At the 2025 Young Farmer and Agriculturist Conference and Annual Meeting, the Wisconsin Farm Bureau hosted an in-depth workshop designed to help members better understand and access the wide range of agricultural and conservation grants available to them.
As financial pressures and environmental expectations grow, knowing how to navigate funding opportunities has become increasingly important for young and beginning farmers.
The workshop was led by two experts from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP): Chris Clayton, director of the Land and Water Resources Bureau, and Katy Smith, section manager of Land and Resource Management.
Their goal was to demystify the grant landscape and empower members to take advantage of programs that can support both farm profitability and long-term sustainability.
Wisconsin’s Land and Water Resources Bureau currently administers 13 different grant programs. These initiatives are designed to promote healthy soil, clean water and resilient farming communities by offering financial assistance, technical resources and collaborative opportunities for producers statewide.
The presenters emphasized that these programs are not one-size-fits-all; instead, they serve a variety of needs and farm types, from small family operations to larger, diversified farms.
Some grants focus heavily on education and planning. For instance, the Nutrient Management Farmer Education grants provide farmers with training to develop and implement nutrient management plans. These plans help improve soil health while reducing input costs.
Other programs, such as the Soil and Water Resource Management grants, offer cost-share funding for on-farm conservation practices like cover crops, rotational grazing and erosion control structures.
Throughout the session, attendees were encouraged to think strategically about which grants align with their goals, timelines and conservation priorities. Clayton and Smith also walked members through the application process, offering practical tips on eligibility requirements, documentation and ways to strengthen proposals.
Many participants appreciated the opportunity to ask detailed questions and gain clarity on programs they had heard about but never fully understood.
By the end of the workshop, members left with a clearer picture of the financial tools available to support their operations. The session not only connected farmers with vital resources but also reinforced the importance of proactive planning when pursuing agricultural grants and loans.
Parker Litterick is a senior at Iowa State University studying agricultural communication. She grew up on a small dairy farm in Theresa, Wis. At Iowa State, she serves as an ambassador for ISU’s College of Agriculture and is active in Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow, where she writes for the club’s magazine. She is a former Wisconsin State FFA Officer and has completed internships with WHO Radio, on The Big Show farm broadcast and with Agri-Pulse Communications in Washington, D.C. Parker served as one of the WFBF Event Ambassadors in 2025.
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