Editorial: Take steps to limit effects of farm runoff

Though the two are not directly related, a decision by a Manitowoc County Circuit Court judge and a report from a University of Wisconsin researcher highlight the delicate balance between progress and the environment.

Last week, Judge Darryl Deets told the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to do a better job of reviewing the effects on air and water quality from a proposal to enlarge a mega-farm in southern Manitowoc County.

On Monday, Stephen Carpenter, a water specialist at the UW, reported that the effects of a growing buildup of phosphorus in the soil will likely mean we’ll have to deal with beaches fouled by algae growth for years.

The balance issue here is the relationship to farming operations — which are critical to the nation’s economy — and the need to protect the environment.

Deets’ ruling is seen as a victory for Centerville Cares, a group based in Cleveland that contends expansion of the 3,800-cow Maple Leaf Dairy will have significant, negative impact on the surrounding area, which drains into Lake Michigan. Russ Tooley, who heads Centerville Cares, said the ruling bolsters the group’s contention that the DNR did not give a complete accounting of the air and water pollution resulting from an expansion of the mega-farm.

Part of the concern from the large dairy operation is the volume of liquid manure that will be spread on surrounding land, according to Tooley.

Carpenter’s study addresses that specific issue, concluding that the phosphorous — which comes from fertilizer and animal feed — enters the soil and eventually finds its way into streams, rivers and lakes in watersheds where it is applied. Phosphorous promotes weed growth that can deplete oxygen in the water. This can cause fish kills and also enable the growth of algae.

This problem is evident in the Cleveland area already. Just ask the people living near Hika Bay about the stench caused by algae blooms recently in Lake Michigan. Swimming or even wading in the lake was out of the question and the smell forced many to keep windows closed for much of the summer.

Carpenter’s study concludes that it will take major changes in soil management to halt the fouling of lakes from phosphorous.

This is why Deets’ ruling is so critical. He found that the DNR didn’t consider all of the information on how Maple Leaf Dairy’s operation would affect streams that drain into Lake Michigan. Deets also ruled that the DNR must do a better job of evaluating the impact of the operation on air quality.

As much as some would want to halt all such mega-farms, we must realize that they are the new trend in agriculture and there will be more of them as small, mostly family farms, find it harder to compete.

Through the years, farmers have been good stewards of the land because their livelihood depended on it. We must ensure that land stewardship reaches beyond the boundaries of the farm and that all farming operations are held to strict environmental standards that do not harm the surrounding area.