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DNR will conduct EIS for proposed large Wisconsin hog farm

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says it will use an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process for the proposed Badgerwood swine operation in Bayfield County.

Reicks View Farm of Lawler, Iowa wants to build a large sow-raising farm about seven miles from Ashland.  The $17.7 million facility would be the largest hog operation in the state with 7,500 sows, 18,700 little pigs and 100 boars.  The farm would raise sows for Reicks’ Iowa operations. The site was selected because of its distance from any large hog production areas.

The proposal has drawn resistance from local residents who are concerned with the amount of manure and odor the facility will produce.  The plans filed with the DNR show the manure would be held in pits under the barns before being injected into the soil as per a state-approved nutrient management plan.  The barns will use European-style filtration and ventilation systems to minimize odor.

The DNR decided the EIS process would be the best way to comply with the Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act requirements for environmental analysis in advance of any permit decisions for the project.  “The first step in the analysis process will be to provide an opportunity for interested persons to identify important issues to be addressed in the EIS. The department will soon announce more details on the EIS scoping process and methods to provide such input.”

Reicks View Farms is a fifth-generation hog and corn production operation employing 150 people in northeast Iowa.