DATCP awards grants to producer-led groups totaling $750,000
Thirty producer-led sustainability groups across the state have received a combined $750,000 in grants from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
The grants are awarded to groups who make conservation efforts to improve soil health and water quality. This year's program included three new grant awardees and also introduced a conservation benefits tracking component, which will measure water quality benefits associated with each group's activities. This is the sixth round of awards since the state budget first provided for them in 2015.
"Our partnership with DATCP's producer-led program is one of our core assets," said Chris van Someren of Jon-De Farm and the Western Wisconsin Conservation Council, a producer-led group. "Beyond the capacity for funding, the program brings the added benefits of education, communication, and collaboration between farmers across the state. This kind of cooperation between government and farmers will be a critical part of Wisconsin’s conservation efforts moving forward."
Here are all the grant recipients:
Biological Farming Friends: $16,500 (new awardee)
Central Wisconsin Farmers’ Collaborative: $19,800 (new awardee)
Lake Wisconsin Farmer Watershed Council: $15,000 (new awardee)
Bear Creek/Chippewa Farmer Groundwater Group: $23,475
Buffalo-Trempealeau Farmer Network: $40,000
Buffalo County Conservation Farmers: $14,984
Calumet County Ag Stewardship Alliance: $6,250
Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil & Healthy Water: $39,093
Eau Pleine Partnership for Integrated Conservation: $30,000
Farmers for Lake Country: $15,000
Farmers of the Sugar River: $14,700
Farmers for Tomorrow: $30,000
Farmers of Barron County: $17,200
Farmers of Mill Creek: $31,749
Farmers for the Upper Sugar River: $31,749
Horse Creek Farmer-Led Watershed Council: $28,950
Lafayette Ag Stewardship Alliance: $30,000
Ozaukee County Clean Farm Families: $30,000
Peninsula Pride Farms: $30,000
Producers of Lake Redstone: $30,000
Red Cedar Conservation Farmers: $30,000
Sauk Soil and Water Improvement Group: $30,000
Sheboygan River Progressive Farmers: $35,000
The Shell Lake - Yellow River Farmer-Led Watershed Council: $12,750
South Kinni Farmer-Led Watershed Council: $15,000
Tainter Creek Farmer-Led Watershed Council: $30,000
Uplands Watershed Group: $13,000
Watershed Protection Committee of Racine County: $40,000
Western Wisconsin Conservation Council: $30,000
Yahara Pride Farms: $30,000