As urban sprawl and local activism reshape the rural landscape, agricultural leaders are sounding the alarm. The most significant threats to the dairy industry may be brewing at the town hall.
In an interview with Mid-West Farm Report, Erin Tomasik, Community Relations Manager for Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, emphasizes the urgent need for farmers to mobilize at the grassroots level to protect their livelihoods.
She says a growing disconnect between local boards and the agricultural community has created a vacuum filled by misinformation. This gap in understanding has led to a surge in proposed ordinances and moratoriums, particularly regarding Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and manure hauling. Many of these local boards, Tomasik notes, are now composed of members who have no personal connection to farming, leading to a “mistrust” of existing state regulations and oversight.
“I think a lot of times it comes from the perspective of fear that they are worried that a large hog operation or a big dairy is going to come in and they get no say in it,” Tomasik explains.
The pressure is particularly acute across Western and Central Wisconsin, she says, where organizations like GrassRoots Organizing Western Wisconsin (GROWW) are pushing standardized regulatory frameworks. Tomasik warns that even the smallest three-person town boards are now discussing complex agricultural restrictions that could negatively impact family farm businesses.
While high-level lobbying in Madison and Washington, D.C., remains a priority, her message is that the most effective defense is a local one. Showing up to explain the “full truth” behind farming practices can prevent a community from viewing its farmers as the enemy.
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