CAFOs, High-Capacity Wells Loom Large In Central Wisconsin Assembly Race

A debate over regulating high-capacity wells in Wisconsin’s Central Sands area is shaping up as the key issue in this year’s race for the 72nd Assembly District.

Democrats there are hoping to win back the seat that was a stronghold of theirs for 40 years. Republican incumbent Scott Krug defeated the veteran legislator Marlin Schneider in a three-way race in 2010, and then won a tight re-election race in 2012 by just 109 votes.

This year his Democratic challenger, Port Edwards attorney Dana Duncan, thinks he’s got a good chance to win. Duncan made his case against Krug in a debate this week sponsored by environmental groups who favor tighter regulations for high-capacity wells used by large dairy farms known as Combined Animal Feeding Operations.

“I don’t want CAFOs in Wisconsin period,” said Duncan. “They are the equivalent to agriculture what child labor and sweat shops were to manufacturing 100 years ago. And they will go away eventually if we stand firm.”

Duncan said Krug hasn’t tried hard enough to block a proposal of 5,000-cow dairy farm in the district. Krug, however, said compromise is necessary to balance the needs of farmers with protecting clean water. He said he’s crafting a site-specific permitting process that will allow big farms only where they won’t threaten clean water resources.

“I’ve fought hard as hell against my own party to make sure that the one-size permitting does not continue in the state of Wisconsin. We need to find ways that we can continue to grow agriculture, that we can continue to promote tourism, but we have to make sure that we’re permitting differently,” said Krug.

While the two candidates may share some reservations on the issue of CAFOs, they oppose each other on issues like reinstating voter ID, restoring union bargaining rights and increasing the minimum wage.