MADISON (AP) -- The Wisconsin dairy industry is raising a stink about potential new regulations governing where factory farms can store manure.
State agriculture officials are crafting new farm standards to serve as a template for local ordinances. The standards would expand setbacks for manure storage. New farms with 1,000 or more animals as well as farms looking to expand to 1,000 animals or beyond would have to place storage facilities anywhere from 1,000 feet to 2,500 feet from their neighbors' property line to minimize odor.
Farm groups including the Dairy Business Association, the Wisconsin Dairy Alliance, the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association and Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation held a news conference Monday to rail against the standards. They insisted the regulations would make expansion nearly impossible and drive farmers out of Wisconsin.
