A second public CAFO meeting regarding opposition to a proposed confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) near Westby is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 18, at 2 p.m. at the Westby Community Center.

On Sunday, Jan. 11, a group of neighbors and concerned citizens met with a representative of Petry Trust, of Rockford, Ill., about the proposed dairy operation in Vernon County. Petry Trust owns hundreds of acres of land in Vernon County throughout Christiana, Viroqua and Franklin townships, and is researching the area for possible placement of a 1,000-plus head dairy facility in Viroqua Township.

Petry Trust has proposed construction of the facility between Viroqua and Westby on East Smith Road and would lease the operations of the facility to another party. Petry Trust is owned by Jeff Petry, a land developer who owns large tracks of land throughout Illinois and southern Wisconsin.

The plan has sparked opposition from neighbors and citizens who first met publicly on Dec. 15, 2008, to discuss the proposal and privately on Jan. 5, before a CAFO opponent steering committee met with Petry Trust representative and engineer Marc Bourgault on Jan. 11. The Jan. 11 meeting had been scheduled to be a public meeting, but organizers later changed their minds and met privately with Bourgault.

In a phone interview following the meeting, Bourgault said the meeting was a good start even though not everyone was in agreement.

"I informed them that we really do not have any finalized plans but I was willing to listen," Bourgault said. "I did not agree with everything they had to say and they did not agree with everything I had to say, but at least the dialogue has started."

Leah Call, who would be a neighbor to the Westby-area CAFO is opposed to the project, agreed it was worthy to meet with Bourgault, but said after the meeting that CAFO development organizers are determined to move forward with the development whether or not it is a good fit for the area.

"Mr. Petry doesn’t live in the community and they are not the ones who should determine if it is a good fit," Call said. "The public needs to take a stand on this issue and soon, before the project goes any further. We need to think about land values, air pollution and water quality, especially with the heavy rains which have devastated the region over the past two years."

Bourgault declined to discuss the meeting detail, but did say some specific issues were touched on. Bourgault said he was asked if an anaerobic digester, that could create electricity, would be considered in conjunction with the operation. A similar digester is located at a CAFO operation near La Farge at Wild Rose Dairy.

"We will consider a digester, but we need a lot more information before we can say we would include one in a plan," Bourgault said.

Bourgault said more information about financing a digester and what kind of assistance is available is needed before Petry can make a commitment to adding it to a project.

According to Call, Bourgault told the steering committee that the preliminary tests done last month in the town of Viroqua came back positive and that more research was planned. Bourgault said the DNR process to site a CAFO is lengthy and that Petry believes the agricultural-based economy and infrastructure of the region makes it the best site for development.

Bourgault encouraged those who attended to visit a modern dairy operation of the size proposed near Westby and see for themselves that they can be operated in a way that is much less offensive than some have made them out to be.

"They seemed open to doing that and that is encouraging," Bourgault said.

Bourgault said the issue of Petry’s track record did not come up during the meeting. When asked about recent letters to the editor regarding a $70,000 DNR fine at a Darlington facility owned by Petry, Bourgault said he was not asked about that specific issue. The Darlington facility is operated under a similar arrangement that is being proposed in Westby, where Petry owns the facility. but leases it to another party.

Bourgault said Petry has made changes to the language in its lease agreement that would allow more control of operations so situations like the one in Darlington can be dealt with promptly.

Bourgault said he was asked in the meeting about concerns that the facility will be managed by someone outside the area. Bourgault said the Darlington facility is leased to a California company but there is a local manager. Bourgault said he has had talks with local people in Vernon County, who may be interested in managing the facility, but Bourgault said the plans for the operation are preliminary and there will be opportunity for public input throughout the site development process.

Call said those opposing the CAFO have viable concerns about management of the CAFO if it is constructed in the town of Viroqua.

"We’re talking about our homes and families here," Call said. "If this CAFO is constructed and poor management is hired to lease the facility, it could adversely affect a lot of people living here. That scares my family and should concern everyone living in the city of Westby and the surrounding area as well."

Bourgault said he was asked about possible public input as a preliminary plan is put together and told the group he would ask Petry Trust owner Jeff Petry before he could provide an answer to that question.

When asked if he is planning on attending another meeting set up by residents on Jan. 18, Bourgault said he has not been formally invited to the meeting, but may be willing to attend depending on the meeting’s format.

Citizens are encouraged to attend the Sunday, Jan. 18, meeting, at 2 p.m., at the Westby Community Center.