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.”
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