PERMITS AND REGULATION

We are a large farm with a lot of animals. The reality is, our farm has a large environmental impact. Thankfully, we all care a lot about our land and we do a lot to protect it.

Because we have a large number of animals on our farm, we are categorized by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) as a CAFO, or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation. Being a CAFO means we are more heavily regulated than your average farm, ensuring our neighbors and fellow citizens of Wisconsin that we are responsible and accountable with our natural resources.

An example of this regulation is our WPDES, or Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, permit. One of the restrictions set by the WPDES is that we can’t discharge any pollutants, such as manure, from facilities. We are required to separate rain water from manure water so they don’t mix and run off. We also must keep our animals on concrete because we need to collect and store all the manure they produce. Our farm is literally responsible for every gallon of manure our animals produce!!

The Wisconsin DNR is not the only agency that regulates our business. Some of the other agencies that keep an eye on our activities are Fond du Lac County Land and Water Division, Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to name a few.