Family farm plots major growth

A family-run dairy farm in Green Valley is seeking regulatory approval for an expansion that could nearly double the operation’s size and place it among Shawano County’s larger farms.

Wagner Farms Inc., located at N6928 County Road BB, has unveiled plans to build a new barn bigger than two football fields, and to expand its herd from 650 cows to 1,200 cows.

Owner Hank Wagner says his immediate plan involves just 100 more cows for the time being, but he said agricultural industry pressures are forcing him and his family to think long-range about ways to sustain the business into the future.

“You have to continue to be able to grow,” he said. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to stay in business.”

Wagner Farms is a fourth-generation dairy farm that was founded more than 100 years ago and has been recognized recently for its conservation practices.

Green Valley Town Chairman Arl Rudie said he has heard no concerns about the expansion plan, which requires approval at the local, county and state level.

“I really don’t see a problem with it,” Rudie said. “They have very responsible people with their farm.”

The farm’s proposal is scheduled for a public hearing Wednesday before the Green Valley Town Board, followed by another hearing Thursday before the Shawano County Land Conservation Committee.

Wagner Farms also must register with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and obtain a permit to operate as a “concentrated animal feeding operation, or CAFO, which is how the state classifies farms with more than 1,000 animal units. Under the state’s definition of animal units, Wagner Farms has about 950 units and would surpass 1,800 with its new expansion plan.

It would become just the eighth farm in Shawano County to qualify for the special status, which involves a lengthy permitting process that requires detailed plans for managing livestock manure and other potential pollutants.

Wagner said although he was reluctant to cross the threshold and endure the added government regulation that comes with qualifying as a concentrated animal feeding operation, he expressed confidence that his farm could pass the intense scrutiny and represent the local dairy industry well.

“We’ve always tried to do everything correctly,” he said.

Two years ago, Wagner Farms was recognized for soil and water conservation during the annual Shawano County Agricultural Awards.

The farm is located in the far northeastern corner of Shawano County.

Shawano County land conservation technician Brian Hanson said his department is recommending approval of the farm’s expansion plan. Hanson said the proposal would not impact neighbors negatively, and it appears to be a well-organized strategy for building Wagner Farms into the area’s newest mega-farm.

“That’s the way the industry is moving,” Hanson said.

Founded in 1896, Wagner Farms has remained in the family for four generations, with Hank and Pam Wagner taking over in the 1980s. Their children, Shawn and Laura, both help run the farm now, along with Laura’s husband, Tyler Raatz.

Hank Wagner said dairy prices have not kept pace with rising costs, so the family hopes that increasing productivity is the answer.

At 1,100 acres, the farm includes four barns, a milking parlor, a commodity building, a feed storage area and two large waste storage facilities. The plans on file with the county include a new 650-foot-long barn, another waste storage facility and an expanded feed storage bunker.

Hank Wagner said he plans right away to build about half of the new barn and add 100 more cows. From there, continuing the expansion will depend on business conditions in the years ahead, he said.

Although he called it exciting to be growing a business started by his great-grandfather, Wagner, 55, said he is not trying to compete with other large farms by amassing more animal units.

“We’ve never been about trying to keep up with anybody,” he said. “If we have to add more units, we’ll do it.”

He added: “Some of that will be up to the next generation.”