Ron Seely’s excellent series on factory farms in Wisconsin points out the role lobbyists for the mega-dairy industry played in passing the state’s Livestock Facilities Siting Law. I’d argue it has led to more harm to Wisconsin’s natural landscape than any legislation in a decade.

The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is concluding a series of listening sessions on the livestock siting program, and they’ve heard from scores of frustrated local elected officials, farmers and citizens who feel powerless in the face of intense pressure and the threat of legal challenges from Big Ag.

It’s time for DATCP and the Legislature to re-examine this law, come to grips with the havoc it has wrecked on communities and small family farms and restore a sense of balance between livestock production and rural quality of life.

— Jamie Saul, Madison, Midwest Environmental Advocates