Giving agriculture a voice

MADISON, Wis. — More than 300 farmers and agriculturists gathered for Ag Day at the Capitol Jan. 21 at the Monona Terrace in Madison. Hosted by Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, the day began with a welcome from Jason Mugnaini, executive director of governmental relations at WFBF.

“Decisions made here in Madison through the end of this legislative session carry real weight on farms,” Mugnaini said. “That’s why all of you being here today matters so much. Ag Day is about closing the gap between policy and practice. It’s about making sure decisions that are made are informed by real-world experiences — your experiences.”

Mugnaini said the most powerful tool farmers can bring with them is not statistics or talking points, but rather their story.

“Today, the Capitol becomes a place where those stories can be heard,” Mugnaini said. “A place where people who feed and fuel Wisconsin and the world can speak directly with the people who write Wisconsin’s laws.”

Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Secretary Randy Romanski also addressed attendees.

“Your voice matters,” Romanski said. “Your voice has influenced many decisions in the past few years.”

These decisions include funding for farmer-led incentive-based conservation programs; dairy and meat processing grants; expanded export efforts for Wisconsin agricultural products; improvements to state infrastructure; and free and confidential mental health and wellness programming.

Among the programs positively impacted by grassroots voices was the livestock program, which was slated for administrative fee changes. The fees passed down to livestock markets, truckers, dealers, and, ultimately, farmers, were on track to rise more than 1,700%. When the DATCP held two public commentary periods on the proposed change last fall, more than 500 comments were received.

“DATCP listened to that feedback, and we’ve proposed dramatically reducing the fees,” Romanski said. “Public comment also suggested that state general-purpose revenue should be part of the funding solution. ... There is still time and there is still money to make that happen.”

Though DATCP adjusted the proposed increase, fees are still anticipated to increase by almost 60%, Mugnaini said.

“What this bill would do is hold those fees harmless, to where they are currently,” he said. “But that only solves part of the problem. We also need state resources and revenue to backfill that program to make sure it stays solvent.”

Before farmers headed to the Capitol to meet with legislators, Mugnaini provided a legislative issue briefing, discussing bills that are current priorities.

First on the list was the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Tax Credit.

“This is one of the biggest market growth opportunities ahead of us,” Mugnaini said. “The sustainable aviation fuel market is expected to grow globally fivefold over the next five years.”

This bill establishes a sustainable aviation fuel production tax credit to support SAF produced in Wisconsin from American-grown agricultural and forestry feedstocks.

“This is a significant market opportunity for Wisconsin farmers, and not just the row crop guys,” Mugnaini said. “Companies are already lining up to produce fuels from dairy by-products like whey permeate and forest products like wood pulp. If we don’t act this session and get this bill done, other states will, and those processing facilities and long-term investments will go to neighboring states.”

The soy-based fire suppression foam bill would expand the Department of Natural Resource’ fire suppression grants to include soy-based firefighting foam, creating new market opportunities for Wisconsin soybeans.

Clear food labeling standards for lab-grown meat and cell-cultured protein products to promote transparency and prevent consumer confusion is the goal of the lab-grown meat labeling bill.

The Butter in Our Schools Act requires that meals prepared and served to students at public, private and tribal schools must use butter rather than margarine.

A Farm Bureau health plans bill would enable Wisconsin Farm Bureau to offer health coverage to its members. Mugnaini said 85% of farms rely on off-farm jobs, with more than 50% saying healthcare is the primary reason.

“Farm Bureau health plans are designed to match how farmers earn, work and live,” he said. “It provides continuity in coverage that isn’t tied to income, and on average, those with FBHP saw a savings of around 30%-60% from a comparable Affordable Care Act plan.”

Fourteen states already offer this coverage through their state Farm Bureaus.

The dairy cattle innovation loan program bill provides the foundation for a $20 million investment that was included in the state budget and would create a zero-interest loan program for on-farm equipment and technology investments.

A farmland link bill creates a portal at the Farm Center for beginning farmers to better access available farmland, and a beginning farmer tax credit bill provides $5 million in tax relief.

Another bill addresses a lack of veterinary care in many rural Wisconsin communities by repaying student loans in exchange for a commitment to practice livestock care in rural areas.

The Agriculture Roads Improvement Program eligibility bill adds a secondary eligibility option based on a professional engineering analysis and would allow agriculturally important roads to qualify for ARIP without having to post the roads. A separate weight limits bill creates a permit for 6-axle, 91,000-pound trucks hauling grain, feed and fertilizer. The current limit is 80,000 pounds.

Two bills are related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances liability protections.

“There are no agricultural inputs that include PFAS,” Mugnaini said. “These originated from biosolids and things being spread on farm fields with DNR’s authority. Farmers are innocent parties being impacted by this contamination. We should not have to bear the liability for pollution that we didn’t cause.”

A wildlife management bill seeks to improve the Wildlife Damage Abatement and Claims Program. It would respond to increasing sandhill crane damage and support active wolf management, including lethal control if needed, to reduce wolf depredation.

“This piece of legislation would create a numbered wolf goal for the state, but we know we still have work to do at the federal level to delist the gray wolf from the endangered species list,” Mugnaini said.

WFBF president Brad Olson said at the end of the day, Wisconsin agriculture needs action from Madison.

“Each of you is a powerful voice for Wisconsin agriculture,” Olson said. “Share with your legislators why ag needs continued investment in rural infrastructure and efficient access to markets. Over the next 10 years, there will be a massive wave of farms transitioning ownership to the next generation. Whether these issues have been addressed will weigh heavily on their decision to carry on the family farm.”