Submitted by Danny Akenson, GROWW
PIERCE COUNTY, WI – Ridge Breeze Dairy is quietly working to finance its controversial plan to quadruple in size by selling public bonds for a $18 million loan. A Public Hearing will be held on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at the Salem Town Hall.
The Appleton-based corporation has been pursuing the loan behind the scenes for months. The proposed expansion is in the Town of Salem. According to Public Finance Authority (PFA) policies, Town of Salem Chair, Brent Halvorson, can simply stop the loan because, “Any project not approved by the local jurisdiction will not be financed through PFA.”
PFA’s policy requires projects to “demonstrate tangible public benefits to the community in which it resides.” However, for more than two years, Ridge Breeze’s neighbors have organized in opposition to the expansion, which would make it the largest factory farm in Western Wisconsin. Thousands of local residents already live with contaminated water, so the thought of a massive factory farm that puts the water, roads, and small farms of Western Wisconsin at risk has driven people of all backgrounds to oppose the expansion.
The Wisconsin DNR recently recommended that Ridge Breeze get a water pollution permit for the factory to spread 80 million gallons of waste from 6,500 cows in Pierce, St. Croix and Pepin counties. More than 10,000 loads of waste will be trucked over country roads. Local opponents are exploring a plan to file a contested case hearing on the permit.
“Ridge Breeze wants to use public financing to build a factory farm that threatens our community’s health and property,” said Danny Akenson, Field Organizer for Grassroots Organizing Western Wisconsin (GROWW). “Companies like Ridge Breeze want to misuse public funds to up their profits and strip our rural communities of resources. These bonds should be making our communities stronger – creating jobs and small businesses, not shutting down small farms. We should be improving our water, not poisoning it. We should be repairing our roads, not tearing them up.”
If approved by Halvorson and the PFA, Ridge Breeze can use the $18 million loan for design and construction costs, payment of interest and professional fees. The bonds are issued under Wisconsin Statute 66.0304. under IRS Code of 1986 Section 147(f), The Town of Salem is required to hold the hearing on March 12, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at the Salem Town Hall. Any member of the public will be able to bring their thoughts and concerns for comment.
GROWW is a grassroots organization based in Western Wisconsin. We began organizing with communities in seven Western Wisconsin counties: Barron, Buffalo, Dunn, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, and St. Croix. To get connected or learn more about GROWW, visit us at GRO-WW.org, on Instagram at @GrowWisconsin, or on Facebook at Facebook.com/GROWWisconsin.
