Dunn County adopts agricultural performance standards and manure storage ordinance
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — The Dunn County Board has adopted an updated ordinance on agricultural performance standards and manure storage and management.
The county board adopted the updated ordinance on a second reading at the July 28 meeting after the ordinance had been introduced to the county board for a first reading at the June meeting.
The previous ordinance was adopted in April of 2000, and the changes and updates were made according to state law and state administrative code.
The ordinance is consistent with a model ordinance provided by the Wisconsin Department of Trade, Agriculture and Consumer Protection and includes NR151 standards for land and water conservation.
One change over the previous ordinance is that Dunn County has enforcement authority in the new ordinance, said Chase Cummings, county conservationist.
Under the previous ordinance, when there were compliance issues, Dunn County relied on the state Department of Natural Resources to enforce NR151.
At the May meeting of the Planning, Resources and Development Committee, when there was a public hearing on the proposed ordinance, Cummings had noted that with the DNR’s limited staff, compliance issues could take anywhere from a couple of years to up to 10 years to resolve.
Gary Bjork, county board supervisor from Colfax and a member of the PR&D committee, has previously objected to the enforcement authority in the ordinance and also objected to it at the July 28 county board meeting.
Bjork said he intended to vote “no” on the ordinance.
Larry Bjork, county board supervisor from Menomonie, said the ordinance “changes from helping farmers to (creating citation) authority.”
Dunn County land conservation has always operated in “a spirit of cooperation with farmers,” said Tom Quinn, county board supervisor from Menomonie and chair of the PR&D committee.
There have been a few cases over the years where enforcement is an issue, and the ordinance establishes “the rules of the road,” Quinn said.
Dunn County “has a long history of working with farmers,” he said.
If the state already has the regulations in place, then why does Dunn County need an ordinance? asked Mike Rogers, county board supervisor from Menomonie.
Dunn County’s ordinance is not more restrictive than the state, Cummings noted, adding that the ordinance sets standards, gives more guidance, provides better clarity and makes a better process, especially for those instances when cost sharing must be offered or the rare instances when enforcement action is needed.
If there is no standard, then there is no incentive to follow the ordinance, Cummings said.
All landowners are required to have a nutrient management plan, said Brian Johnson, county board supervisor from Colfax.
Even just for 20 acres? Rogers asked.
“Yes,” Cummings said, a nutrient management plan is needed if a landowner is applying nutrients to a crop field.
The ordinance is doing nothing different than what the state requires and establishes more local control, said Mike Kneer, county board supervisor from Menomonie and a member of the PR&D committee.
The Dunn County Board approved the agricultural performance standards and manure storage and management ordinance on a roll call vote.
Supervisors Gary Bjork, Larry Bjork and Steve Jenson, county board supervisor from Elk Mound, voted “no” on the motion. Supervisor Rogers abstained.
John Calabrese, county board supervisor from Menomonie, was absent from the meeting.
