Western Wisconsin town passes ordinance regulating operations of large farms

A western Wisconsin town has passed an ordinance that would regulate the operations of large livestock farms.

The Isabelle town board in Pierce County passed an operations ordinance Monday night for concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs. Those farms have at least 1,000 animal units or the equivalent of 700 milking cows.

Isabelle’s ordinance requires a CAFO owner locating within the town to obtain an operations permit and pay an application fee. The owner would also be required to share various plans to manage waste, air pollution, carcass disposal, road maintenance and fire safety, as well as how to prevent the spread of disease and damage to nearby waterways...