WINONA, Minn. – The Daley family has lined up farm organizations to support expanding its dairy herd to 6,000 cows. The Winona Post reported that these organizations have committed to signing on to an appeal that the Daleys filed in December to the State Court of Appeals:
> Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation.
> Minnesota Milk Producers Association.
> Minnesota Pork Producers Association.
> Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association.
> Winona County Farm Bureau.
Support could take the form of becoming co-litigants, or filing friend-of-the-court briefs, or helping the Daleys pay for attorneys. There have been unanswered questions about how the Daleys have managed costly legal bills over seven years of protracted appeals to expand their herd from 1,500 to 6,000 cows, while simultaneously claiming their multi-generational farm can’t support all the families involved without a much larger herd.
Verbatim
Glen Groth, president of Winona County Farm Bureau, to the Post: “I think at the heart of this case is, can a farm family in Winona County get a fair hearing? If you get a political climate in the county that is hostile to ag or certain forms of ag, there is no way that farms can get a fair hearing in that kind of environment where people make up their minds beforehand.”
Verbatim
Sean Carroll, policy director for the Land Stewardship Project, which has opposed the Daley expansion: “Animal unit caps are common-sense avenues for protecting water resources while shielding local communities from the kind of unprecedented consolidation that is putting small and mid-sized farmers out of business and decimating Main Street economies.” The Daley proposal would have concentrated animal feeding operation larger than 99% of all livestock operations in the state, he said.
Verbatim
Bruce Kleven, attorney for Daley supporters: “Livestock farmers across the state of Minnesota have a significant interest in the issue of whether biased anti-agricultural groups should hold sway over the expansion of their family farms to include the next generation.”