August 2024
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Table of Contents
Soil and Water Resources Management (SWRM) Grants
- The 2025 Preliminary Joint Allocation Plan will be presented to the Land and Water Conservation Board at the August 6, 2024 meeting. The Allocation Plan will be open for a 30-day comment period, ending September 6, 2024. Email any comments to DATCPSWRM@wisconsin.gov.
- The new practices included in ATCP 50 are available for contracting as of June 1, 2024. For questions about the practices, review Table 2.2 in the SWRM Resources on our webpage. As always, reach out if you have further questions and we can help you find answers.
- DATCP staff is actively working on guidance documents for the new practice options to help you implement and offer cost sharing in accordance with the new rule standards. We look forward to having them available soon and highlighting a practice each month in this report.
ATCP 50 Update
ATCP 50 was published on May 28, 2024, with an effective date of June 1, 2024. Final rule language can be reviewed on the Wisconsin Legislature’s website. The Bureau has information on our website and will be hosting events in the coming months. If you have any questions, email datcplandwater@wisconsin.gov.
Nutrient Management News
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NEW! - We have restocked Runoff Risk Advisory Keychains and Magnets! Please reach out to datcpsoilandwatershedmanagement@wisconsin.gov to request magnets and or keychains. When reaching out, please include how many of each you would like, as well as an address to mail them to.
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Second Annual Nutrient Management Regional Meetings are Back! Join us at one of our five meeting locations across the state to hear about new and upcoming information related to nutrient management planning and the SnapPlus software! New this year is a virtual meeting option. All events are free and will run from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. except for the Eau Claire meeting, which will be from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. In-person events will offer light lunch and refreshments sponsored by the Wisconsin CCA Board and Wisconsin Land + Water! CEUs will be available for each event! Find your meeting location registration information here: Nutrient Management Trainings.
- The 2023 Annual Nutrient Management Report is now live on the Nutrient Management homepage. Cody Calkins will send out the 2024 Annual NM Survey and Calculator later this summer.
- Counties that would like some assistance on Nutrient Management Quality Assurance Reviews should email Cody Calkins at cody.calkins@wisconsin.gov. We are looking at providing assistance this year to at least three counties.
- Previous SnapPlus Trainings can be found here: Nutrient Management Trainings.
Land and Water Conservation Board - LWRM Plans
- At the August 6, 2024, LWCB meeting La Crosse, Marquette, and Price counties will be presenting five-year LWRM plan reviews.
- The next meeting of the LWCB Advisory Committee on Research will be September 3, 2024.
Conservation Engineering
For those in the DATCP Engineering Practitioner Certification and/or NRCS Job Approval Authority programs, we are passing along a reminder that this is the final year of the three-year cycle for obtaining your 30 professional development hours (PDHs). The deadline for completing the 30 PDHs is December 31, 2024. Reach out to your area engineering contact if you have questions.
DATCP Drainage Program
- The Wisconsin Association of Drainage Boards (WADB) will be holding their annual meeting in October. Final logistics will be available in early September. Stay tuned for further updates.
- All activities within drainage districts are managed and administered by a County Drainage Board. Contact information can be found on the Drainage Program website here or by contacting Barton T. Chapman, Drainage Program Manager, at Barton.Chapman@Wisconsin.gov.
Agricultural Impact Statements (AIS) Program
- The AIS program published AIS 4574 for the Paris RICE 138-kV Generation Tie-in Line in Kenosha County, Wisconsin.
- You can find more information about the AIS program at agimpact.wi.gov. You can also contact DATCPAgImpactStatements@wi.gov with questions regarding any active AIS statement or the AIS program.
Farmland Preservation Program (FP) and Agricultural Enterprise Areas (AEA)
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- Any new farmland preservation agreement applications must be turned in by November 15, 2024 to be guaranteed to be processed for tax year 2024. FP Staff will continue to process all applications submitted after that date, but we cannot guarantee that it will be processed and eligible for tax year 2024. The application can be found at the following webpage: Farmland Preservation Agreement Application. Completed application packets can be sent to datcpworkinglands@wisconsin.gov.
- The 2024 Agricultural Enterprise Area (AEA) petition cycle closed August 2, 2024. The petition evaluation committee will review the submitted petitions on August 14. Committee recommendations will be shared to the petitioners following that meeting. For information about the petition process, including application materials, visit the Petitioning for AEA Designation webpage. Please contact Wednesday Coye at wednesday.coye@wisconsin.gov with any questions you have about the AEA program.
- The DATCP Home Farmland Preservation Tax Credits webpage has been updated with additional information to help landowners and tax preparers choose the correct tax schedule when filing for an FP tax credit. If you receive any questions from landowners or tax preparers regarding questions related to tax credit claims or tax credit denials, please contact Wednesday Coye at wednesday.coye@wisconsin.gov. Landowners who have received a denial letter have a limited amount of time to file an appeal with Department of Revenue; timely action is critical.
- The Farmland Preservation Program Soil and Water Conservation Frequently Asked Questions document has been updated to reflect changes made to the program from 2023 Act 42 and changes made to soil and water conservation compliance in ATCP 50. The new FAQ can be accessed at Farmland Preservation: Conservation Compliance Factsheets and Guidance.
- Counties that update or issue new CoCs for Tax Year 2023 should submit updates for their DOR Spreadsheet to DATCPWorkingLands@wisconsin.gov. Updates may be submitted as needed throughout the tax season.
- NOTE: Please make sure you are only reporting changes for TY 2023. If you are using a third-party contractor, please be aware of the limitations of your data reporting.
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
CREP FFY2024 Enrollment Deadlines under SU61
- Given how wet it has been this year, there are landowners looking for options on flood damaged crops fields. CREP may be an option for these landowners and we encourage LCDs to talk with these landowners about CREP and direct them to contact their local FSA as soon as possible, if they are interested. FSA will continue to accept new CREP enrollment offers as they come in up through September 30, 2024. However, there is no indication yet from FSA on the Farm Bill and what will happen going into the next federal fiscal year. See below for upcoming deadlines for the remainder of this federal fiscal year (Sign up 61).
- July 31, 2024 – Deadline for producers to submit an offer for re-enrolled land. Offers on new enrollments will be accepted and processed by FSA/NRCS after this date.
- September 30, 2024 – Deadline for COC or CED to approve FSA CRP/CREP contracts (CRP-1s). End of current Farm Bill extension authorizing CRP/CREP.
- November 8, 2024 – Deadline to submit completed CREP State/County agreement to DATCP in order to ensure payment by December 31, 2024 for the 2024 tax year.
Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grant (PLWPG) Program
The 2025 application period for Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grants is now open. The Request for Proposals and the Application Form can be found on our webpage: Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grants. Applications will be due by 5:00 p.m. on September 13, 2024. Please reach out to Dani Heisler at dani.heisler@wisconsin.gov if you have questions about the application.
Soil Health Program
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- The new online Soil Health curriculum is now live and available on our soilhealthtraining.wi.gov website. The purpose of this curriculum is to develop a common definition and understanding of Soil Health and develop some guideposts of how to implement soil health systems on Wisconsin Farms. The curriculum will assist in developing a common language of Soil Health in Wisconsin agriculture in modules 1-3. Module 4 will focus on applying soil health in Wisconsin cropping systems. The curriculum will incorporate both traditional and citizen science to demonstrate the mindset necessary to be successful as a soil health farmer. The primary audiences are LCD staff, other Agriculture Professionals in Wisconsin, and Wisconsin Farmers. Secondary audience would potentially be community members. The first objective is to discuss what soil health is (and isn’t) by defining some basic vocabulary and concepts! The second objective is to demonstrate how soil health systems can be implemented on Wisconsin farms. For questions regarding this training or the soil health program contact Randy Zogbaum at randalll.zogbaum@wisconsin.gov.
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Upcoming Soil Health Trainings
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Silvopasture Walk: Get the Scoop on Silvopasture and Soil Health - Summer is flying by, and our second Wisconsin Farmland Protection Partnership field day is approaching on Thursday, August 29. We’re excited to explore silvopasture and soil health practices at the Savanna Institute’s North Farm with experts from Sauk County LRED, DATCP, NRCS, and our hosts. This will be a walk-and-talk pasture trek with ample opportunities to see silvopasture practice in action.
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Conservation Finance Ag Educator Training: The Soil Health Nexus, UW-Madison Division of Extension, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), Wisconsin Land + Water, and other multistate extension partners are hosting a regional training for agriculture educators focusing on conservation finance at the Arlington Agricultural Research Station September 16-17, 2024. This training is two days and includes a classroom focused day at the Arlington Agricultural Research Station on Monday, September 16 and a field day with tours of the US Dairy Forage Research Farm and Schoepp Farms on Tuesday, September 17. Attendees can register for just September 16 or for both days. For those attending on September 17, a bus is available for transport.
Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program (NOPP)
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NOPP program staff would like to meet with any groups interested in learning more about on-farm research and how to put together your own research plan before the winter 2024 application cycle. |
Cover Crop Insurance Rebate Program
Application closed until December 2024. To qualify, cover crops must be planted in the fall of 2024 on fields to be cropped in spring of 2025. The acres cannot receive cover crop funding support during this same time. Please retain your FSA-578 for the application process.
Legislation Updates
The 2023-2024 Legislative Session ended in mid-March.
Staffing Updates
The Agency Liaison (0.9 FTE) position has been posted with an application deadline of August 12. Go to Wisc.jobs and search for job 15053 to learn more about the position and apply. If you have any questions, contact Tim Anderson at Timothy1.Anderson@Wisconsin.gov.
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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.
PO Box 8911, Madison, WI 53708
https://www.datcp.wi.gov
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