation over the next nine months.
"The goal was to create a tool to make sure your expectations are clearly explained to the study group," Solomon said. "This is a lot of work for a study group and obviously the clock is ticking."
Though state officials generally control all law regarding the inclusion of concentrated animal feeding operations, local officials can cite health as a reason to impose more restriction or to institute a moratorium, which is a temporary halt on all new applications.
CAFOs are defined by the state as an enclosed facility with more than 1,000 animal units. This translates to roughly 714 dairy cattle. An incoming CAFO called Pinnacle Dairy on 127 acres along County FF and Decatur-Sylvester Road in Sylvester Township has prompted discussion of the impact these types of facilities have on groundwater and air quality.
Conservation committee members expressed a need to regain the money invested in these types of facilities as well. The application fee for Pinnacle was a capped $1,000, though Green County Conservationist Todd Jenson estimated nearly $50,000 was spent in employee time.
To meet the current timeline, members of the study group will present their report and recommendations to county board members mid-March, though Mayer was skeptical that deadline would be met.
County officials have the option to extend the length of the moratorium if they wish.
The group will make recommendations to the Green County Board based on an effort to protect the health and welfare of residents.
Discussion during closed session of a monthly meeting of the committee on Thursday found that Craig Edler, Bethany Storm, Bert Paris and Jen Brooks were best suited to serve in the group. A goal of the land and water conservation committee when they had recommended a 270-day moratorium throughout the entire county was to put in place a study group with various members that included four residents, two of whom operated farms; one large, one small.
Committee members chose four people with agriculture experience. Edler, a resident of Martintown, oversees a dairy operation with 650 cattle. Dayton resident Paris has 80 dairy cows and Brooks oversees 100 in the township of Twin Grove. Storm raises pork, goats, sheep and poultry in York Township.
Other committee members have been appointed because of their expertise in the field.
Mark Mayer, University of Wisconsin-Extension ag agent, Extension educator Victoria Solomon and Green County Health Director RoAnn Warden were chosen to facilitate each group meeting.
Solomon presented an outline she referred to as a guide to aid the study group in its operation over the next nine months.
"The goal was to create a tool to make sure your expectations are clearly explained to the study group," Solomon said. "This is a lot of work for a study group and obviously the clock is ticking."
Though state officials generally control all law regarding the inclusion of concentrated animal feeding operations, local officials can cite health as a reason to impose more restriction or to institute a moratorium, which is a temporary halt on all new applications.
CAFOs are defined by the state as an enclosed facility with more than 1,000 animal units. This translates to roughly 714 dairy cattle. An incoming CAFO called Pinnacle Dairy on 127 acres along County FF and Decatur-Sylvester Road in Sylvester Township has prompted discussion of the impact these types of facilities have on groundwater and air quality.
Conservation committee members expressed a need to regain the money invested in these types of facilities as well. The application fee for Pinnacle was a capped $1,000, though Green County Conservationist Todd Jenson estimated nearly $50,000 was spent in employee time.
To meet the current timeline, members of the study group will present their report and recommendations to county board members mid-March, though Mayer was skeptical that deadline would be met.
County officials have the option to extend the length of the moratorium if they wish.