 November 2023
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Table of Contents
Soil and Water Resources Management Grants
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Requests to transfer cost share funds between counties are due to DATCP by December 1, 2023.
- Until ATCP 50 receives approval from the governor and legislature and is published, the new practices are not available for cost-share.
- SWRM Innovation Grants – The report template and extension form were emailed out on October 26, 2023. The report is due on February 15, 2024 and the extension form is due December 31, 2023.
- Please submit reimbursement requests as projects are completed.
Nutrient Management News
DATCP's Bureau of Land and Water Resources (BLWR) was awarded approximately $2.15 million in funding from USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service over four years for four positions. These positions will help deliver technical assistance and outreach related to conservation engineering, hydrologic and hydraulic engineering, soil health, and conservation agronomy/nutrient management. More details will be shared as we move forward with recruiting for these positions. We thank NRCS for their partnership on these mutual priorities.
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Counties need to submit their annual Nutrient Management numbers to Cody Calkins via the NM Annual Survey by November 15, 2023. Please reach out to Cody at calkins@wisconsin.gov if you need the link or any help with the survey or accompanying survey assistant spreadsheet.
- 2024 Nutrient Management Farmer Education Grants (NMFE) webinar and presentation slides are now available on the NMFE webpage, found here: DATCP Home Nutrient Management Farmer Education Grants (wi.gov).
- The most recent Runoff Risk Advisory Forecast news release can be found here. If interested in receiving email updates related to DATCP programs, sign up below.
- Previous SnapPlus trainings can be found here: DATCP Home Nutrient Management Trainings (wi.gov).
- If you were unable to attend the Nutrient Management regional meetings, you can find the recordings of the presentations as well as the slides on the DATCP Nutrient Management Training webpage: DATCP Home Nutrient Management Regional Trainings (wi.gov).
Soil Health
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DATCP and UW Nutrient and Pest Management are continuing to work together to develop a new soil health training curriculum and resources, similar to the online Nutrient Management Farmer Education curriculum. We hope to share additional details in the coming months as we make progress. Contact randy.zogbaum@wi.gov with questions. |
Land and Water Conservation Board - LWRM Plans
- The Advisory Committee on Research will next meet virtually on November 7, 2023 from 9-10 a.m. Parties that wish to address the Committee at future meetings should contact Katy Smith at Katy.Smith@wisconsin.gov in advance to schedule the appropriate agenda item.
- The Land and Water Conservation Board meeting on December 5, 2023, will be a hybrid meeting. St. Croix and Taylor Counties will present a five-year review of their LWRM Plan.
Conservation Engineering
- NRCS put together a good guidance document on the different types and need for backflow prevention devices when designing livestock pipelines (CPS 516) and irrigation pipelines (CPS 430) for micro-irrigation systems. The guidance document is posted online in the NRCS FOTG, Section IV, under both the Livestock Pipeline and Irrigation Pipeline conservation practice sections. The document also contains links to YouTube informational videos about the different devices. A direct link to the guidance document is found here: 516_430_GD_Backflow_Devices_2023 (usda.gov).
Farmland Preservation Program (FP) and Agricultural Enterprise Areas (AEA)
- In response to the 2023 Agricultural Enterprise Area (AEA) petition cycle, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) has designated over 21,000 acres of lands as new AEAs in Sauk and Green Lake Counties. Additionally, DATCP modified an existing AEA in Monroe County to add an additional 20,000 acres. These AEAs designations will all go into effect January 1, 2024. Maps of the new AEAs can be found here.
- We are prioritizing FP agreement applications that are submitted to the department by Monday, November 6, 2023. We will continue to accept and process agreement applications as they are received after that date; however, those submitted later than November 6 may not be processed before the end of the taxable year. Encourage landowners to apply early to ensure they can receive the 2023 tax credit. The FP agreement application can be found here.
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
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County Annual Cost Reporting deadline is December 10, 2023. Counties are asked to report their CREP administrative costs to DATCP by no later than Friday, December 8, 2023. The county contributions to administer CREP count toward Wisconsin’s overall match requirements for federal CREP funds and are important for meeting statewide CREP program requirements reported to FSA by the end of the year. The reporting form (LWR-282) is on the CREP website. Completed reports should be sent as a pdf via email to Brian Loeffelholz at Brian.Loeffelholz@wisconsin.gov.
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State Agreement submittal deadline 11/10/2023 for Payments in 2023: Friday, November 10, 2023 is the deadline for submitting completed CREP agreements (LWR-283) to DATCP to ensure they make it through processing for State payments before the end of the calendar year. Agreements submitted to DATCP after that date may be processed and paid after January 1, 2024. If a landowner wants to claim their State CREP payment on 2023 taxes it will need to be paid prior to December 31, 2023.
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Reminders for Submitting Enrollments to the DATCP secure website: Submittal help can be found on page 2 of the CREP Instructions for 15-Year Agreements or on page 4 of the CREP Instructions for Perpetual Easements. Both are on DATCP’s CREP “For Counties” webpage. Please be sure to follow the file naming guidelines listed in the instructions when submitting enrollment materials to the secure website. DATCP receives agreements, transfers, buyouts, and cost share requests to this site and the naming protocol helps ensure your documents get to the correct location and are processed in a timely manner.
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Final Agreement Materials Sent to LCD: Once DATCP has finalized processing a CREP agreement, a paper incentive check is mailed to LCD offices. When the check is mailed, DATCP sends an email to the LCDs that includes the documents listed below. A reminder that LCDs should keep a copy of these documents in your secure files and print a copy of each to provide the landowner with their check. Please be on the lookout for this email when you receive the check in the mail.
- State Practice Reimbursement Form - LWR-287
- Fully signed page-one of CREP agreement – LWR-283
- CREP Data Sheet (summarizes agreement with acres enrolled, payments, etc.).
Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grant (PLWPG) Program
- The 2024 application period for Producer-Led Grants has closed. The Department received a record total of 47 applications to the program, totaling almost $1.6 million. The review process is underway and award decision letters will go out this month. If you have questions, contact Dana Christel at dana.christel@wi.gov.
- The 2024 Annual Workshop will be held on February 20, 2024 at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau. Registration is open here: https://forms.office.com/g/TYws700vCD.
- We have funding for groups to host regional winter workshops or spring field days in the range of $500-$1,500 per event through the Producer-Led Regional Network effort. Contact your regional coordinator or Dana Christel for more information or if you have ideas for a shared, collaborative event to host with other groups in your region.
Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program (NOPP)
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- Open office hours will take place on Thursday, November 9 from 10-11 a.m. for Understanding the Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program. Join the DATCP NOPP grant staff for an open discussion about the Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program. We will walk through some early results from the first year and discuss opportunities for the upcoming 2024-2026 grant cycle. Partners from UW will join us for this call. Questions can be submitted in advance to Susan Mockert at susan.mockert@wisconsin.gov or asked during the event. We look forward to seeing you! To join the meeting, click this teams link!
- There will be a 2024 grant cycle with a new requirement. All research projects will require UW approval prior to the submission of the grant application. If you have ideas, please contact Monica Schauer as soon as possible (schauer@wisc.edu).
- A new FAQ document is available at nop.wi.gov. Subscribe to program updates here.
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Crop Insurance Rebates for Planting Cover Crops Program
The application for the Crop Insurance Rebates for Planting Cover Crops Program will open in December 2023, pending approval of an emergency rule for the program. Frequently asked questions about the program can be found on the Cover Crops webpage. Contact datcpcc@wisconsin.gov with any additional questions. Subscribe to program updates here.
Legislation Updates
Tools and Resources
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Need Training? Try the Bureau of Land and Water Resources Training Request for County Staff and Local Governments Online Request Form.
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Funding Opportunity: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has published the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2023 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. The BRIC program’s guiding principles include supporting communities through capability and capacity-building; encouraging and enabling innovation, including multi-hazard resilience or nature-based solutions; promoting partnerships; enabling large, systems-based projects; maintaining flexibility; and providing consistency. Through these efforts, communities are able to better understand disaster risk and vulnerabilities, conduct community-driven resilience, hazard mitigation planning, and design transformational projects and programs.
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Life Hacks Over Lunch: A Virtual Meet-up Series for Watershed Professionals. This free, virtual meet-up series is a peer-learning opportunity for watershed professionals to share ideas and advice for solving real-life challenges of watershed projects. If you work with farmers and communities on watershed-scale projects to improve water quality and have ever found yourself thinking, “I don’t want to recreate the wheel,” this meet-up series is for you. Registering here will sign you up for all three meet-ups in the series. You can attend whichever ones fit your schedule. Brought to you by The Confluence for Watershed Leaders.
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Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
Division of Agricultural Resource Management
Bureau of Land and Water Resources
2811 Agriculture Dr.
P.O. Box 8911, Madison, WI 53708
https://www.datcp.wi.gov
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