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Kinnard Farm reaches settlement with Wisconsin DNR

The rotary parlor at Kinnard Farms

A northeastern Wisconsin dairy farm has proposed a court settlement with the State of Wisconsin over alleged nutrient management plan violations.

Kinnard Farms, Inc. from Casco and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources have been at odds over sixteen incidents between 2018 and 2022 ranging from improper manure applications to not submitting proper engineering evaluations for some farm facilities.

The proposed settlement is scheduled for state review Tuesday, March 28th.  If accepted, Kinnard Farms would pay 215-thousand dollars in penalties.  The farm might also have to submit plans to upgrade two waste storage facilities and a feed storage area if a DNR evaluation shows they are needed.

Lee Kinnard

In a statement issued Friday, spokesman Lee Kinnard said, “For the sake of our family, our fifth-generation dairy and crop farming business, and our relationship with the DNR, we decided it is time to move forward with a settlement, avoiding a lengthy and costly dispute. Our family remains committed to working constructively with regulatory agencies as we continue our use of science-based practices to produce nutritious food while also being highly protective of our precious water and soil resources, our cows and our community. We continue to innovate daily through our use of climate-smart practices. Our family prides itself on being a leader in regenerative agriculture. For decades, we have utilized practices such as cover cropping to build healthy soil and no-till planting to reduce erosion, and have incorporated industry-leading sand and water recycling technology, as well as a system that allows for the production of renewable natural gas. We look forward to pursuing state-of-the-art manure management technology that will allow our family to remain on the cutting edge of conservation and further protect and improve water quality.”

Kinnard Farms has about 8,000 dairy cows and produces milk, crops, and renewable natural gas from manure.

This story has been updated with corrected settlement information.

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