A look inside Central Sands Dairy during an open house in 2012
An ice and snow build up from the weekend destroyed parts of the roof of a barn at the Central Sands Dairy Monday.
Teams and the dairy and Wysocki Produce Farm demonstrated great compassion and urgency in assisting cows while cleaning up holding pen and free stall areas that sustained damage, said Tim Huffcutt, spokesman for the Wysocki Family of Farms, in a news release.
More than 100 people contributed to a coordinated response effort, enabling milking operations to resume Monday afternoon, the release said.
“Our first priority following the roof collapse was the safety of all involved, including animals housed at the dairy,” Huffcut said. “Sadly, because of the roof collapse there was a loss of cattle.
A veterinarian specializing in large animal care euthanized several cows who sustained critical injuries, Huffcut said.
Some cows are at an on-site hospital barn and are receiving treatment and ongoing care coordinated by a veterinary team. Other cows have been moved to stall space away from the area where heavy snow accumulated on the roof, according to the release.
There were multiple reports of roofs collapsing across the state, according to a USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin story. Four people and livestock were trapped in a barn in Denmark when the roof collapsed. One farm, near Bear Creek, lost 125 cows, according to the report.
Huffcut did not say how many cows were lost in the collapse at Central Sands Dairy.
The Wysocki Family of Companies plans to build another concentrated animal feeding operation, known as a CAFO, in the Wood County town of Saratoga. The dairy is expected to maintain 5,300 animals on 7,000 acres. Wysocki took the town to court and won when Saratoga officials refused to issue building permits for the proposed dairy’s buildings.
A civil case that could decide the proposed 3,500-cow dairy’s future is in the hands of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. At issue is whether the family-run company can use about 6,000 acres connected to the dairy for cropland.
Source: wisconsinrapidstribune.com
