Manure Concerns Of Richfield Dairy Near Coloma Have Well-Owners Concerned

Manure concerns will be one topic of discussion when an informational hearing by the Department of Natural Resources will take place in Adams County on Monday.  The nearly 5,000 cow farm makes the meeting concerning a mega dairy farm operation that will reside mighty close to Coloma a most important one for all to attend.  Bet some voters now wish they would have liberals controlling state regulations, instead of the big-business puppets of Governor Walker.

Milk Source has not had any accidents regarding manure leaking from its pits, Harke said. The company places monitors under the pits, which have a foot of concrete over a foot of clay, he said.

The DNR has strict guidelines large farms must follow for spreading the manure from cows on fields, Harke said. The 4,300 cows the company expects to have at the Richfield dairy will produce a lot of manure — enough to fertilize about 5,000 acres, he said. However, the company’s permit application with the DNR requests permission to spread the material even more thinly — across 16,000 acres.

“We’re going to replace chemical fertilizer with organic material,” Harke said.

Clarke knows the company has a good record of avoiding accidents, but he is concerned that Milk Source hasn’t placed an operation as close to homes as this one will be. If the company taints one well, it’s unacceptable, he said.

“We’re talking about hundreds of potential wells tainted to one degree or another,” Clarke said.