Kickapoo Stewards

Most opposed, one supported, hog CAFO overlooking Kickapoo River CRAWFORD COUNTY - A public hearing was held by Crawford County Land Conservation Department (LCD), and Land Conservation Committee (LCC), on Tuesday, July 12, to consider whether the county should issue a Livestock Facility Siting Permit to the Roth Feeder Pigs II hog CAFO. The proposed facility wou...

Public Hearing on Roth Feeder Pig II CAFO in Crawford Co, July 12 at 12:30. We'll be there, bringing up our concerns for the water, land, and air.
https://www.crawfordstewardship.org/rawford-co-permitting-roth-feeder-pig-ii-cafo-public-hearing-announced/

BIG NEWS! The SWIGG (Southwest Wisconsin Groundwater and Geology) Study has concluded and UW Extension will be presenting the final research and recommendations on May 16, 6pm, at the Grant County Fairgrounds 4-H Building. This study is a joint effort between Iowa, Grant and Lafayette Counties to identify the extent of contaminated private wells and the sources of contamination. The report is a very big deal, and I hope you will join me there. This study has been in process since 2018 and due to the preliminary results, many farmers and farm groups have already adopted and advocated for practices - like cover crops - that limit the leaching of nitrogen and bacteria (from fertilizer and manure) into groundwater. Look how green so many of our fields are already this spring! That living over-wintered cover is evidence that many folks are already addressing the problem. But it will be great to hear whether there are further recommendations regarding septic design, well casing depth, and the distance between wells and septic systems. Click the link below for background on the study, and the various reports indicating that at certain times of year 42% of wells tested were contaminated at levels not safe to drink.
https://wgnhs.wisc.edu/southwest-wisconsin-groundwater-and-geology-study-swigg/

'Tis the season of money grubbing... well don't forget that pigs need to grub too, and to support the organizations working to protect this vision of agriculture!
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5XP8M4JXFXHG6&source=url
Sustain Rural Wisconsin Network promotes responsible agriculture and protects our rural communities and watersheds from pollution and the impacts of industrial agriculture. Our coalition provides a collaborative platform for coordinating grassroots strategy to influence policy decisions at the local, regional, state, and national levels.
Last year, thanks to your support, we subsidised well tests for neighbors of CAFOs. In 2022, we plan to contract professional help to educate and empower member groups and folks in need around the state to more effectively organize and resist the industrial colonization of our agricultural communities.
To shift from a loose coalition into providing these important services, we need your financial support to make that a reality!
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5XP8M4JXFXHG6&source=url

SRAP Live: Building a Socially Responsible Food Future - Dec 2–4, 2021 Join us on for a free online summit on December 2–4, 2021, that will feature leading experts on replacing industrial livestock production with socially responsible agriculture. Register today to hear farmers, activists, and academics discuss environmental justice, the greenwashing of factory farm ...

WFU: Abandoning NR-151 Is Backward Step - Mid-West Farm Report The following opinion editorial is by Nick Levendofsky, the government relations director for Wisconsin Farmers Union in response to... Read More

Family Farm Action Alliance Releases Report to 'Counter Big Ag's Deception' "The current consolidated food system is nothing more than the result of policy choices that prioritized a large, concentrated industry."

TRNN CAFO documentary FINAL CUT Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and making a small donation: Donate: https://therealnews.com/dona...

Stewardship News & Action (7/12/21) Last week, the Wisconsin State Supreme Court made two important rulings. The court ruled that the DNR has the authority to limit the number of animals on a farm, require groundwater monitoring, and can review the impacts to wells that large-scale farming may have.   

WPDES permit renewed for Roth Feeder Pigs Wauzkea facility WAUZEKA - On Wednesday, June 30, Claire O’Connell, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) senior wastewater specialist, notified the public that the Wisconsin Pollution Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) permit for the Roth Feeder Pigs I hog CAFO facility in Wauzeka Township has been r...

A Wisconsin Hog Farm Would Produce 9.4 Million Gallons of Manure a Year. Nearby Residents Live in Fear. Crawford County is up against Roth Feeder Pig II, which would be the largest hog CAFO in the state and could permanently pollute local aquifers.

A big fight in small-town Wisconsin Residents of three rural counties in Western Wisconsin are fighting the construction of two factory hog farms that will do irreparable damage to their communities. Throughout July, we will be covering their struggle.

Fighting massive livestock operations gets harder for rural neighbors Jeff Jones, of Callaway County, runs his family's 100-year-old farm right next to a concen

Citizen Action urging stand for clean water MARIETTA TOWNSHIP - Roth Feeder Pigs, Crawford County’s only confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) is proposing to expand to a second facility in Marietta Township. On Tuesday, Citizen Action of Wisconsin (CAW) held an informational event attended by about 30 citizens in Ferryville, on the Miss...

Nancy Lu Rosenheim: Crawford County pig CAFO would spoil natural resources Dear Editor: I have resided between Steuben and Chicago for most of my life. As a woman of 65, a college professor and professional sculptor, I have finally begun to

Tomorrow!!
SUPPORT Community Rights US Livestream Fundraiser April 30 – May 1 http://CommunityRights.US/livestream

Event link: twitch.tv/CommunityRightsUS

“In for a Fight": Rural Wisconsinites Resist Influx of Industrial Hog Facilities Despite local efforts to block new Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), corporate agriculture interests are legislating and intimidating their way out of accountability.

Letter to the editor: Driftless Bio-region deserves protection The Kickapoo River watershed, central to the Driftless Bio-region in southwest Wisconsin, is a major environmental corridor. When the Wisconsin River is frozen over, eagles and other birds fly up

Information on factory farms is spotty at best. The government has been hogtied from doing more. CAFOs have been a point of contention between the livestock industry and environmental activists since they began to proliferate in the 1990s, overtaking small, pasture-feeding operations as the dominant form of animal agriculture in the US. As the number of livestock producers has declined, the num...

Opinion | Smithfield Claims To Be 'Sustainable' While Remaining One of the Biggest Industrial Polluters in the US Smithfield is pushing a massive greenwashing campaign to dupe consumers into thinking its products are environmentally friendly.

Liberalized, Privatized, Monopolized and heavily subsidized – Are the Farm Laws pushing Indian Agriculture this direction? Before the 3 Farm Laws, the farmers always had the freedom to sell to whoever they can, store how much ever they can and participate in the contract farming as well and now after the 3 Farm Laws, t…

https://emilyveronicaanderson.medium.com/the-ticking-time-bomb-in-our-backyards-32726b2c5e10

The Ticking Time Bomb in Our Backyards Factory farming is not only leading us towards ecological disaster; it’s catapulting us to the brink of the next pandemic

11/23/20 Over 200 neighbors request the DNR to conduct
an Environmental Impact Statement before issuing
Roth Feeder Pig II a permit to build CAFO in Crawford Co, WI.

Court Upholds Verdict That Smithfield Must Pay For Making Life Near Hog Operation Miserable Neighbors of an industrial farm sued over conditions including horrible smells from open-air pig waste lagoons.

Kickapoo Stewards updated their website address.

Sign Petition to the DNR for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Proposed Roth Feeder Pig II CAFO in Crawford County Sign Petition to the DNR for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Proposed Roth Feeder Pig II CAFO in Crawford County The proposed facility, when considered with its sister facility, would be the largest hog Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation in the state. This fact, on its own justifi...

Wisconsin Dept of Health Services Key Message on Manure Contamination of Residential Wells
https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p4/p45088.pdf

www.dhs.wisconsin.gov

https://imagineadaywithoutwater.org/?fbclid=IwAR13ap82ZvrhDpGwykmAFpnstfSvO-O9ZqTsSGOWholsLWKvvVLIByoDStw

Imagine a Day Without Water | Imagine a Day Without Water Imagine aDay Without Water. On October 21st. No water to drink, or wash your hands with. No water to shower, flush the toilet, or do laundry. Hospitals would close without water. Firefighters couldn't put out fires and farmers couldn't water their crops. Disease would spread. This year, as communiti...

10/6/20 Proceedings from the National Academy of Science

https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/10/06/2001046117

The data (from study posted 10/6/20) demonstrate that SADS-CoV has a broad host range and has inherent potential to disseminate between animal and human hosts, perhaps using swine as an intermediate species.

Swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus replication in primary human cells reveals potential susceptibility to infection The emergence of new human and animal coronaviruses demand novel strategies that characterize the threat potential of newly discovered zoonotic strains. We synthetically recovered recombinant wild-type and derivative swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronaviruses (SADS-CoVs) that express indicator gene...

Last week, Kickapoo Valley Resident, Eric Pauer handed out 250 flyers he made, to state employees on the steps of capital in Madison.

It was a beautiful October day and Eric said he received a lot of comments from various people who identified with the Kickapoo area. Some said they rafted on the Kickapoo River, and others said they loved this beautiful region.

Eric's positive action has brought additional attention to Kickapoo Steward's efforts to protect the land and water from the proposed CAFO ll. Thank You Eric !

Midwest News - MWNews.net

- Letter to the Editor -
by Martha Cornish - Crawford Co, WI

What’s Good About a CAFO ?

I have been thinking about the potential CAFO expansion (Roth Feed Pigs on Harvest Lane) for over a year. I have learned more about CAFO’s and pigs in particular, than I ever . . https://www.mwnews.net/html/ltr_to_editor.html

Oct 1st 2020 WPR Podcast - CLEAN WATER !

Kickapoo Corner's 'Chrissy Watson' of Crawford County, is the second caller to speak to reknown environmental activist Erin Brockovich about water concerns with proposed CAFO II.

The First caller from Kewaunee expresses Ag water table pollution and karst geology (at about 12 minutes in). Erin Brockovich explains how everyday citizens can advocate for clean water in their communities.

(https://www.wpr.org/listen/1703416)

Listen: Empowering People To Do Something About The Water Crisis, Teachers Unions Call To Move Classes Back Online Wisconsin Public Radio features in-depth news from WPR’s seven bureaus and NPR, entertainment programs, classical music and discussions on the Ideas Network.

Oooops?

DNR investigates Sioux County manure spill ROCK VALLEY—The Iowa Department of Natural Resource’s staff responded to a complaint Wednesday, Sept. 30, of manure discharging into the Rock River about five miles southwest of Rock Valley.

New USDA Records Show Trade Bailout and Coronavirus Payments Went to the Largest Farms
https://www.ewg.org/agmag/2020/09/new-usda-records-show-trade-bailout-and-coronavirus-payments-went-largest-farms

Crawford County 2020 Recipients >> https://farm.ewg.org/top_recips.php?fips=55023&progcode=totalfarm&yr=2020®ionname=CrawfordCounty,Wisconsin

EWG's Farm Subsidy Database EWG's Farm Subsidy Database put the issue on the map and is driving reform. Just ten percent of America's largest and richest farms collect almost three-fourths of federal farm subsidies; cash payments that often harm the environment.

Midwest News - MWNews.net

MWNews.Net

A Cautionary Tale of 'Well' Contamination
by Dale Huston - Prairie du Chien, WI

I grew up on a farm North of La Farge, WI. In the early 1950's my parents transitioned from a dairy farm to raising mink.
By the mid 1960's the ranch had grown to 11,000 mink during the summer and . . . https://www.mwnews.net/

Midwest News - MWNews.net

9/20 The Crawford County CAFO moratorium ends soon, before adequately completing the critically important task assigned by the Board of Supervisors to their Land Conservation Committee (LCC) to set up a workgoup to study and report "HEALTH SAFETY WELFARE risks of CAFO's pose to residents.

Unfortunately COVID caused many LCC workgroup meeting delays from the very beginning. Subsequent appeals for a moratorium extension by many Crawford County citizens has fallen on few deaf ears within the LCC, who voted 3/2 'against' requesting a moratorium extension.

For those interested in your family's health, safety and welfare, and want to keep your air and water clean of pathogens, here is paper from the U.S. "Center of Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)" that reveals insightful information of life in the vicinity of a CAFO.

Understanding Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO)and Their Impact on Communitieshttps://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/docs/understanding_cafos_nalboh.pdf

Here is a link Crawford County County Board Supervisors
https://www.crawfordcountywi.org/uploads/5/6/5/7/56576979/countydirectory.pdf

https://foodprint.org/issues/how-our-food-system-affects-public-health/

How Our Food System Affects Public Health | FoodPrint Learn more about the public health impacts of our food system, from FoodPrint.