DARLINGTON - The Lafayette County Land Conservation Committee agreed Monday on a livestock facilities ordinance requiring a license for new or expanding sites.
Any farm, whether beef or dairy, swine, poultry, sheep or goats, must apply for a livestock license if the expansion or new facility will host 750 or more animal units, which is a unit of measurement based on pounds per animal.
Committee Chairman Leon Wolfe said the ordinance is a method to hold back large expansions that could negatively impact the county.
"The purpose is to have input and, you don't really want to say control, but control over where facilities are going to be," Wolfe said. "Try to protect our environment. There are other things much worse than setbacks. It's smart planning."
Wolfe and fellow committee members noted the ordinance was mostly to dictate how far buildings will be from one another. Under the proposed ordinance, structures aside from waste storage must be a minimum of 100 feet from the property line and the public road right-of-way if they are to have fewer than 1,000 animal units. If more animal units are proposed for the building, it must be 150 feet from the right-of-way and 200 feet from the property line. Any new waste storage structures cannot be located within 350 feet of a property line or within the same distance of any right-of-way.
Wisconsin is home to an increasing number of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. In 2000, the DNR issued just under 50 permits to large-scale dairy farms. There are currently 239 statewide.
The DNR requires any CAFO to self-monitor in order to avoid environmental pollution. But some have a dim view of the large operations, seeing the addition of a large number of cattle as a potential environmental hazard.
Any applicant will have to complete forms for Lafayette County to "demonstrate compliance" with the standards put in place by state law regarding operation of the farm, including engineering design specifications, and pay a non-refundable $750 fee to apply. Within 45 days after the county receives the application, officials will notify the applicant whether the application is complete. Within two weeks of that notification, they will contact adjacent landowners about the application. The county will then hold a public hearing to gain public input and take in any information from the applicant. Overall, the county must approve or deny the application within 90 days after notifying the applicant that the application was complete.
Kriss Marion, president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union chapter covering Lafayette, Green and Rock counties, said she hoped for thoughtful restrictions to be put into place in order to make sure people are not harmed by large dairy corporations.
"It's a tiny beginning to a bigger discussion," Marion said of the ordinance.
She said the livestock siting ordinance will open a door to allow county residents the chance to talk about development that will be economically healthy for locals, but also keep the health of people positive as well.
"The best type of development allows opportunities for everybody," Marion said.
The ordinance will be sent to the Lafayette County Board's meeting tonight. Board members will hear the first reading of the ordinance, followed by a second on May 17, when they will vote on the measure.
Any farm, whether beef or dairy, swine, poultry, sheep or goats, must apply for a livestock license if the expansion or new facility will host 750 or more animal units, which is a unit of measurement based on pounds per animal.
Committee Chairman Leon Wolfe said the ordinance is a method to hold back large expansions that could negatively impact the county.
"The purpose is to have input and, you don't really want to say control, but control over where facilities are going to be," Wolfe said. "Try to protect our environment. There are other things much worse than setbacks. It's smart planning."
Wolfe and fellow committee members noted the ordinance was mostly to dictate how far buildings will be from one another. Under the proposed ordinance, structures aside from waste storage must be a minimum of 100 feet from the property line and the public road right-of-way if they are to have fewer than 1,000 animal units. If more animal units are proposed for the building, it must be 150 feet from the right-of-way and 200 feet from the property line. Any new waste storage structures cannot be located within 350 feet of a property line or within the same distance of any right-of-way.
Wisconsin is home to an increasing number of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. In 2000, the DNR issued just under 50 permits to large-scale dairy farms. There are currently 239 statewide.
The DNR requires any CAFO to self-monitor in order to avoid environmental pollution. But some have a dim view of the large operations, seeing the addition of a large number of cattle as a potential environmental hazard.
Any applicant will have to complete forms for Lafayette County to "demonstrate compliance" with the standards put in place by state law regarding operation of the farm, including engineering design specifications, and pay a non-refundable $750 fee to apply. Within 45 days after the county receives the application, officials will notify the applicant whether the application is complete. Within two weeks of that notification, they will contact adjacent landowners about the application. The county will then hold a public hearing to gain public input and take in any information from the applicant. Overall, the county must approve or deny the application within 90 days after notifying the applicant that the application was complete.
Kriss Marion, president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union chapter covering Lafayette, Green and Rock counties, said she hoped for thoughtful restrictions to be put into place in order to make sure people are not harmed by large dairy corporations.
"It's a tiny beginning to a bigger discussion," Marion said of the ordinance.
She said the livestock siting ordinance will open a door to allow county residents the chance to talk about development that will be economically healthy for locals, but also keep the health of people positive as well.
"The best type of development allows opportunities for everybody," Marion said.
The ordinance will be sent to the Lafayette County Board's meeting tonight. Board members will hear the first reading of the ordinance, followed by a second on May 17, when they will vote on the measure.