Activist group takes another swing at family farm

TOWN OF LINCOLN, Kewaunee County, Wis. (June 23, 2015) — An activist group has taken another public swipe at the reputation of a family dairy farm in northeastern Wisconsin.

Despite an insinuation made by Midwest Environmental Advocates, Kinnard Farms is in full compliance with clean-water regulations, said Lee Kinnard, one of the owners of the second-generation dairy.

“As local farmers who live on the land that our family farms, we understand the importance of protecting our natural resources. Quality water is essential to our dairy farm. We feed our cows clean water to produce quality milk,” Kinnard said.

The activist group used the occasion of a procedural court step to make its latest accusations.

Last week, a Door County Circuit Court judge dismissed an appeal by the family challenging an administrative judge’s attempt to add conditions to the permit the farm had already received from the Department of Natural Resources. In April, the court put the Kinnards’ appeal on hold pending the issuance of a revised DNR permit, but no such permit has been issued yet.

In the most recent ruling, Judge D. Todd Ehlers said he felt he didn’t have the authority to keep the appeal on hold any longer.

Kinnard said the decision “preserves our right to have our case heard (and) confirms there is a legal process to be followed.”

The family has appealed last week’s decision to the state Court of Appeals and is confident the appeals court will send the case back to the circuit court and allow the case to be heard, Kinnard said.

Meanwhile, the Kinnards continue with an expansion project as originally approved by the DNR. The farm is following a long list of regulatory requirements.

The appeal is about two conditions imposed by an administrative law judge that the family feels went beyond the authority of the DNR.

“It is important to remember that the DNR itself never proposed the conditions we are challenging,” Kinnard said. “Instead, they were imposed by the administrative law judge against the recommendations of the DNR.”

Kinnard said his family has grown weary of continued attacks from groups like Midwest Environmental Advocates.

“Rather than fight in court,” he said, “financial resources would be much better spent on continued conservation efforts.”

About the DBA

The Dairy Business Association is an industry organization comprised of dairy producers, corporate partners and allied industry supporters dedicated to the success of Wisconsin’s dairy community. Through innovative programs and services, DBA fosters a positive business and political environment to help all of the state’s dairy farms thrive. For more information, please visit our website at www.widba.com.

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