Letter to the Editor: Good vs. Bad Neighbor Farmers

I heard on a Door County radio station a local dairy farmer whining that if the county’s townships continue to restrict manure spreading that there wouldn’t be any farmers left in the county.

This farmer is a classic poor neighbor farmer. A good neighbor example  farmer is the Peterson’s IN Appleton, Wis. “IN” is in capitals because the farm is within the city limits of Appleton. It is located north of  I-41 on Richmond Street (aka Wisconsin 47). There is a school within the length of a football field from the farm. There are no complaints about the farm’s presence because, as Mr. Peterson explained to me, he wanted to be a “good neighbor” because of the closeness of his dairy farm to his neighbors.

What did he decide to do to become a good neighbor? He decided to compost all his manure. His family farm doesn’t smell, nor pollute the water, nor air. He becomes a sustainable farmer by applying the compost to his land. He becomes an entrepreneur by selling the compost to neighbors and landscapers.

Brian Hansen

Algoma, Wis.