This week, the state Department of Natural Resources announced that revisions to manure-management rules (NR 151) in parts of eastern Wisconsin, including Door and Kewaunee counties, will take effect July 1.
As a conservation-driven and community-minded organization, Peninsula Pride Farms understands the value of targeted rules that address water quality in the most sensitive areas.
It is unclear, however, how the changes to NR 151 will affect individual farms, especially small ones located on the shallowest of soils. On its face, the set of new regulations would likely put a number of family farms out of business. No one wants to see that happen. We need to find practical ways of preventing this while at the same time protecting our water.
As a group, Peninsula Pride works to help farms of all sizes improve by considering individual circumstances and challenges. We strongly urge the agencies that will be tasked with implementing these new rules to do the same with those farmers who would have no option other than to fold.
We look forward to receiving more information about how the rules are to be implemented.
It remains our firm belief that we can have clean, safe water and a thriving agricultural community together.