Rosendale Dairy receives final permit approval from Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources

ROSENDALE, Wis.– Rosendale Dairy has received approval of its Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources permit modification, allowing it to complete Phase 2 of the more than $70 million project. The DNR announced its approval Friday.

“It has been a long, thorough process, one that has required more than 30 permits and approvals on all levels of government, culminating in this announcement by the WDNR” Rosendale Dairy partner Jim Ostrom said.

Ostrom said he and his partners, John Vosters and Todd Willer, “appreciate the complexities of the process and the time and effort put into the permit process by the WDNR. Throughout the process, we have shown our commitment to our communities, to the environment, to our employees and to our cows, a commitment that we know will be upheld in the future.”

Work is now being done on completing a second barn and a second carousel milking parlor at Rosendale Dairy, which will allow dairy capacity to increase from 4,000 to 8,000. In the past 18 months, more than $6 million was spent to build a waste treatment plant at the dairy.  “Rosendale Dairy has installed a partial sewage treatment facility at the farm allowing us to break manure into liquids and solids so it can be better utilized by area crop farmers,” Ostrom said.

“We are committed to being stewards of the land, our employees, our cows, our community, our neighbors and the future of dairy farming in America’s Dairy State,” he said.
Construction on Phase 2 of the dairy will continue until the end of summer, with the first additions to the herd expected to arrive at the dairy in the coming weeks.

Contact: Bill Harke, (920) 766-5335, Ext. 227 or
bharke@milksource.net

Dairy committed to farming and community

Rosendale Dairy represents a $70 million investment in the state at a time when the economy is struggling and other industries are retrenching.
 
Set on 2,000 acres in the town of Rosendale in Fond du Lac County, Rosendale Dairy is being developed as one of Wisconsin’s most environmentally sound, modern and efficient farms. In the process, it will create 70 permanent local jobs, support hundreds of construction jobs and purchase more than $30 million or goods and services per year from local contractors and vendors.
 
The investment by partners Jim Ostrom, John Vosters and Todd Willer also is significant because of its beneficial ripple effects on the state’s rural economy. Wisconsin agriculture is at a crossroads and large farms such as the proposed Rosendale Dairy will play an increasingly important role in sustaining the state’s agricultural infrastructure, including dairy processing plants, agricultural supply cooperatives, veterinary services, grain and livestock marketers, implement dealers and more. Such businesses are a critical source of jobs and the foundation of Wisconsin’s rural communities. Approximately half of the 70 jobs at the farm will be highly skilled positions, providing opportunities for dairy science graduates and experienced herd managers, while half will be considered lower-skilled positions.
 
The site in Fond du Lac County was chosen because of its central location and the fact that it is home to an exceptional base of crop farmers. These farmers will benefit from purchases of up to $4.8 million worth of feed products each year. In addition, the crop farmers will benefit from a Rosendale Dairy manure processing facility designed to convert the dairy’s waste products into solid and liquid soil nutrients that will reduce fossil fuel-based fertilizer use in the area by 90 percent.