Wisconsin is the Dairy State, so it’s no surprise that the dairy industry will receive state funding.
Chad Zuleger is the Government Affairs Director for the Dairy Business Association. “We were really pleased with a number of initiatives they took up and prioritized, particularly around the environment” he said. A significant win was funding for cover crop insurance premium rebates doubling it’s funding from $800,000 to 1.6 million.
Continued funding for the Dairy Innovation Hub of 7.8 million was put into the University of Wisconsin budget. That money will continue to ensure that Wisconsin remains America’s Dairyland by supporting dairy research.
While the Dairy Business Association was pleased with the funding that was provided for dairy, they still wish some additional resources could have been allocated. “It’s always a mixed bag when you’re talking about a 91 billion dollar state budget” Zuleger said. County Conservation Staffing is one area they were disappointed did not receive more funding.
The Dairy Business Association will advocate for the modernization of the Farmland Preservation Program in the fall legislative session. They would like to see increased funding, shrinking of the brackets for the different tiers of agricultural land, and reducing the time of participation.
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