 December 2023
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Table of Contents
Soil and Water Resources Management (SWRM) Grants
- Hailey Roessler is the new Grants Specialist working with Kim Carlson on SWRM. Hailey comes to us from years in local government. Susan Mockert is the Conservation Grants Unit Supervisor. Kim, Hailey, and Susan are all available to answer your SWRM questions.
- Open office hours will take place on Wednesday, December 6 from 10-11 a.m. The title of this session is “Using DATCP Grants.” Join the DATCP Grants staff to talk about how grant funds can be used. We will touch on SWRM (the allocation process, how the staffing grants work, uses of SEG funds), producer-led reimbursements or contracting, CREP (15-year agreements, reimbursements, cost-share), and more. Questions can be submitted in advance to mockert@wisconsin.gov, or asked during the session. We look forward to seeing you! To join the meeting, click this Teams link!
- 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 October 26, 2023. The report is due February 15, 2024, and the extension form is due on December 31, 2023.
- Please submit reimbursement requests as projects are completed.
Annual Reports for 2023
Just a heads up that counties will receive the annual reporting questions for 2023 in December. The reports are due March 4, 2024. Your response to these questions are included in the annual report. We are always seeking good stories to feature in the report, so please let us know if you have something you would like to share! Here is a link to the 2022 annual report, for inspiration.
ATCP 50 Update
ATCP 50 has been filed with the Legislative Council Rules Clearinghouse for approval. A link to the webpage with all related documents is available here.
Nutrient Management News
- UPCOMING: Online Nutrient Management Farmer Education Trainings will be hosted in January, February, and March in 2024. The target audience of these trainings is farmers who are wanting to become certified to write their own nutrient management plans, but anyone is able to attend! Registration is free! Register Here: Meeting Registration - Zoom.
- 2024 NMFE Webinar and presentation slides are now available on the NMFE webpage, found here: DATCP Home Nutrient Management Farmer Education Grants.
- Previous SnapPlus trainings can be found here: DATCP Home Nutrient Management Trainings.
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 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
DATCP was awarded two engineering project positions through a cooperative agreement with NRCS and will be hiring a Hydrologic & Hydraulic Engineer and an Environmental Specialist over the next couple months. We are excited to add this capacity to our team to assist with both Federal and State projects. Watch for more information and job postings in the next month or two.
DATCP Drainage Program
Drainage Program oversight refers to the actions by DATCP to review and monitor county drainage boards and county and municipal administrators and their policies, plans, programs, and projects to ensure that they are achieving expected results; represent good value for money; and are in compliance with applicable policies, laws, regulations, and ethical standards. DATCP has recently appointed Barton T. Chapman, P.E., as the Drainage Program Manager and State Drainage Engineer. He can be reached at Barton.Chapman@Wisconsin.gov. Keep an eye out for the upcoming release of the official e-newsletter of the DATCP Drainage Program.
Farmland Preservation Program (FP) and Agricultural Enterprise Areas (AEA)
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- Please submit a copy of your 2023 Department of Revenue (DOR) spreadsheet for Farmland Preservation participants by December 29, 2023 to DATCPWorkingLands@wi.gov. If you make any updates to your spreadsheet during the course of the tax season, you must submit an updated copy to us. A copy of this spreadsheet, in addition to a FAQ for Compliance Questions, is available here.
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NEW: Agreement holders with effective agreements signed prior to July 1, 2009 that have not been modified to meet current standards will be required to provide their agreement number on tax schedule FC.
- If you have questions about the DOR spreadsheet or have questions with respect to any element of the FP Program, contact DATCPWorkingLands@wi.gov.
- We are still accepting FP agreement applications. For an agreement to take effect, it must be signed by both the landowners and DATCP. Applications will be processed promptly, however applications received now until the end of the year are not guaranteed to be processed before the end of the 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)
- County Annual Cost Reporting Deadline 12/10/2023: 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 Loeffelholz@wisconsin.gov.
- 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.).
Agricultural Impact Statement (AIS) Program
- Kirsten Biefeld is the new Agricultural Impact Statement Program Manager and Land Conservation specialist that started on November 27. Kirsten comes from a background in environmental outreach, working with both the DNR and DATCP, as well as having a master’s degree of Environmental Science with a concentration in land and water resources. She can be reached at biefeld@wisconsin.gov or at (608) 224-4650.
- The AIS program published an AIS for the County Highway PC Reconstruction in Monroe County, WI. You can find more information about the AIS program at wi.gov. You can also contact DATCPAgImpactStatements@wi.gov with questions regarding any active AIS statement or the AIS program.
Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grant (PLWPG) Program
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- Dana Christel has accepted a new position and her last day with DATCP will be December 13. The bureau will be working to backfill the position quickly. We wish Dana well in her new position and appreciate the outstanding work she has done for DATCP and producer-led groups in the state over these last four years!
- Award letters for 2024 have been sent to all successful applicants and contract development is underway. The department will be issuing a news release in the coming weeks.
- 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)
- The 2024 grant cycle opened November 13, 2024. All research study designs require UW approval prior to the submission of the grant application. Contact Monica Schauer (schauer@wisc.edu) by December 15, 2023 to discuss your study design. This preapproval is required to submit an application for NOPP funds. Final applications are due to DATCPNOPP@wisconsin.gov by January 31, 2024.
- The 2024 application, RFP, and supporting documents are available on the NOPP webpage.
Crop Insurance Rebates for Planting Cover Crops Program
The application for the Crop Insurance Rebates for Planting Cover Crops Program opened on December 1, 2023. 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
Legislation Updates
Tools, Resources, and Opportunities
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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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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