THU AM News: WFU leader says budget ‘falls monumentally short’ of requested support for local food systems; DWD announces $2.3M in worker training grants

July 10, 2025

— The head of the Wisconsin Farmers Union says the lack of state budget funding for various agricultural assistance programs is “a missed opportunity” to boost local food systems.

The group yesterday weighed in on what made it into the final version of the state budget that Gov. Tony Evers signed into law last week, highlighting provisions it supports as well as areas where funding fell short of expectations.

WFU notes grant programs around value-added agriculture, food waste reduction and workforce development in meat production didn’t get any funding in the budget. The Meat Talent Development Grant, which got started with dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act, will expire next year without more funding.

Across five different programs where funding was proposed, the budget left “a gap of more than $7 million in requested funding” for regional food systems, WFU says.

The group’s president, Darin Von Ruden, says ag assistance programs that help fund food for local food pantries, schools and other institutions are “vital for family farmers” and communities across the state.

“This budget falls monumentally short of requested funding for local food work,” he said in a statement. “With cuts at the federal level to programs like the [Wisconsin Local Food Purchase Assistance Program] and nutrition programming, these losses will weigh heavy on the shoulders of some of our state’s most vulnerable and reduce economic opportunity for Wisconsin farmers.”

Still, WFU says “important” infrastructure and conservation programs either kept current funding or got more in the biennial budget. As examples, it points to the Cover Crop Rebate Program, which is getting $800,000 per year, and the Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program with $1 million per year.

Other programs that got “favorable funding outcomes” in the group’s view include the state’s Meat Processor Grant Program with $700,000 per year, Dairy Processor Grants with $600,000 per year, Buy Local Buy Wisconsin Grant Program with $200,000 per year and the Tribal Elder Food Box Program with $1.5 million per year.

WFU Government Relations Director Michelle Ramirez-White says the budget contains “several meaningful wins here for family farmers, but also some disappointing losses.”

See more here.

Find more budget coverage from WisPolitics here.

— The state Department of Workforce Development has announced $2.3 million in new funding for worker training through 18 employer grants.

The agency yesterday said the grant funding will help train more than 1,000 workers across “critical sectors” such as construction, manufacturing, health care and others. Funding comes from the Wisconsin Fast Forward program, which helps offset the cost of job training for unemployed, underemployed and current employees.

To get the funds, recipient employers must meet several benchmarks including 85% of participants completing the training and 65% gaining employment — meaning those without jobs are hired and others are promoted. Also, 75% of incumbent trainees must get pay raises and 75% must complete certification courses.

The largest single award with nearly $390,000 is going to Milwaukee Transport Services, which will use the grant for apprenticeship programs. They’re aimed at hiring and training 27 trainees to become bus mechanics and drivers, an overview from the agency shows.

Other grants range from about $370,000 down to $6,000.

Since launching in 2013, the program has now provided more than $51 million in grants for at least 461 training projects and 30,000 workers, DWD says.

See the full list of recipients in the release.

— The Water Council has named three winners of its spring 2025 Tech Challenge competition, which beat out dozens of other submissions from 11 countries.

The Milwaukee-based water industry group this week announced the following winners, each of which is getting a $10,000 award:

*Atkinson Lab, within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Omenn-Darling Bioengineering Institute at Princeton University in New Jersey. The lab develops devices for sensing various chemicals and “macromolecules” such as proteins, and was selected for applications in disinfectant products.

*Nafura Advanced Technologies, based in the United Kingdom, for its technology to remove organic pollutants from water. The company is developing a plasma-based system for industrial wastewater management, which the Water Council says can operate “in one-thousandth the footprint and half the cost of traditional methods.”

*Segura Water, another UK business. The business has a method to help utility companies identify heavy metals in drinking water with an inexpensive tool that can work quickly in the field. Its technology is being called a “lab on a chip” for applications in water and wastewater management.

Katie Kolhoff Mouat, the group’s director of innovation programs, says contaminants like PFAS, heavy metals and pathogens require “a unique approach” to address.

“We’re proud to help uncover the next generation of solutions and connect them with the networks and resources they need to grow,” she said in a statement.

See the release.

Listen to a recent podcast with Kolhoff Mouat.

— Mental health and addiction services provider Rogers Behavioral Health will break ground next week on two new treatment facilities in Oconomowoc.

The not-for-profit business currently operates three inpatient behavioral health hospitals, 17 residential programs and nine centers in the state that offer partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs.

Rogers provides treatment for adults and children with depression, addiction, anxiety issues, PTSD and other disorders. It also offers medication management and psychiatric evaluations both virtually and in-person in the state.

At the groundbreaking Tuesday at its 50-acre campus in Oconomowoc, Rogers will roll out details for a new 24-bed residential facility that will provide eating disorder recovery services. And another 20-bed facility will be focused on treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder, according to the announcement.

The company already provides these treatment services there, but says the new facilities will enable faster care for more patients. This week’s announcement references the “growing demand for behavioral health treatment” as a driving factor for the expansion.

Dr. Jerry Halverson, chief medical officer for Rogers Behavioral Health, says eating disorders and OCD can be “highly challenging” for patients but accessible treatment can make a difference.

“With the addition of these new facilities, we are excited to show more individuals that new lives are possible, supporting them every step of the way toward hope, healing, and lasting change,” Halverson said in a statement.

In addition to its presence in Wisconsin, Rogers also has locations in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Washington.

See more in the release.

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