LEWISTON, Minn. – The Daley dairy family’s persistence to fight the Winona County cap on herd size has aimed at draining the resources of no-profit organizations that oppose factory-scale farming, according to the policy director of the Land Stewardship Project. Sean Carroll made the charge in a fundraising message to LSP members ahead of a new court hearing on the latest Daley case against the Land Stewardship Project, a nonprofit, and also against Winona County. The The Daley farm, outside Lewiston, ss the largest dairy operation in Winona County. “When a corporation engages over and over on legal battles, one of their goals could be to drain the resources of nonprofit organizations who are standing in their way,” Carroll said. His message to LSP supporters: “Thanks to the massive support from members like you and our allies, we were able to meet the costly burden of hiring a legal team to represent us. Instead of crippling us, LSP is coming out of this situation stronger.” Carroll said that 370 members have helped meet the organization’s legal fees. He also thanked partner organizations:
> Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement.
> Missouri Rural Crisis Center.
> Dakota Rural Action.
> Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.
> Farm Aid.
The Daleys’ latest court case is in a familiar forum – in Winona County District Court next month.
Earlier: Daley’s state lawsuit to expand herd still on
Earlier: Daleys yield on suit against feedlot foes
Earlier: Land stewards rally ahead of new Daley talks
Earlier: Daley dairy accused of stifling farm policy dialogue
Earlier: Daleys accused of spiteful political attack
Earlier: Daleys back in quest to grow herd exponentially
Earlier: County’s attorney: Dead-end ahead for new Daley suit
Earlier: Not giving up: Daleys persist for 4,500-cow farm
Earlier: County to Daleys: Let’s spell it out: N-O
Earlier: Feedlot opponents organizing resistance
Earlier: Mega-feedlot ban again before County Board
Earlier: Daley dairy expansion denied again
Earlier: Daley expansion critics go door to door
Earlier: Next Daley move: “All cards on table”
Endless doggedness
Since 2014 the Daleys have sought an exemption from a long-standing Winona County cap on herd size. The Daley goal: To put 4,600 dairy cows in an area that opponents claim is already compromised by high nitrate levels in ground water and fish kills. It’s their right, the Daleys say, to grow their business as they see fit. They have been unsuccessful, however, in a series of appeals in the courts and before regulatory agencies over nine years. A Daley argument evolving in recent years has been that their opponents have tainted he political process for considering an exemption to the herd size rule. The current Daley lawsuit claims that the Land Stewardship Project has created this bias. LSP has responded that the Daleys have it all wrong and don’t understand how democracy works. Said LSP’s Sean Carroll: “Our organizing is simply part of the democratic process of people coming together to talk to their neighbors about issues that concern and affect them, and then speaking out to their public officials to make those concerns heard.”