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Roth Feeder Pig | Wauzeka
Fifth-generation hog farmer Howard “AV” Roth owns Roth Feeder Pig Inc., a 3,000-sow farm in Crawford County. In addition to the swine operation, Roth Feeder grows corn and hay on its more than 800 acres.
Roth is moving forward with plans to establish a second animal feeding operation in the state’s Driftless Region – a proposal that has generated controversy among area residents. According to plans submitted to the state’s Department of Natural Resources, the new facility – which would be built on existing cropland and include three barns, a composting building and equipment shed – would have capacity for more than 8,000 swine and produce around 140,000 piglets annually.
Residents have raised concerns over potential negative impacts on groundwater and water within the Kickapoo River Watershed. The site is expected to generate around 9.4 million gallons of manure and wastewater each year that would be spread on roughly 1,400 acres of land.
Roth Feeder received DNR approval to move forward with construction in May. He expects to hire 14 full-time employees to run the farm and four part-time employees.
Roth served as president of the National Pork Producers Council board of directors from 2020-2021 and is also a past president of the Wisconsin Pork Association. He is a member of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau and chaired the Wauzeka Township Smart Growth Committee.
Education: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Platteville