STURGEON BAY – More than 50 concerned citizens had something to say to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources during a hybrid in-person/online public hearing Nov. 5 for a proposed concentrated animal feeding operation permit in Door County. And that’s on top of the more than 150 written comments the DNR received on the permit so far, with more likely to come before the following week’s deadline.
The subject of the hearing that packed about 160 people into the event space at Door County Gala and lasted close to three-and-a-half hours was the proposed DNR permit that would allow Gilbert Farms Ltd., a family-owned farm on County T just east of Sturgeon Bay in the Town of Sevastopol, to expand its herd from 1,194 to 2,430 animal units.
A CAFO permit in Wisconsin is required for farms with more than 1,000 animal units, an approximation of 1,000 pounds of live animal weight. The state considers 715 milking cows or 1,000 beef cattle to equal 1,000 units. If the permit is approved, Gilbert Farms would become the third CAFO in Door County, joining S&S Jerseyland Dairy in Forestville and Brey Cycle Farm in Sturgeon Bay.
Public hearings for proposed CAFO permits are required before the DNR can issue the permit, but this marked the first in-person CAFO hearing in more than five years. All such hearings had been held online only by the DNR since 2020, when it went to that format during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But written concerns from more than 300 Door County residents led the DNR to hold this one for a live audience with a option to attend via Zoom for those unable to be there. The strong public interest in the permit, concerns about internet access in rural parts of the county, the size of the proposed herd expansion and that the county is a sensitive geologic area were among the reasons a DNR spokesperson gave for holding the in-person hearing.
More than 30 people spoke in person at the hearing with about 20 speaking via Zoom. Most were Door County residents but some were interested parties from outside the area. While a great majority spoke against granting Gilbert Farms a CAFO permit and were given rounds of applause following their statements, about a dozen speakers supported the farm and received smatterings of applause.
The session opened with a presentation of about 15 minutes by Brittiny Mueller, agricultural runoff management specialist with the DNR’s Northeast Region office in Green Bay, on requirements for farms with CAFO permits regarding plans for manure storage and maintenance, testing and other environmental concerns.
She also noted the geologic concerns of the farm’s location: very shallow soil depth to bedrock, frequently 5 feet or less; the bedrock is fractured in many places; and a sinkhole near the farm’s production facility. All these factors could contribute to manure spills or storage leaks contaminating the groundwater and private water wells in the area.
Mueller also noted the farm’s current herd of 1,194 animal units already is large enough that a CAFO permit is required even without future expansion and the DNR has issued a notice of noncompliance to the farm because of it. She added that the DNR considers environmental concerns but not concerns such as odor, noise, increased traffic, property values or animal welfare when deciding on CAFO permits.
The first public speaker was Gilbert Farms co-owner Marge Gilbert, who addressed the hearing via Zoom. She stressed that her family first settled in Door County in 1878, six generations of her family have operated the farm and they work to be good neighbors, including helping nearby smaller family farms when needed.
