Contacts: Laura Smith, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2162
Lee Sensenbrenner, Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, 608-224-5020
MEDFORD – Governor Jim Doyle today announced $984,300 in Grazing Lands and Conservation Initiative (GLCI) grants to fund 32 projects across the state. The GLCI grants protect the land and water of the state through education, technical planning assistance, and research for dairy and livestock farmers. Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) Deputy Secretary Randy Romanski made the announcement on behalf of the Governor as part of Governor Doyle’s eighth annual “Up North” Tour.
“The family farm is and always has been the backbone of Wisconsin agriculture, and an important part of our agricultural future is finding low cost ways of raising livestock and helping new farmers in the dairy industry,” Governor Doyle said. “Grazing returns agriculture to its roots. It not only helps to protect our state’s land and water, it produces good, healthy, happy cows, and it’s cost effective for farmers.”
Grazing is a low-cost, environmentally-friendly method of farming that moves animals to a fresh pasture on a regular basis while resting unused pastures so the plants can regrow before being regrazed. Studies show beginning farmers are more likely to use a managed grazing system to get started in agriculture because it doesn’t require a huge capital investment in buildings and machinery. Nearly 50 percent of new dairy farmers use managed grazing.
Deputy Secretary Romanski announced the grants at an event at the Northern Wisconsin farm of Ryan and Cheri Klussendorf, whose grazing operation has been aided by the program.
Under Governor Doyle’s leadership, Wisconsin has invested and promoted its diverse agricultural economy, which has now grown to approximately $59 billion annually and is responsible for more than 1 in 10 jobs in Wisconsin. Incentives to help modernize the dairy industry have helped increase milk production to record levels and have strengthened the state’s status as the number one producer of cheese in the country. In addition, Wisconsin is second in the nation in the number of organic farms.
At the same time, efforts to strengthen diversity in agriculture have made Wisconsin a leading producer of cranberries, specialty cheeses, organic vegetables and many other products. To enable successful farming for future generations, the state’s best farmland is protected under the Working Lands Initiative that Governor Doyle signed into law in 2009.
Earlier this year, Governor Doyle signed into law several bills to create jobs and support investment in the state’s agricultural industries. These bills created a food processing tax credit to create investment opportunities for Wisconsin food processing and distribution businesses; extended the dairy modernization tax credits through 2012 to help hard-pressed dairy farmers invest in their operations; and created a Farm to School program to help more Wisconsin schools have easier access to locally grown fruits and vegetables.
2010 GLCI grants were awarded to the following projects:
Lake Superior Basin: Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas, & Iron Counties
$23,934 Technical Assistance Grant
North Central Region: Clark, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, and Taylor Counties
$89,871 including a $16,219 Education Grant and a $73,652 Technical Assistance Grant
Northwestern Region: Barron, Burnett, Polk, Rusk, Sawyer, and Washburn Counties
$84,870 including a $16,219 Education Grant and a $68,651 Technical Assistance Grant
Marathon and Lincoln Counties
$56,219 including a $16,219 Education Grant and a $40,000 Technical Assistance Grant
Northeastern Wisconsin: Brown, Calumet, Door, Fond du Lac, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Outagamie, Sheboygan, Winnebago Counties, & the Oneida Nation
$43,774 including a $16,219 Education Grant and a $27,555 Technical Assistance Grant
Chippewa Valley Grazing Network: Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, and Eau Claire Counties
$56,219 including a $16,219 Education Grant and a $40,000 Technical Assistance Grant
Coulee Graziers: Buffalo, Jackson, and Trempeualeau Counties
$40,000 Technical Assistance Grant
St. Croix Valley Grazing Program: St Croix, Dunn, Pepin, and Pierce Counties
$56,219 including a $16,219 Education Grant and a $40,000 Technical Assistance Grant
Central Wisconsin: Adams, Juneau, Marathon, Marquette, Monroe, Portage, Waupaca, Waushara, and Wood Counties
$37,448 Technical Assistance Grant
Southwestern Wisconsin: Grant, Crawford, and Lafayette Counties
$16,988 Technical Assistance Grant
Vernon County
$29,100 Technical Assistance Grant
Sauk County
$8400 Technical Assistance Grant
South Central Wisconsin: Columbia, Dane, Iowa, Jefferson, Marquette, and Sauk Counties
$29,324 Education Grant
Southeast Wisconsin: Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green Lake, Jefferson, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Rock, Walworth, Washington, & Waukesha Counties
$55,159 including a $16,219 Education Grant and a $38,940 Technical Assistance Grant
Columbia and Dodge Counties $3340 Education Grant
Columbia County
$7480 Technical Assistance Grant
Statewide
$99,877 for several Education Grants
For a complete list of project descriptions visit: http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/docview.asp?docid=20106
