Ruling Marks End to Years Long Attempt to Circumvent Winona County’s Local Rules Related to CAFOs
The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) applauded the Minnesota Supreme Court’s recent decision to deny a Winona County factory farm owner’s attempt to circumvent Winona County’s rules governing the size of livestock operations. On March 18, Chief Justice Natalie Hudson announced that the Court would not hear an appeal filed by Daley Farm of Lewiston, LLP. Daley was attempting to appeal a decision issued by the Minnesota Court of Appeals in December that upheld a county’s right to limit the size of large animal feedlots operating within its borders.
“No matter how many times they’re threatened with lawsuits and otherwise intimidated by Big Ag, people are going to continue to stand up for small and mid-sized farms and rural communities,” said LSP member Doug Nopar, who farms near Winona. “This decision sends an important message that when we fight back against even the most powerful forces, we can have a say in the future of agriculture, our land and our communities.”
The Court of Appeals decision leaves in place a state District Court ruling that Winona County had the right to deny Daley Farm’s attempt to circumvent the county’s 1,500 animal unit cap. In 2018, Daley Farm first proposed adding 3,000 dairy cows to its facilities near Lewiston, despite the fact that such an expansion would put the operation at 5,968 animal units (roughly 4,500 cows), almost four times Winona County’s cap.
The expanded facility would have used 92 million gallons of the area’s groundwater and produced 46 million gallons of manure and wastewater in an area dominated by karst geology and nitrate pollution problems. The expansion would have made the facility larger than 99% of all livestock operations in the state, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Base de datos de corrales de engorde en Minnesota.
The Winona County Board of Adjustment (BOA) has twice denied the variance, and, despite strong opposition from Winona County residents, Daley officials have repeatedly attempted to circumvent local county government rulings through various means, including suing Winona County over its BOA decision. As a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling, Daley Farm has no further options to challenge the denial of the variance. In its March 18 ruling, the Supreme Court also denied an amici curiae (friend of the court) motion in support of Daley that had been filed by the Minnesota Milk Producers Association, Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation, Minnesota Pork Producers Association, Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association and the Winona County Farm Bureau.
Over the years, LSP members in Winona County have been deeply involved in upholding the county’s animal unit cap, and in 2024 the organization, along with the group Defenders of Drinking Water, filed un escrito jurídico with the Minnesota Court of Appeals contesting Daley Farm’s appeal of the state District Court’s decision. LSP is represented in the case by FarmSTAND y Public Justice.
“The Minnesota Supreme Court’s decision not to take up this appeal affirms the right of the people of Winona County to govern themselves, and to decide what the future of agriculture should be where they live,” said Holly Bainbridge, a FarmSTAND staff attorney. “Rural communities across the U.S. who want to see smaller farms thrive should look to Winona County and take heart.”
Sean Carroll, LSP’s policy director, said the Supreme Court’s decision tops off the legal system’s repeated support of local citizens’ right to speak up and control the future of their community. It comes at a key time for rural communities in the Upper Midwest that are facing the onslaught of an unprecedented expansion of factory farming: last month a dairy in Pierce County, Wis., received state approval to expand from 1,700 cows to 6,500 cows, despite heavy local opposition, and Riverview, LLP, which is based in Morris, Minn., has plans to build two facilities in North Dakota that would house 25,000 and 12,500 cows, respectively.
Since its founding over four decades ago, LSP has worked in Winona County and other parts of the Upper Midwest to support farmers in their efforts to develop crop and livestock systems that are economically viable, build healthy soil and protect water resources. Carroll said the organization is looking forward to deepening this work.
“When people speak out against large-scale industrial agriculture, they are casting a vote for a type of agriculture that is good for the environment, provides options for the next generation of farmers and supports Main Street businesses,” said Carroll. “LSP will continue working with our members and allies to build this kind of positive future.”