---

Windmill cable people crossing our 120-year-old family farm
Dear Editor,
My son and a neighbor did not want any windmills or have them cross their property. After visitations from the Red Barn people, both gave consent to let them run a buried cable through their farms. In our case, that meant letting them cross 60 acres of good open pasture land with water and oak trees and cattle-tight boundary fences on both sides. Our interpretation was that they would come through and dig a trench for a buried cable. They led us to believe that it would be like the cable along Highway 18 to Dodgeville and beyond.
In our discussion with Red Barn, before my son agreed to let them go through our pasture, I questioned them about not taking out any oak trees ande burying any rock that was brought to the surface first. It never occurred to us that they would disturb a 60 foot wide area and take out four (4) oak trees, open up three inside fences and dig up a portion of a corn field, leaving all land open for severe erosion which did occur. Before we could seed this land back down we picked up large rocks and tree roots and filled ditches before we could seed the 30% plus slope pasture land back down. The fence would not pass as beef cows and calf tight and has again been brought to Red Barn's attention.
Anyone who is on the fence about granting permission to allow the windmill people to cross their farm is welcome to come and see what your disturbed pasture, fences and fields could look like after they leave.

Gerald R. Christiansen
Representing The Christiansen Irrevocable Trust
727 Old Highway 18
Montfort, WI
608-943-6775