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Residents urge in-person DNR hearing, warn Gilbert Farms CAFO expansion threatens Door County groundwater
Summary
Multiple Door County residents told the county board they oppose Gilbert Farms’ proposed CAFO expansion, citing alleged permit errors and karst geology risks, and urged the Wisconsin DNR to hold an in‑person informational hearing with a Zoom option; county counsel said permitting authority rests largely with the DNR.
Several residents pressed the Door County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 26 to oppose a proposed expansion of Gilbert Farms’ concentrated animal feeding operation and to press the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to hold an in‑person informational hearing with a Zoom option.
At the county board meeting, Annette Vincent of Sturgeon Bay read a detailed public comment into the record opposing the expansion, saying Door County’s shallow soils and underlying karst geology make it unsuitable for a large CAFO and that the county’s tourism-based economy and residents’ health would be at risk. “We deserve to have safe water to drink and air to breathe,” Vincent said as she asked the board to help secure an in‑person DNR hearing.
Other speakers provided detailed allegations about the permit paperwork and potential environmental risks. Rod Miller, a fourth‑generation landowner, said permit documents list substantially larger volumes of manure than the public notice suggested: he said the public notice listed 5,700,000 gallons of liquid manure while permit documents show more than 21,000,000 gallons annually after the proposed expansion; he said solid manure figures were stated as 838 tons in the notice but 1,570 tons in permit materials. Miller also reported discrepancies in land acreage reported as owned versus rented and urged the board to oppose the expansion, saying many fields proposed for spreading lie on thin soils and fractured bedrock that increase the risk of groundwater contamination.
John Vincent quoted a June 30, 2025 report from hydrogeologist Ian Anderson, saying the fractured Silurian dolomite in the area has high secondary porosity and “contaminants can quickly flow into and through the aquifer.” Vincent said Anderson recommended requiring groundwater monitoring at Gilbert Farms beginning with a minimum of three wells and asked that Gilbert Farms submit a Phase 1 groundwater monitoring plan by Oct. 1, 2029.
Several community groups and associations also urged an in‑person DNR hearing. Betty Parsons, speaking for the Bayshore Property Homeowners Association, said the association unanimously opposes the permit and asked the board to support an in‑person hearing with remote access for those who cannot attend.
Corporation Counsel Sean told the board that CAFO permitting and regulation are “almost exclusively” handled by the Wisconsin DNR and that the county’s regulatory authority is very limited, with the county able to regulate manure spreading only in narrow situations (for example, when a CAFO leases land that has a nutrient management plan). He advised residents to direct permitting appeals and requests about hearing format to the DNR while saying the county can voice its concerns to that agency.
Members discussed whether the county could offer a venue for a DNR in‑person hearing; one supervisor said county facilities might be helpful if the DNR elects an in‑person format.
What happens next: the DNR controls the informational hearing and permitting timeline; residents asked the county to advocate for an in‑person hearing with a Zoom option and to press for groundwater monitoring requirements tied to the permit process.
