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Welcome to KnowCAFOs, a corporation dedicated to keeping you informed about the advance of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) into our communities. A CAFO farrowing operation has filed a preliminary application for a facility in Trade Lake Township in southern Burnett County, Wisconsin. This industrial operation that intends to house 26,350 hogs, approximately 7,500 sows that could have up to 30 pigs per year per sow! (link). Do the math. (7,500×30=225,000). While some won’t survive and will be composted on site, the remainder will presumably be shipped to facilities close by in Burnett and Polk in lots of 2,499 per facility to be fed off. That means a huge number of new hog farms in both counties.

Our sign on Hwy 87, two miles from the proposed farrowing CAFO. Thank you for your donations.

The proposed Trade Lake facility admits that it will spread approximately 6.8 million gallons (link)  (page 3 of PDF) of liquid manure on just over 1,000 nearby acres per year. The CAFO Burnett County permit says 9+ million. Smaller feed lot facilities will have their own manure to spread. A current Water Resource Survey of the Trade Lake Township (tradelakewi.com, hopefully soon) states that there is only one aquifer that residents have available for drinking water. The CAFO intends to remove millions of gallons of that water yearly and return some of it into local fields as liquid manure. Some will surely seep into the ground and penetrate the aquafer.  More of the feces will run off fields into ditches which drain into our local streams, rivers and lakes. Drinking and swimming in contaminated water has severe negative health effects for humans (link)  and can destroy the natural resources that support our area.

The air pollution from these facilities is also a major concern. (link) Windborne particles carry bacteria and gasses that are proven health hazards. (link)

The smell can travel downwind up to six miles. Sitting outside on a warm summer evening will be disgusting if the wind is right. And the smell is not just a bad odor—the air emitted from industrial hog farms contains contaminates such as: Ammonia; Hydrogen Sulfide; and Methane.

So, the government will protect our health and property values, right? Not so fast. The Burnett and Polk County governments have, with extreme public input, instituted moratoriums and formed committees to investigate these CAFOs. Unfortunately, both County committees have so far failed to consider the health effects of these CAFOs on their citizens. (link),  (link) and (link).

Any Ordinance MUST include health-related clauses to protect the community. Based on extensive public and supervisor input, several Townships have created Ordinances that address these issues. Trade Lake Ordinance (link). Eureka Ordinance (link).

The Counties need to follow suit.

What can you do? Defend your clean air and water by communicating with the County Supervisors and particularly the Committee Members, Administrators and County Attorneys below and demanding the rightful protection of your health, the health of your family and the health of all who drink or breathe in your community! Call and email them all. Make your voices heard. We only have one shot at this.

POLK COUNTY Supervisors, Administrators & County Attorney

  • Polk County Supervisors: (link)
  • Polk County District Map: (link)
  • Polk County Administrator Vince Netherland: (715) 485-9286, netherland@co.polk.wi.us
  • Polk County Corporation Counsel – Malia Malone, (715) 485-9210

POLK COUNTY Environmental Committee Members

BURNETT COUNTY Supervisors, Administrators & County Attorney

BURNETT COUNTY Large Livestock Committee

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