West River Dairy Expansion

Submitted By

1315 Results

Search Type

Sort:

Sort Results By

Comment From: Rachel McGill

3/23/26 @ 7:06 PM

The West River Dairy Expansion is of a scale that obviously probably impacts its surroundings in a significant way. It is a no-brainer that the environmental impact needs to be understood thoroughly here. Please do so.

No attachments

Comment From: Connie Maier

3/23/26 @ 6:43 PM

I am writing this in support of Riverview Dairy and the expansion. I grew up in the area and still go out there quite often. Riverview takes great care in their operations. My dad's farm is approximately 3 miles from the expansion site. When we go ou...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Charles Koehl

3/23/26 @ 1:28 PM

To whom it may concern, my name is Charlie, and I have been in Horton Township for 20 years.
I live within 6 miles of West River Dairy.
I have had numerous interactions with the West River Dairy Farm, and so far, they have all been positive. It is ...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Monica Ledesma

3/23/26 @ 1:00 PM

My name is Monica, and I have been living in Hancock for the past seven years. I live close to Riverview Dairies and have had the opportunity to observe their commitment to operating responsibly within the community. Based on what I have seen, I supp...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Heather Prunty

3/23/26 @ 12:57 PM

As a biologist, fisherman, and an avid hunter, I strongly oppose this expansion. Large scale dairy farms and feedlots are notorious for contaminating downstream water bodies on a large scale, as well as leaching into the groundwater. This is a much l...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Dixie Houser

3/23/26 @ 11:22 AM

To: MPCA
Re: Riverview Proposal - WEST RIVER DAIRY EXPANSION-CAFO Proposal
From: Dixie Houser
Riverview is proposing to pump 226 million gal. of water a year- almost as much as 5,000 people of Morris, that's not counting the numbers of private rur...↓

Attachments:

Download

Comment From: Tanner Zych

3/23/26 @ 11:16 AM

03-14-2026
West River Dairy Expansion
There should be a Thorough Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) done on this project.
This will have an obvious impact on that tract of land and the surrounding community for generations to come. There should b...↓

Attachments:

Download

Comment From: Boone Carlson

3/23/26 @ 10:54 AM

To the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency,

My name is Boone Carlson, and I serve as Chairman of the North Ottawa Township Board. I'm also a neighboring farmer to the North Ottawa Dairy, operated by Riverview Dairy. I'm writing in support of the prop...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Karen Renaud

3/22/26 @ 2:33 PM

This proposed operation is the first of its size in Minnesota. It would be nearly double the size of the next largest livestock operation in our state in terms of animal units. This makes it a fundamentally new and particularly powerful threat to Min...↓nesota farmers and rural communities.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency must recognize the fundamentally new nature of this threat and give this permit greater scrutiny than it ever has to previous proposals. This proposal by Riverview, LLP must be required to undergo a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

An EIS will allow the proposal's negative impacts on water quality and quantity, local roads, and existing independent family dairy farms to be fully analyzed before the project is allowed to seek a permit. According to the documents filed by Riverview, the proposed operation would require:
1. To supply water for the operation the facility would be allowed to pump 226 million gallons from an off-site well per year.
2. Liquid manure storage encompassing 250 million gallons of waste.
3. 13,200 acres of farmland for manure application.

Riverview has a recent history of a manure spill in western Minnesota. In Arizona, the company agreed to pay $11 million to residents affected by the dairy's over-pumping. The proposed Stevens County site sits within five miles of eight different protected waterfowl and wildlife production areas and is part of the Pomme de Terre River watershed, just 25 miles from its confluence with the Minnesota River. A facility of this scale located in such a vulnerable area calls for a thorough environmental review

Just as importantly, an EIS of the West River Dairy Expansion proposal would address socio-economic impacts. Minnesota is already losing dozens of dairy farms annually due to inconsistent and often below cost-of-production milk prices. Massive dairy operations, like the one Riverview is proposing to build, have glutted the market and tightened Big Milk's stranglehold on the industry, allowing them to push small and medium-sized family farms out of business and off the land. This operation would only exacerbate the situation and accelerate the loss of dairy farms in our state, decimating Main Street economies in the process.
An EIS must be requied for this project.
Thank You,
Karen Renaud

No attachments

Comment From: Sharon Kutter

3/22/26 @ 1:29 PM

I strongly urge you to dismiss any plans to proceed with the proposal to dramatically increase the size of the Riverview LLP dairy operation near Morris MN which would be more than 60 times the size of the average Minnesota dairy. Problems with thes...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Jacob Strege

3/22/26 @ 6:24 AM

I am against this in all ways. We are driving small farms out of the state. Nobody can compete with these coperations. The environmental impact is terrible and disgusting. The possibility of contamination of the water shed which would destroy ho...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Susan Frenzel

3/21/26 @ 7:44 PM

I submitted this comment on 3/20/26 and you deleted it. I'm resubmitting it.

The MPCA deleted the comment I made on Tuesday, 3/17/26, so, outraged, I followed up with more comments on 3/18 & 3/19. But what I have to say shouldn't be muzzled because ...↓it applies to the dangers to Minnesotans of animal/poultry factory farm practices. They have a direct bearing on this expansion request.

And the MPCA is the government bureau with the oversight to regulate animal and poultry factory farms. So take my comment. And act to protect Minnesotans.

I note that the head of the MPCA when the MN public was just discovering 3M's PFAs pollution came to the MPCA from 3M. So perhaps the current leadership at MPCA is from the corporate animal factory farm sector, and they're in a position to try to hide from us the dangers they actually pose to us.

NYT best-selling nutrition expert, Dr. Michael Greger, started out as an epidemiologist. One of the world's leading epidemiologists is Dr. Michael Osterholm, at the University of Minnesota.

In 2020, Dr. Michael Greger published, "How to Survive a Pandemic," about the next pandemic, possibly as soon as within 5 years, that might be a bird flu pandemic, that he predicted would probably be generated in an animal/poultry factory farm. He went in detail in the book about why viruses and bacteria become extremely lethal when generated in a system where the hosts are packed body to body, in dark, airless enclosures. Yes, dark, airless enclosures, packed body to body, causes weight to be put on fastest for poultry, cutting meat production time in half.

Greger told us calves are weaned on cow blood, which is protein nutritious, rather than on milk, which farmers can sell. Cattle (beef and dairy?) are fed chicken manure, which doesn't affect the taste of the meat of the cattle butchered for meat. Cattle are fed highly subsidized corn and soybeans which causes e coli to be produced in their stomachs, and the e coli endangers the consumer when he eats hamburger.

The reason this is relevant to MPCA, pollution control, is that you are the government bureau that can green light or limit animal and poultry factory farms.

Stink, smell and shit aren't the only things you should be paying attention to. The likelihood of animal factory farms generating pandemics is in your wheelhouse, too, within your responsibity.

Dr. Michael Osterholm published a book in December 2025 called, "The Big One," about the upcoming pandemic which might take 1/3 of mankind's lives.

I couldn't bear to finish Dr. Greger's book or to get past a few chapters of Dr. Osterholm's book.

I advise you to talk with Dr. Michael Greger and to Dr. Michael Osterholm about how animal/poultry factory farms can be modified to minimize their generation of pandemics.

As a living being, I ask you to make the factory farms you regulate act humanely toward their living products.

No attachments

Comment From: Charles Martelle

3/21/26 @ 11:57 AM

My mother owns acreage in synnes township that a watershed runs through. This land has been rotated between crops and crp since my grandfather purchased the property. Our family believes in conservation, sustainable agriculture, and keeping up good...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Heidi Peters

3/21/26 @ 7:07 AM

I strongly urge the agency to conduct an EIS on this proposed expansion before making a decision for the health of Minnesota's lands, its waters, its people, and its animals that would be at and around this site. Thank you for your consideration and ...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Carol Dines

3/20/26 @ 1:03 PM

I am writing to express my shock over the size of the proposed dairy in Morris, and to urge the MPCA to turn down their license to expand. Factory farming pollutes our water systems, and despite extensive storage systems, leaks are inevitable. A dair...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Marcia Schroeder

3/20/26 @ 12:10 PM

I live within 5 miles of West River Dairy. I believe that both Riverview and West River are run responsibly with an eye to preserving our environment. However, an expansion of the proposed magnitude requires substantial more environmental resources...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Dustin Walsh

3/19/26 @ 7:14 PM

My name is Dustin Walsh, and I farm in Swift County MN. I grow corn, soybeans, sugar beets and alfalfa, and our family has worked with Riverview for over 20 years.
I receive manure from the dairy as part of my nutrient management plan. Before any ap...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Alan Nikolai

3/19/26 @ 6:30 PM

This needs an full industrial scale environmental review as it is industrial in size. Clearly 25k+ cattle is a huge sanitation risk. As such, the risk needs a full industrial scale review.

No attachments

Comment From: Lisa Notsch

3/19/26 @ 4:10 PM

After having read an article in the Chokio Review, I am appalled at the fact that this expansion wasn't brought to anyone's attention sooner. I also find it ridiculous that this expansion doesn't even require an environmental impact study done, with ...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Hein Enslin

3/19/26 @ 2:33 PM

My name is Hein Enslin, and I've lived in Stevens County for over five years. As someone who lives near the existing West River Dairy, I take a strong interest in how water resources are managed in our area. Water availability matters not only for ag...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Michelle Burns

3/19/26 @ 9:41 AM

Minnesota doesn't need another feedlot. Especially from a company with multiple safety issues. Do they need more money to offset the 11MM judgement in Arizona? Additionally, before a decision is made an EIS is needed, to determine the effect on nearb...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Susan Frenzel

3/19/26 @ 2:13 AM

If MPCA okays this expansion of the feedlot for the dairy, how will you safeguard the drinking water from nitrates? A.I. says: "Stevens County, like many areas in Minnesota, may face issues with nitrate contamination in groundwater, primarily due to...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Mary Nesgoda

3/18/26 @ 7:34 PM

I would like to understand the reason for Riverview LLC desire to put another feedlot in Minnesota. Do they need more money to offset the 11MM judgement in Arizona? Minnesota doesn't need another feedlot. Especially from a company with multiple safet...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Tom Mahoney

3/18/26 @ 12:58 PM

I am concerned about the true environmental impact of the proposed expansion and would like the MPCA to require a full Environmental Impact Statement before the project can go forward.
A project of this scope demands careful and exacting review of c...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Susan Frenzel

3/18/26 @ 12:51 PM

The statement on your website above this comment line on March 17, 2026, stated that the manure containment systems for the expansion are sufficient except in the case of extreme storm events.

We are living with global warming, which is rapidly maki...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Susan Frenzel

3/18/26 @ 12:31 PM

The manure containment system for this expansion is sufficient "except in conditions of weather extremes." Today's March 18, 2026, Star Tribune weather report by Paul Douglas states: "Welcome to the United States of Weather Extremes."

Even before th...↓e dairy expands, it's a reality and a given that the manure containment systems will fail, because they aren't built for weather extremes, and weather extremes are a fact of life now.

I'm 72, and in my lifetime, MN lakes and rivers have gone from being swimmable and fishable to being covered with blue-green algae from overflow of fertilizer from fields and animal factory farms. That's the case from ice out in spring to the freeze in winter. There aren't a few weeks of good swimming anymore in summer.

The MPCA has already allowed the quality of life in Minnesota to be destroyed in favor of profits for animal factory farms. We Minnesotans paid too high a price for thirty cents off a package of meat or a gallon of milk. We lost what makes Minnesota great in our lifetime.

Future generations will be rolling in shit. Thanks a lot, MPCA! You knew what you were doing.

You were not doing your job for the state of Minnesota. And you did a number on us in favor of animal factory farms.

Is your mandate to promote industry over livability?

How about the poor neighbors to the dairy? Can they breathe freely? Can they sell their land for the same amount of money as they would have gotten before the dairy first expanded? What will their land be worth after the expansion?

What's the water table like around the dairy? A.I. data centers will draw down the water table statewide. How about that aquifer under us from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border? Is it drawn down beyond use yet? What do we do when the aquifer is gone, or polluted?

What good is the MPCA to the people of Minnesota?

I hope you'll do your jobs to the best of your ability and disallow an expansion of this animal factory.

Shoppers prefer milk humanely produced. When calves are given cow's blood to drink instead of cow's milk, that's not humane.

Milk produced by cows that are housed skin to skin in dark barns in conditions conducive to turning bird flu or any disease spread among them into an extremely powerful pathogen, endangering human life, we don't want that. You shouldn't either. You are supposed to be protecting us, not pushing the limits of what corporations can get away with, to the detriment of our environment and health.

It's not ok for you to expand West River Dairy. If you approve it anyway, to the detriment of Minnesota, make the dairy ship the manure to farms in other states, instead of dumping it all on this county and this state. How many tons? The animal factory system generates 5 tons of manure per year for every man, woman and child in the U.S.

No attachments

Comment From: Edie Thiel

3/18/26 @ 11:27 AM

My name is Edie Thiel. On March 10, 2026, I submitted a comment regarding the Riverview expansion project near Morris, MN. When I submitted my comment, I did not have all of the information to make an informed opinion; therefore, the data and informa...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Nancy Carpenter

3/18/26 @ 11:20 AM

I am a former resident of Morris, MN and oppose this expansion on the grounds that it is 1) unnecessary (except to increase the profits of Riverview Dairy), 2) directly harmful to family dairy farms, and 3) an environmental insult in terms of enormou...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Courtney Swenson

3/18/26 @ 11:17 AM

The site is too close to the Pomme de Terre River, the river would likely be polluted by run-off and could alter ecosystem. I vote no to expansion due to proximity to river and risk of pollution.

No attachments

Comment From: Marcella Bode

3/18/26 @ 9:48 AM

I'm not in favor of expanding the dairy. The effects on the environment would be horrible and the treatment of the animals would be disrespectful. Please do not approve.

No attachments

Comment From: lisa Rogers

3/18/26 @ 9:40 AM

I vote No! It's too big. Please pay attention to other huge feed lots across our country and the negative impact they have on the environment and the people who live nearby. Thank you.

No attachments

Comment From: Matthew Green

3/18/26 @ 7:46 AM

Hello, I would like to express my support for the West River Expansion. I lived 3 miles from the West River Dairy for 10 years At the age of 18 out of high school and love for farming. Riverview gave me an opportunity for employment for 8 years which...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Madeline Neenan

3/17/26 @ 3:08 PM

Hello,

As a farmer and community member, I am very concerned about the number of gigantic animal operations in our region. The "concentration" aspect of these industrial actors means that they simply cannot spread their manure on enough acres to man...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Minnesota Department of Natura... (Owen Baird)

3/17/26 @ 2:03 PM

MN DNR comments provided in the uploaded document.

Attachments:

Download

Comment From: Shari Prigge

3/17/26 @ 1:34 PM

I am opposed to this "unprecedented " request that would allow more pollution into the waterways, land, and surrounding areas of beautiful west central Minnesota. This business also appears to be monopolizing the wellbeing of many of our small farme...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Ruth Lindh

3/17/26 @ 10:58 AM

Massive industrial dairy operations are a danger to our environment and our rural economy.

No attachments

Comment From: Vanessa Sandoval

3/17/26 @ 10:17 AM

My name is Vanessa Sandoval, and I have lived in the Morris area for almost 14 years. In that time, I've had the opportunity to learn more about Riverview's farms and way of doing business. While I have always been impressed by how impeccable Rivervi...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Kim Carswell

3/17/26 @ 8:54 AM

I am writing about this proposed expansion. While I do not live in Stevens County I live in Minnesota and view this plan as an incredible precedent going in the wrong direction. The only benefits I see are for the business. The animals, the land, ...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Lisa Moldan

3/17/26 @ 7:43 AM

Livestock Confinement operations in this state already have to submit manure (nutrient) management plans and report and pay water usage. I know this for a fact; I am a hog farmer in Southern Minnesota. (And, I grew up a dairy farmer's daughter milkin...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Ann Johnson

3/16/26 @ 8:43 PM

Please require the massive Riverview Dairy project to get an Environmental Impact Statement. I am elderly and will live near this massive project. Riverview would pump up to 226 million gallons/year from an off-site well - they will take our water...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Patricia Burns

3/16/26 @ 8:05 PM

I am opposed to this proposed huge dairy feedlot in Stevens County. What are you thinking of having that many cattle along the river? I grew up in Chippewa County and love cows that funded my college tuition.....but this is unhealthy for them and t...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Angela Lofquist

3/16/26 @ 4:43 PM

An operation like this must require care of our environment and the impacts it will have on it. I am voting for requiring and environmental impact statement from this company sharing how they intend to clean and return water to the aquifers they're p...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Coby Backman

3/16/26 @ 3:37 PM

I am writing this in support of the West River Dairy expansion.
Riverview Dairy has been a positive addition to our agricultural community. From the ability of local farmers to sell their crop to them, to the nutrient rich manure that is then avail...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Brian Lacey

3/16/26 @ 2:40 PM

Letter of support for Riverview Dairy Expansion
*West River Dairy Expansion
My name is Brian Lacey. My farm is in Lawrence Township/Grant County since the 1960's. My farm location is 7.9 miles from the North Ottawa Dairy. I have been able to watc...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Cory Skaurud

3/16/26 @ 12:06 PM

We have been working with River View for 6 years now. Since the very beginning they have been an outstanding company to be involved with. They are made up of very smart, passionate, and forward thinking people. Their company is always looking at ways...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Kurtis Wulf

3/16/26 @ 11:56 AM

To whom it may concern,
I am a neighbor who lives and farms in the area around the West River Dairy. Each interaction that I have had with Riverview has been filled with integrity and a genuine concern for my well being as well as a desire to care fo...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Sarah Backman

3/16/26 @ 11:22 AM

Hello, as a neighbor in Darnen township, I support this project for the expansion. I do not support overreach by the MPCA or the government, imposing burdensome regulations and expenses that do not support the project's growth. This project is an ass...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Jennifer Vogt-Erickson

3/16/26 @ 10:54 AM

Dear MPCA,

I am writing in regard to water quality threats that a very large confinement dairy operation would pose to Stevens County.

My connection to the area is that I graduated from the University of Minnesota-Morris in 1998. I was once startl...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Joe Storlien

3/16/26 @ 10:06 AM

Attachments:

Download

Comment From: Sophie Hannig

3/16/26 @ 10:01 AM

It is vital that the Riverview Dairy be required to submit an environmental impact statement. It is nearly twice as big as any current operations in the state, and its environmental harm would be enormous. Here's what we know now.

Massive water use...↓

No attachments

Comment From: John Doe

3/16/26 @ 9:55 AM

I would like comment in favor of Riverviews expansion. I do not live near a current Riverview dairy but I have seen there operation and the benefit it provides for the local community and economy.
Riverview provides a big economic booster for areas ...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Greta Conroy

3/16/26 @ 9:09 AM

Housing this many dairy cows in one area would produce a very large amount of manure. If not carefully managed, manure runoff will contaminate nearby groundwater, rivers, and lakes with nitrogen and phosphorus. Along with its environmental impacts la...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Leslie McInenly

3/16/26 @ 8:58 AM

Please do not approve this project without an EIS. I am concerned about water usage and waste management. I also have concerns about the size of these farming operations and related health of the animals.

No attachments

Comment From: John Velie

3/16/26 @ 8:07 AM

The owners of West River Dairy must be required to file an EIS. They must prove that the massive amount of manure this operation will produce will not negatively impact the groundwater systems in the area and they must prove they have a sanitary plan...↓

No attachments

Comment From: George John Dubie

3/16/26 @ 7:43 AM

PLEASE, PLEASE, Do not allow the mega-huge dairy farm in Stevens County. We don't need more environmental damage. These can be smaller and spread out more land wise. Thank You!

No attachments

Comment From: Christopher Loetscher

3/15/26 @ 5:15 PM

The proposed Riverview CAFO threatens soil, water, and air quality, human health, and independent family dairy farms. A proposal of this magnitude, with its attendant threats, requires a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). I worked for the Dio...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Nathan Huerkamp

3/15/26 @ 11:16 AM

Let's conduct some due diligence.

It is vital that the Riverview Dairy be required to submit an environmental impact statement. It is nearly twice as big as any current operations in the state, and its environmental harm would be enormous. Here's w...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Lisa Goddard

3/15/26 @ 10:52 AM

It's vital that the Riverview Dairy be required to submit an environmental impact statement. It is nearly twice as big as any current operations in the state, and its environmental harm would be enormous. Here's what we know now:

Massive water use: ...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Deborah Camasta

3/15/26 @ 10:22 AM

Large scale factory farming is detrimental to society, small farms and ecosystems.

No attachments

Comment From: John Pierce

3/15/26 @ 8:43 AM

Riverview Dairy must submit an environmental impact statement.

Dairy operations are notorious for water consumption AND for point source water pollution. Without an EIS, we will not know the potential harms to weigh against economic benefits.

No attachments

Comment From: Rachel Nielsen

3/15/26 @ 8:35 AM

My concerns regarding this project center on animal welfare and environmental impact.
CAFOs pose well known and documented environmental risk not just due to manure management but as a result of destruction of grazing land and wildlife habitat.

Ho...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Mary C. Voight

3/14/26 @ 8:00 PM

I grew up in Morris and attended high school with the Riverview owners.

Do your job as pollution control agents for Minnesota taxpayers and prevent the massive and unnecessary expansion of a greedy operation by irreligious people that will pollute...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Bridget Shankey

3/14/26 @ 2:18 PM

No attachments

Comment From: Rhona Wilson

3/14/26 @ 2:05 PM

An EIS should be ordered for this project due to its massive size, which is *11 times* larger than the minimum threshold for an EAW, its likely impacts on ground water and surface water, and the amount of greenhouse gases that are likely to be emitte...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Kendra Nielsen

3/14/26 @ 1:12 PM

Dear Members of the MPCA,
It is hard to know where to begin when you are trying to save a place that is part of your own childhood and the area where your mother and extended family were raised and where some still live. When I say "save" that i...↓s not an overstatement. West River Dairy, overseen by Riverview LLP, and its proposed expansion threatens the health of the land, the water, the wildlife, and the people who live and visit in the surrounding area. Let me correct that slightly by saying it has ALREADY threatened those things and people since its inception, but now GRAVELY threatens the land, the water, the wildlife inhabitants and the people.
I truly believe it is greed that has been the motivation behind this dairy and the almighty dollar is now threatening an expansion of gross proportions. Gross in every sense of the word. I visit the area where my mom grew up - just one mile away from West River Dairy - several times a year, as do several of my siblings and their families. Every time, since the day the dairy operation began, we have to cross our fingers that the smell from the dairy doesn't hinder or completely wreck our plans during our time at Frog Lake (Gorter Lake on the map) while visiting family nearby and staying at what was my grandparents' home which my mom owns now. The lights from the dairy can be easily seen across the field at night, that's how close it is.
My grandfather, Alfred Holslin, bought farmland back in the early 1920's and was married and began raising a family in the 1930's in the area that I am talking about that is so near the West River Dairy and proposed expansion. That legacy of farming was passed down to my uncle, Maurice Holslin, and continues to be carried on by my cousin, Mark Holslin, and his sons, Justin and William Holslin. Not only does an operation like West River Dairy and its overseer, Riverview, LLP, threaten the things I previously mentioned, but it also has a choke hold on the family farms in America. The average farmer can't compete with corporate or factory farms when it comes to buying land to expand their own operations. When I think about a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO), such as what is being proposed to expand, I think about my grandpa Al Holslin and how upset he would be over the confinement of such a large amount of animals for "maximizing efficiency" and in knowing what kind of decimation these operations cause to the land, the water, the animals, and the people exposed to it. This dairy and the proposed expansion is crushing my grandfather's dream for future generations. This is just one story. There are more. Please listen. Don't allow the expansion to go forward.
Sincerely,
Kendra (Haag) Nielsen

No attachments

Comment From: Barbara Haag

3/14/26 @ 11:58 AM

To Whom It May Concern,
My family home and surrounding land on Frog Lake (Gorter Lake on a map), with familial ownership dating back to the early 1920's to present, sits one mile north of the Riverview LLP dairy. I voiced my concern when it was ...↓originally planned and talked to the MPCA at that time, as well. Despite my disapproval and that of many others in the community, the dairy operation went forward. My concerns over the water table and the tremendous amounts of animal waste are still at the forefront of my mind, especially since they have increased their capacity from their original plan and now have much larger wants. They have outbid the small farmer to gain more land when land is sold.
What are the working conditions in their barns and what wages do they offer that causes them to bypass American workers and seek cheaper labor and veterinarians from Mexico?
Our beautiful lake, Frog Lake, next to where my late parents' home sits and that I now own, is a wonderful place for waterfowl and game. Artists, naturalists, and conservationists have visited, written about, and painted the wildlife that are regular visitors to the lake, farm and prairie lands in the area. Because of those people and the wildlife, this area has become known to people around the state of Minnesota and the country. The abundance of varied waterfowl is amazing. What is not amazing is the odor that is carried on the wind from the Riverview Dairy (West River Dairy) one mile away. The odor is so offensive at times that you can't stay in the area. Enjoying the outdoors or having your windows open is impossible.
Most people don't know that the life of a dairy cow at a place like Riverview's is cut short by living all their life on a concrete slab, never being outside to graze in the pasture, and being milked 2 or 3 times per day. Have they not learned anything about how a dairy farm should be operated?
My parents left their home to me when they passed away as a place where my children and grandchildren could come to enjoy the beauty of the surrounding area and the family ties that connect us to this land. My brother continued farming this land after our dad passed away and he has now passed that legacy to his son and two grandsons. The Riverview Dairy (West River Dairy Expansion), just one mile away from where they live and farm, will be an even bigger threat to their health and livelihood if this operation increases capacity.
Let me end by saying this: When money is your god, your hunger to obtain it overtakes your ability for sound reason and compassion.
Sincerely,
Barbara (Holslin) Haag

Attachments:

Download

Comment From: Ilga Polleitis

3/14/26 @ 11:30 AM

An EIS is a must for something this huge and impactful.

No attachments

Comment From: Maria Weir

3/14/26 @ 11:26 AM

Hi, I am very concerned about this expansion. Please find my comments below.

It is vital that the Riverview Dairy be required to submit an environmental impact statement. It is nearly twice as big as any current operations in the state, and its envi...↓

No attachments

Comment From: John Marks

3/14/26 @ 6:47 AM

The West River Dairy Expansion proposal must have a full Environmental Impact Assessment. The way of life which the citizens of Minnesota value is based on clean water and clean air. Concentrating so many dairy cows in one place will result in envi...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Lindsay Henkemeyer

3/13/26 @ 10:59 PM

Factory farms go against everything the Minnesotan people and communities stand for. They believe in community, environment, health and wellbeing. Large scale factory farms are terrible for environment, animals, and surrounding family farms - family ...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Cathy Dolan

3/13/26 @ 10:35 PM

I am requesting you do an Environmental Impact Statement Study of the River West Dairy Expansion. I support the Land Stewardship Projects concern about this proposed huge farm and it's impact on the land, people, cows, and community. Consider ALL ef...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Owen Tesson

3/13/26 @ 10:15 PM

I would like to express my opposition to this project. The threat to local Waters both above and below ground must be considered, as well as what will happen to dispose of the massive amount of feces and waste created.

No attachments

Comment From: Paul Adams

3/13/26 @ 9:14 PM

We farm right next to Riverviews North Ottawa dairy and it has been a good experience. We use manure from the dairy to fertilize our corn silage ground and we have had a very positive effect on yield and have been using less commercial fertilizer as...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Norm Gross

3/13/26 @ 6:45 PM

As a small family my farmer I would like to see more energy and $ go into keeping families on the land and keep rural America alive and vibrant. These huge corporation farms harm MN, the land and the local communities.

No attachments

Comment From: Jennifer Hill

3/13/26 @ 5:46 PM

I don't understand how this could move forward without an EAW to inform decision makers on impacts to neighbors, the community at large, and the local watershed (possibly even beyond). Environmental externalities can no longer be ignored while while ...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Theresa Zingery

3/13/26 @ 5:14 PM

For the safety of all, the Riverview Dairy project must be required to get an Environmental Impact Statement.

No attachments

Comment From: Erika Nelson

3/13/26 @ 4:31 PM

No attachments

Comment From: Jennifer Fox

3/13/26 @ 4:20 PM

It is vital that the Riverview Dairy be required to submit an environmental impact statement. It is
nearly twice as big as any current operations in the state, and its environmental harm would be
enormous. Here's what we know now.
Massive water use: ...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Sara Clifton

3/13/26 @ 3:59 PM

No attachments

Comment From: Caitlin Clemens

3/13/26 @ 3:42 PM

No attachments

Comment From: Mark Robinson

3/13/26 @ 3:38 PM

No attachments

Comment From: John Clifton

3/13/26 @ 3:02 PM

No attachments

Comment From: Ray Canapini

3/13/26 @ 2:58 PM

Do not expand this farm! The environmental damage would be horrible.

No attachments

Comment From: Tim Phillips

3/13/26 @ 2:20 PM

I attended college at the University of Minnesota Morris, and I believe it is vital that the Riverview Dairy be required to submit an environmental impact statement. It is nearly twice as big as any current operations in the state, and its environmen...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Karen Watson

3/13/26 @ 1:57 PM

No attachments

Comment From: Suzanne Lommen

3/13/26 @ 1:29 PM

Please STOP this massive, inhumane treatment of animals and environment!
Please STOP the West River Dairy Expansion.
- Suzanne Lommen

No attachments

Comment From: Stephen Leinen

3/13/26 @ 1:21 PM

No attachments

Comment From: Nicole Frank

3/13/26 @ 1:08 PM

I do not agree with allowing expansion. At the very least the likely impacts to to be assessed and reported for informed decision making. This needs to be a decision based on community wellbeing and health.

Nicole Frank

No attachments

Comment From: Margi Preus

3/13/26 @ 12:57 PM

No attachments

Comment From: Ashley Kittelson

3/13/26 @ 12:42 PM

Please require Riverview Dairy to submit an environmental impact statement. It is nearly twice the size of current operations in the state, and the environmental damage could be enormous. The water usage would dramatically increase with unknown groun...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Sherri Thissen

3/13/26 @ 12:15 PM

12:09
It is vital that the Riverview Dairy be required to submit an environmental impact statement.
It is nearly twice as big as any current operations in the state, and its environmental harm would be enormous. Here's what we know now.
—Massive wate...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Cristina Ortiz

3/13/26 @ 12:05 PM

As a local resident and community member, I'm very concerned about the potential environmental impacts of a project of this size. This project would apparently more than double the size of Riverview's dairy operation in Stevens County, with the final...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Ian Radtke-Rosen

3/13/26 @ 12:01 PM

This proposed operation is the first of its size in Minnesota. It would be nearly double the size of the next largest operation in our state in terms of animal units. This makes it a fundamentally new and particularly powerful threat to Minnesota far...↓mers and rural communities.

Minnesota is already losing dozens of dairy farms annually due to inconsistent and often below cost-of-production milk prices. Massive dairy operations, like the one Riverview is proposing to build, have glutted the market and tightened Big Milk's stranglehold on the industry, allowing them to push small and medium-sized family farms out of business and off the land. This operation would only exacerbate the situation and accelerate the loss of dairy farms in our state, decimating Main Street economies in the process.

No feedlot has ever undergone an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in Minnesota. Each time the MPCA has determined that an operation should undergo one, the operator that requested the permit has withdrawn their application. And all of those operations that were determined to need an EIS were significantly smaller than Riverview's proposed operation will be.

If built, the Riverview operation would be allowed to pump up to 226 million gallons of water per year from an off-site well. For reference, the City of Morris, which is home to over 5,000 people, is permitted to pump up to 300 million gallons of water a year. Once constructed, the facility would produce 202,744,000 gallons of liquid manure and wastewater a year and 26,400 tons of solid manure a year.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has not yet completed a mapping of Stevens County's groundwater resources and aquifers for their County Geologic Atlas Series. In fact, they have not even begun the hydrological survey of the county. It is irresponsible to other water users and residents of the area to move forward with this permit without a full understanding of the potential impacts.

The Pomme de Terre watershed, where this expansion is proposed, is already considered a sensitive watershed. The MPCA already lists the two closest waterways to the facility, the Pomme de Terre River and an unnamed creek, as impaired, and this proposal would only exacerbate the impairment.

No attachments

Comment From: Leslie Kaup

3/13/26 @ 11:46 AM

I don't live near this proposed project, but I do live in a rural area, and I grew up in a different rural area, and I understand what large animal confinement operations can do to a community. First of all, the animals suffer. Stressed and crowded a...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Amy Leinen

3/13/26 @ 10:46 AM

No attachments

Comment From: Karen Nelson

3/13/26 @ 10:04 AM

Please do all necessary steps to make sure water and environmental concerns are addressed before allowing Riverview Dairy from expanding. Minnesota's water and environment are under threat with this project. Protect Minnesota's environment for future...↓

No attachments

Comment From: Mary Abel

3/13/26 @ 9:34 AM

No attachments

Comment From: mark paquette

3/13/26 @ 9:33 AM

THE RIVERVIEW DAIRY PROJECT MUST BE REQUIRED TO GET AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT. And they must be prevented from wrecking our water and air.

No attachments

Comment From: Rachel Day

3/13/26 @ 9:10 AM

No attachments

Comment From: Theresa Salchert-Keller

3/13/26 @ 8:35 AM

No attachments

[ Previous Page / Next Page ]