WINONA, Minn. – The Daley farm at Lewiston is back in court in a persistent bid to expand its dairy herd beyond county maximums. This time the Daleys want a subpoena to look deeper for documents that might tell whether the County Board rigged a zoning board with members who held biases against factory-scale farming. It’s an allegation that Ben Daley, patriarch of the family, has made in court before but with mixed success. The latest decision against the Daleys was a deadlocked County Board in December. At various points in the prolonged battle, going back to 2014, Daley has admitted he lacked evidence of bias but, as a dairyman might put it, something sure was stinky in Denmark. Daley’s suspicions have been aimed at the Land Stewardship Project, which led early opposition to herd expansion. Daley is saying this time, as he has before, that the County Board “corrupted” the approval process by appointing unfriendly LSP people to the Board of Adjustment, the county zoning agency.

Earlier: Next Daley move: “All cards on table”

Earlier: Attorney defends Daley motives for variance bid

Earlier: Daley dairy expansion denied again

The Daley spread. Twice a day 1,500 cows climb onto a carousel for automated milking, then are guided back to their feeding barns.

Animal caps

The Daleys seek a variance from the county’s 1,500-animal-unit cap to nearly 6,000 animal units. That’s roughly 4,500 cows. Among Daley motivations: The sixth-generation farm has grown to too many families depending on the operation to be financially viable into the future for all of them.