Ron Seely/Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism

Big farms, frac sand mines could feel force of judge’s groundwater ruling

A recent legal decision is likely to significantly change how Wisconsin manages its groundwater and will especially affect the state’s sandy counties where powerful wells are irrigating potato fields, servicing giant dairies, and providing water critical for the state's frac sand mining boom.

By Ron Seely/Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, Taylor Chase/Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism and Madeleine Behr/Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism

/ 22 Sep 2014

Big farms, frac sand mines could feel force of judge’s groundwater ruling

New method of spreading manure under scrutiny

Scott Murray did not want to leave the home in rural Juneau County, Wis., where he and his family had lived for more than 20 years. But with the house surrounded on three sides by manure irrigation systems, life had become a nightmare.

By Ron Seely/Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism

/ 29 Apr 2014

New method of spreading manure under scrutiny

Mega-dairy’s growth plans hotly debated

A four-day hearing on the challenges surrounding the expansion of a mega-dairy in Wisconsin showcased a community's deep divisions. A handful of speakers showed support for the dairy expansion. Many others expressed their concerns over the dairy's potential environmental impact, including a resident

By Ron Seely/Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism

/ 18 Feb 2014

Prions — in plants? New concern for chronic wasting disease

Prions — the infectious, deformed proteins that cause chronic wasting disease in deer — can be taken up by plants such as alfalfa, corn and tomatoes, according to new research from the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison.

By Ron Seely/Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism

/ 27 Sep 2013