Delegates at the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation’s 95th Annual Meeting in Wisconsin Dells established new policy directives for the organization on Monday, December 8.
Farm Bureau delegates adopted the policies that will guide the legislative agenda for the state’s largest general farm organization over the next year. Resolutions were submitted by farmers from across the state through Farm Bureau’s grassroots policy development process.
To address a shortage of agricultural agents in the University of Wisconsin-Extension system, delegates suggested that ag agents should not be required to have a Master’s Degree and should be encouraged to work across county lines. Furthermore, the UW-Extension system was asked to establish regions in which specialized ag agents are assigned.
In regards to laws pertaining to high capacity wells, delegates opposed defining multiple small wells on contiguous land as a high capacity well. They also supported grandfathering in existing high capacity wells under the laws in which they were installed or upgraded including:
- Renewal of existing well permits and transfers with the sale of the land.
- Reconstruction or repair of an existing well, and the ability to replace a well if there is nominal movement from the original well location.
Delegates went on record supporting the use of unmanned aircraft systems (drones) for commercial and agricultural purposes. However, they want drone operators to be required to gain consent of the land operator before flying over it. Any information collected should be the sole property of the farmer-land owner and only be used by others with signed consent of the farmer-land owner.
Delegates from the Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s 61 county Farm Bureaus also voted to:
* Support limiting the bear population to the state’s original goal and support combining the authorization to trap and hunt bear on a renter’s property on one form.
* Support under-documented workers being able to obtain a provisional driver’s license with the completion of an instructional course.
* Oppose mandating labeling of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) products or ingredients in Wisconsin.
* Oppose any municipality or county having the ability to levy a special assessment on agricultural property for constructing any public work or improvement.
* Support development of technical standards for the irrigation of manure and processed waste water.
* Support the concept of credit trading and adaptive management between municipalities and the agricultural community to reduce phosphorus discharge into surface waters.
The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general farm organization. It represents farms of all sizes, commodities and management styles.
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