Wisconsin Farm Bureau had a very successful legislative session in 2023-24. With newly drawn legislative maps and a growing number of retirements among veteran legislators, the next session will likely bring new opportunities and challenges, but it’s important to look back and see the progress made during the prior legislative session.
A significant portion of legislative work during any session typically revolves around appropriations in the state budget, and this session proved to be no different. WFBF led the charge to create the Agricultural Road Improvement Program (ARIP) to provide $150 million in grants to upgrade weight-posted roads that have plagued farmers with problems for decades.
In addition, WFBF and other stakeholders fought for funding increases for numerous other programs farmers rely on including:
- $2 million for meat processor grants.
- $500,000 per year for grants to dairy processors.
- $2 million for the Wisconsin Agricultural Export Promotion program.
- Farmer mental health funding of $100,000 per year.
- $2 million for nitrogen optimization pilot program grants.
- $70,000 per year for livestock premises registration.
- Additional $50,000 per year for Wisconsin Agriculture in the Classroom program.
- $1.6 million for cover crop rebates.
- Maintained funding for producer-led watershed protection grants.
- $22,176,500 in funding for county conservation departments.
- $125 million to address PFAS contamination.
- $1 million in 2024-25 for well compensation and well abandonment grants.
- $6.5 million for rural nonpoint source water pollution abatement grants.
- $200,000 per year for Targeted Runoff Management grants.
- $3 million reallocated to fund the Food and Farm Exploration Center in Plover.
In addition to these funding priorities, we found success in pursuing policy changes. The Farmland Preservation program got some much-needed updates to shorten the minimum enrollment period from 15 to 10 years and increase the financial incentives for farmers, bringing them in line with the rising costs of compliance. We also encouraged the passing of a bill to maintain a farm voice on county conservation committees after USDA concluded it was a conflict of interest to have FSA representatives sitting on these committees.
On the transportation front, bills passed to extend the allowable time period to use a farm Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) from 180 to 210 days, expand the use of permits for 98,000 pound six-axle milk trucks to allow hauling other milk products and to create a CDL training grant program to address the shortage of available drivers.
Two bills which also passed this session helped progress two major projects to increase agricultural processing capacity. The bills facilitated tax incremental financing to help Minnesota-based CHS build a $700 million soybean processing facility in the City of Evansville in Rock County and Belgian potato processor, Agristo, build a $40-50 million potato processing plant in Stevens Point. The Evansville facility is expected to process 70 million bushels of soybeans each year, increasing profits for farmers and creating 90 new jobs for the local economy. The Stevens Point plant is expected to create 150 jobs and purchase 10,000 to 20,000 acres of potatoes from Wisconsin farmers annually.
On the last days of floor action in the state legislature, legislation was passed pre-empting local governments from enacting local ordinances dictating operational animal agricultural practices and protocols. Concerns have been growing regarding regulations that destabilize agricultural production and impose arbitrary regulations or prohibitions, similar to that of California’s Prop 12, coming to Wisconsin in the form of disruptive local ordinances. This legislation would have preempted these types of local regulations providing regulatory certainty to Wisconsin farms but was vetoed by Gov. Evers.
All these things have been possible through a strong presence in the state capitol, but more importantly because Farm Bureau members participate in their communities and build relationships with their elected officials at all levels of government. Our continued success in the future relies on ongoing grassroots advocacy and political engagement of our members.
Jason Mugnaini is Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation’s executive director of governmental relations. Jason oversees WFBF’s governmental relations team, which supports Farm Bureau members in local communities and advocates for policy on the state and national levels.
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