Manure spills putting water supply at risk

Lynn Utesch and his wife, Nancy, raise Beef Shorthorn cattle on a farm in the town of Pierce in Kewaunee County. The couple formed the group, Kewaunee C.A.R.E.S., which advocates environment friendly farming practices.

Lynn Utesch and his wife, Nancy, raise Beef Shorthorn cattle on a farm in the town of Pierce in Kewaunee County. The couple formed the group, Kewaunee C.A.R.E.S., which advocates environment friendly farming practices.

Wisconsin is home to more than 260 megafarms, also called concentrated animal feeding operations. That's up from less than 50 megafarms just 10 years ago, according to DNR permitting records.

"These farms are home to about 400,000 dairy and beef cows that produce 47 million gallons of manure every day, based on estimates by the Environmental Protection Agency. That's more waste than the amount produced by all the residents of Wisconsin combined."