Minnesota Supreme Court rejects appeal from Daley Farm to expand operations

(ABC 6 News) – An appeal from the owner of the Daley Farm of Lewiston LLP to expand its livestock operations has been rejected by the Minnesota Supreme Court.

The owner of the so-called “factory farm” in Winona County was trying to appeal a decision issued by the state’s Court of Appeals in December, upholding the county’s right to limit the size of large animal feedlots within the county.

Winona county already has a 1,500 animal unit cap, and in 2018, Daley Farm proposed adding 3,000 dairy cows to its facilities near Lewiston.

The Land Stewardship Project, which has been opposed to the farm’s expansion, says the expanded facility would have used 92 million gallons of the area’s groundwater per year. They also say it would have produced 46 million gallons of manure and wastewater.

LSP member and local farmer Doug Nopar said the supreme court’s decision “sends an important message that when we fight back against even the most powerful forces, we can have a say in the future of agriculture, our land and our communities.”