Wisconsin Takes Steps to Improve Agribusiness, Nutrition and Rural Development

According to Senator Herb Kohl, the Agriculture Appropriations bill “spends less money than last year” yet has been crafted to “stretch limited federal resources to expand rural economic development, invest in agricultural research, ensure a safe food supply and improve domestic and international nutrition.” The bill also allocates funds to protect Wisconsin’s natural resources.

Provisions include:

• $376,000 for the University of Wisconsin – Extension. These resources are used in collaboration with the Natural Resource Conservation Service and local stakeholders to perform research, demonstration and education activities on working farms that help land managers adopt more effective conservation practices which manage nutrients and prevent runoff. 
• $400,000 for the University of Wisconsin – Madison College of Agricultural Life Sciences. These resources will be used to expand teaching, applied research and outreach on sustainability. The central objective is to help farmers manage their land and production in ways that align best practices with emerging energy opportunities and sustainability challenges. 
• $120,000 for the Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Association. These resources support an internship program to give college students embarking on natural resource careers real world experience in natural resource management. 
• $516,000 for the Wisconsin Natural Resource Conservation Service. These resources are used in collaboration with UW Extension and local stakeholders to perform research, demonstration and education activities on working farms that help land managers adopt more effective conservation practices which manage nutrients and prevent runoff. 
• $732,000 for the Wisconsin Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative. This funding supports research, on-farm demonstrations, education, and technical services to support producers wishing to switch to a grazing system or enhance their existing systems. 

Kohl also announced several provisions to further research in Wisconsin, including $2.5 Million for the USDA ARS, Dairy Forage Research Center in Marshfield, Wisconsin. The research conducted by this unit of ARS is aimed at improving the efficient and environmental impact of dairy farming in the United States. 

Kohl also announced several provisions to promote value added development: 

• $350,000 for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Agency. The 2008 Farm Bill included provisions to allow interstate commerce in state-inspected meat products. In this era of concentrated cattle processing, new markets are critical for producers. With nearly 300 state-inspected processing plants, Wisconsin entrepreneurs are poised to meet growing demand for local and domestic specialty meat products. These resources will be used to augment food safety excellence and training, provide technical assistance for market and business planning, and assist processors with packaging, label development and marketing distribution. 
• $2 Million for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Agency. This funding supports the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture’s Value Added Dairy initiative to help restore and reinvigorate Wisconsin’s dairy sector through modernization of diary farms, increased production of higher-value products, increased recognition of Wisconsin’s diary products in consumer markets, enhanced supply chain management and innovative dairy partnerships. Collaborators in this effort include the non-profit Dairy Business Innovation Center, the University of Wisconsin, Extension Service, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Wisconsin State Department of Commerce, and the Wisconsin Technical College System. 

The Agriculture Appropriations bill now goes before the Senate for approval.