Manure rules could help water quality; others say they're not enough

ASHLAND—A modified scope statement that will affect farm manure regulations has drawn criticism from Wisconsin conservation groups, but supporters called it a first step toward solving water quality issues.

The scope statement, approved Wednesday in Ashland by the Natural Resources Board, allows the state Department of Natural Resources to begin making additional water quality rules for “sensitive areas” that are prone to environmental contamination.

Large dairy or livestock farms in those areas will have to follow new manure-spreading rules to ensure proper water quality, said Mary Anne Lowndes, the DNR's runoff management section chief.

The DNR now must determine what those standards are and where the sensitive areas are located. The rule-making process likely will extend into 2018, Lowndes said.

In Rock County, farmers at Larson Acres and Rock Prairie Farms, both large dairy operations, were unsure how or if the new rules would affect them.

Wednesday's action comes after the DNR's Groundwater Collaboration Workgroup released a report in June that called for new ways to prevent manure runoff from contaminating groundwater and surface water. While much of the report focused on Kewaunee County in northeastern Wisconsin, it also suggested changes that could be applied statewide.

One suggestion was to require all large dairy or livestock farms to follow the new standards, regardless of whether they were located in sensitive areas, Lowndes said.

The Dairy Business Association, which represents the state's dairy industry, worked with the DNR and argued for a more targeted approach. Instead of applying the rules across the state, the organization suggested focusing them on problem areas, said John Holevoet, the group's director of government affairs.

“Why implement statewide when we know every place is not having an issue?” he said. “Why should we spend millions of dollars more to comply with an issue during a not great financial time?”

Holevoet was referring to dairy farmers who have struggled in the face of falling milk prices. To limit their manure application, those farmers might have to buy additional land, he said.

Not everyone agrees with that stance.

“I think it's clear that the Dairy Business Association, in particular, which is sponsored by huge ag operations and big ag business, they're trying to make sure larger farms have an easier time operating without heavy regulation,” said Ryan Billingham, communications director for the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters.

The Groundwater Collaboration Workgroup offered a great first step in its report, but the dairy association's “interference” substantially narrowed the recommendations, Billingham said.

“It's because they represent these large-scale producers,” he said. “... They don't want to have regulations because it costs them money. It costs these farms money.”

Billingham was concerned that the association had influenced the DNR as a special interest. Some of the organization's sponsors and board members have donated to Gov. Scott Walker and legislative candidates, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

During Wednesday's meeting, speakers expressed similar views that factory farm interests had surpassed environmental concerns. Some said poor water quality would harm local fishing and tourism along with health.

But Holevoet and Lowndes said the approved version of the scope statement would add new environmental protections.

The backlash from environmental groups may have come from a misunderstanding of what the scope statement meant, Lowndes said.

Narrowing the rules' scope will help improve water quality more quickly by not tackling too much at once. Additional changes can be made in the future, Holevoet said.