Tag Lane Dairy

Tag Lane Dairy is located at N8812 River Valley Road in Ixonia, Wisconsin. Tag Lane Dairy LLC is an existing Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation located in the Town of Ixonia, Jefferson County, Wisconsin. Tag Lane maintains a current dairy herd of size of 2,228 animal units (1,290 milking & dry cows, 470 heifers, and 350 calves) with a planned expanded herd size to 3,578 animal units (2,254 milking & dry cows, 469 heifers, and 350 calves) by 2020.

Manure generation and spreading records indicate the herd at Tag Lane Dairy will annually generate approximately 10,415,000 gallons of manure and process wastewater and 16,600 tons of solid manure in the first year of the permit term. After the planned herd expansion, manure generation and spreading records indicate the herd will annually generate approximately 16,645,000 gallons of manure and process wastewater and 26,500 tons of solid manure.

The Tag Lane Dairy currently has 2,633 acres (325 owned and 2,308 controlled through contracts, rental agreements or leases, or under manure agreements) of which 2,594.8 are spreadable acres (not restricted from receiving manure).

Tag Lane Dairy currently has 242 days of storage for liquid manure, process wastewater, and rainfall, and at least 59 days of storage for solid manure.

** information from DNR's Final Determination to Reissue a Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) Permit Number WI-0063932-02-0

Click here for the EPA's Detailed Facility Report for Tag Lane Dairy

Click here for 2018 DNR hearing on the expansion of Tag Lane Dairy

Tag Lane Dairy's DNR and EPA Permits and Violations

Keep in mind that regulation of CAFOs is largely determined by self-reporting. In other words, if the owner shares his/her logs and what is written down conforms to the DNR regulations, the CAFO is okay to continue to operate. With lack of oversight, boots on the ground to confirm that the self-reported information matches what is really occurring, could there be more infractions that are not known?

Current Concerns with Tag Lane Dairy

Questions or concerns about Tag Lane and their manure handling/spreading? Send an email to defendingourixonia@gmail.com with a detailed description of the situation and photos (with a time and date-stamp), if possible.

Wondering if Tag Lane should be spreading manure? Check out the Runoff Risk Advisory Map (link to current map here and link to archived maps here). Tag Lane Dairy is in watershed WATW3.

Tag Lane Dairy installed a manure pipeline on Hustisford Road and were pumping manure without applying for a permit in October, shortly after the Manure Pipeline Ordinance was passed.

Please see Ixonia Town Chairman Perry Goetsch's email to a concerned citizen who alerted Goetsch about the violation below:

Thank you for your e-mail inquiring about the Manure pipes on Hustisford Road.

The Town was made aware of this action on Sunday after Supervisor Taylor drove past and observed the tractor on the east side of Hustisford Road. A call was made immediately to Tag Lane Farms Representative John Pernat citing the violation of Ordinance 2018-05. After discussion with Mr. Pernat, he noted they would cease operation in this manner by 5:00 pm that day. I reminded him the Ordinance is in full effect and a permit is required.

On Monday morning at approximately 8:00 am, Mr. Pernat presented himself at the Town Hall to complete an application. We utilized the current right-of-way permit and charged $50. The Board will finalize a separate Manure Hauling application consistent with the sample permit from the Wisconsin Towns Association, at the November 12^th meeting.

I have followed up with a letter to Tag Lane Farms informing them of the violation.

Please feel free to contact me with any future questions or concerns regarding this or any other matter.

Perry

Perry T. Goetsch, Town Chairman

Town of Ixonia

920-261-1588

perry@townofixonia.com

September 2018 EPA Visit: "EPA Documented Several areas of concern"

Link to EPA written report

Link to EPA photos of Tag Lane Dairy

Per 243.17(3)(b), "Liquid storage facilities or systems shall be emptied so that the 180-day level indicator, specified in s. NR 243.15 (3) (i) or (j), is visible on at least one day between October 1 and November 30, except for liquid manure remaining due to unusual fall weather conditions prohibiting manure applications during this time period. The permittee shall record the day on which the 180-day level indicator was visible during this time period. Permittees unable to empty their storage facility to the 180-day level indicator between October 1 and November 30, shall notify the department by December 5."

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