Wisconsin 2023-2024 Regular Session

Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB655 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	LRB-2683/1
2	2	JAM:cdc
3	3	2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
4	4	2023 ASSEMBLY BILL 655
5	5	November 9, 2023 - Introduced by Representatives NOVAK, SHANKLAND, TRANEL,
6	6	OLDENBURG, DITTRICH, C. ANDERSON, GOEBEN, GUNDRUM, HURD, JACOBSON,
7	7	JOERS, KITCHENS, KRUG, KURTZ, MOSES, MURSAU and SCHMIDT, cosponsored by
8	8	Senators JAMES, COWLES, PFAFF, SMITH, SPREITZER and TESTIN. Referred to
9	9	Committee on Agriculture.
10	10	*AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE*
11	11	AN ACT to create 20.115 (4) (t) and 93.60 of the statutes; relating to: a transition
12	12	to grass pilot program and making an appropriation.
13	13	Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
14	14	This bill creates a “transition to grass pilot program” in the Department of
15	15	Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to provide support and grants to
16	16	farmers who are implementing livestock grass-based managed grazing systems and
17	17	farmers and agribusinesses in the grass-fed livestock business. Under the bill the
18	18	department may award up to $40,000 to each grantee, and must disperse 75 percent
19	19	of the grant in the first year following the department's decision to grant the award
20	20	and must disperse 12.5 percent of the award in each of the second and third years
21	21	following the department's decision to grant the award.
22	22	For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as
23	23	an appendix to this bill.
24	24	The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
25	25	enact as follows:
26	26	SECTION 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert
27	27	the following amounts for the purposes indicated:
28	28	1
29	29	2
30	30	3
31	31	4 - 2 -2023 - 2024 Legislature LRB-2683/1
32	32	JAM:cdc
33	33	SECTION 1 ASSEMBLY BILL 655
34	34	2023-24 2024-25
35	35	20.115Agriculture, trade and consumer
36	36	protection, department of
37	37	(4) AGRICULTURAL ASSISTANCE
38	38	(t) Transition to grass pilot programSEG A 500,000 500,000
39	39	SECTION 2. 20.115 (4) (t) of the statutes is created to read:
40	40	20.115 (4) (t) Transition to grass pilot program. From the environmental fund,
41	41	the amounts in the schedule for the transition to grass pilot program under s. 93.60.
42	42	SECTION 3. 93.60 of the statutes is created to read:
43	43	93.60 Transition to grass pilot program. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section:
44	44	(a) “Managed grazing” means a grazing system alternative to continuous
45	45	grazing, in which pastured fields are subdivided into smaller paddocks, livestock
46	46	density is controlled, and animals are rotated through paddocks at a frequency that
47	47	maintains perennial grass-based vegetative cover, ensures regular access to fresh
48	48	higher quality forage, and reduces soil compaction and erosion.
49	49	(b) “Marginal area” means land that is excluded from cultivation due to
50	50	economic infeasibility or physical restriction for growing conventional crops, and
51	51	includes riparian areas, low areas prone to flooding, and steep lands not conducive
52	52	to conventional cultivation.
53	53	(2) TRANSITION TO GRASS PILOT PROGRAM. From the appropriation under s. 20.115
54	54	(3) (am), the department shall create and administer a transition to grass pilot
55	55	program that awards grants to farmers for managed grazing technical assistance
56	56	and implementation support.
57	57	1
58	58	2
59	59	3
60	60	4
61	61	5
62	62	6
63	63	7
64	64	8
65	65	9
66	66	10
67	67	11
68	68	12
69	69	13
70	70	14
71	71	15
72	72	16
73	73	17
74	74	18
75	75	19
76	76	20
77	77	21
78	78	22 - 3 -2023 - 2024 Legislature
79	79	LRB-2683/1
80	80	JAM:cdc
81	81	SECTION 3
82	82	ASSEMBLY BILL 655
83	83	(3) GRAZING GRANTS. (a) Subject to par. (b), the transition to grass pilot program
84	84	shall award grants to farmers for any of the following purposes:
85	85	1. Assist a farmer with establishing perennial forages for rotational grazing of
86	86	livestock raised in a grass-based managed grazing system.
87	87	2. Provide assistance to a farmer in establishing harvestable continuous cover
88	88	in marginal areas that can produce supplemental feed for livestock that is raised in
89	89	a grass-based managed grazing system.
90	90	3. Provide a farmer with incentive payments during the first 3 years of the
91	91	farmer's transition to grass-based managed grazing systems.
92	92	4. Assist a farmer with paying for grass-based managed grazing system
93	93	infrastructure needs, including fencing, watering, and other livestock management
94	94	infrastructure.
95	95	5. Technical assistance and support from a certified grazing specialist in
96	96	developing grazing plans, including determining field layout, infrastructure setup,
97	97	seed selection, and establishment of rotational grazing patterns.
98	98	(b) Grants awarded under par. (a) shall only be awarded to a farmer
99	99	implementing a new grass-based managed grazing system or a new managed
100	100	grazing practice that improves the conservation and financial performance of
101	101	existing grazing systems; grants may not be awarded to a farmer for the support of
102	102	the farmer's existing grazing practices.
103	103	(c) The department may not award more than $40,000 in grants under par. (a)
104	104	to any one grantee.
105	105	(d) In the year following the department's decision to grant an award under par.
106	106	(a) the department shall provide 75 percent of the award to the grantee, and in each
107	107	1
108	108	2
109	109	3
110	110	4
111	111	5
112	112	6
113	113	7
114	114	8
115	115	9
116	116	10
117	117	11
118	118	12
119	119	13
120	120	14
121	121	15
122	122	16
123	123	17
124	124	18
125	125	19
126	126	20
127	127	21
128	128	22
129	129	23
130	130	24 - 4 -2023 - 2024 Legislature LRB-2683/1
131	131	JAM:cdc
132	132	SECTION 3 ASSEMBLY BILL 655
133	133	of the 2nd and 3rd years following the department's decision to grant an award under
134	134	par. (a), the department shall provide 12.5 percent of the award to the grantee.
135	135	(4) SUPPORT FOR FARMERS. (a) The transition to grass pilot program shall
136	136	provide the following for farmers and persons in agribusiness:
137	137	1. Assistance in navigating and analyzing the economics of grass-based
138	138	managed grazing and providing grass-fed livestock research, market development
139	139	initiatives, and other market opportunities.
140	140	2. Best practices for meeting consumer demand for grass-fed livestock
141	141	products.
142	142	3. Assistance in fostering innovation in and expanding farm and agribusiness
143	143	strategies in grass-based managed grazing systems and grass-fed livestock
144	144	practices.
145	145	(b) The department's division of agricultural development shall support the
146	146	state's grass-fed livestock supply chain, including regional processors, aggregators,
147	147	distributors, and markets.
148	148	SECTION 4.0Nonstatutory provisions.
149	149	(1) The authorized FTE positions for the department of agriculture, trade and
150	150	consumer protection are increased by 0.5 GPR position, to be funded from the
151	151	appropriation under s. 20.115 (4) (t), for a position in the division of agriculture
152	152	development supporting the performance of the transition to grass pilot program
153	153	functions required under s. 93.60 (4).
154	154	(END)
155	155	1
156	156	2
157	157	3
158	158	4
159	159	5
160	160	6
161	161	7
162	162	8
163	163	9
164	164	10
165	165	11
166	166	12
167	167	13
168	168	14
169	169	15
170	170	16
171	171	17
172	172	18
173	173	19
174	174	20
175	175	21
176	176	22