Yes, We're Live
Clean water for Emerald
Supervisor: Action on large-scale livestock operations will let stakeholders talk about issue.
MENOMONIE — The Dunn County Board on Wednesday, with a voice vote, approved a six-month moratorium on the licensing or any expansion greater than 20 percent on large-scale livestock operations with at least 1,000 animal units.
The barn was reported a complete loss. The nursery barn for feeder pigs was engulfed when the Fire Department arrived in scene. No human injuries were reported and damage was limited to the barn.
Another reason why factory farms are dangerous, lives of animals are not taken serious and these are not humane operations for the animals, consumers and also workers at these places. Barn fires can occur without warning and can kill animals in several hundreds because the livestock is crowded in these mega barns under inhumane conditions. In this case, 7,500 to 8,000 pigs perished. This fire started in the office. Spread up the wall into the ceiling and throughout the building. The reporting party reportedly tried to put the fire out but was not able. Another reason to doubt the unsafe operation of these facilities.
"He criticized a measure where the Department of Environmental Protection would not have a citizens board to help guide policy. Meyer said it would shut off an avenue of input if the public is not pleased with the direction of the department. Meyer said land management under the new regime would lack continuity, with agencies such as agriculture and tourism suddenly moving into new areas without expertise. While Jarchow's plan calls for no new spending, Meyer pointed to an analysis by the Fiscal Bureau showing that costs could rise in time as positions are reclassified and salaries spike upward. The concept of two bureaucracies leads to higher costs, Meyer said. "And with two agencies, you have different priorities," he said."
Officials replaced this wording: “Earth’s climate is changing. Human activities that increase heat-trapping ('greenhouse') gases are the main cause.”
The State Department of Natural Resources recently scrubbed language from an agency web page on the Great Lakes that said humans and greenhouse gases are the main cause of climate change. The DNR now says the subject is a matter of scientific debate. The department made the changes on Dec. 21, striking out whole sentences attributing global warming to human activities and rising levels of carbon dioxide. It’s the most recent example of the DNR removing information related to climate change. More broadly, the changes reflect how the administration of Republican Gov. Scott Walker has de-emphasized the subject since he took office in 2011.
“The smell is so bad that I can smell it on the hair on my arms when I come in from outside,” Knutson said.
Mike Koles, executive director of the Wisconsin Towns Association, said he wasn’t familiar with the case, but if Knutson’s tax assessment was indeed lowered because of the proximity to the hog facility, “it has the potential to open up a can of worms. “We’ve got to look into it a little more, but it has the potential to have broad implications across the state,” Koles said. “I’d be really concerned that we have all these people around farms who are going to make challenges to their assessments.”
