2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
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2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 118
March 11, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives NOVAK, TRANEL, ANDERSON,
BEHNKE, DITTRICH, GUNDRUM, J. JACOBSON, JOERS, JOHNSON, KITCHENS,
KRUG, MIRESSE, MOORE OMOKUNDE, MOSES, MURPHY, MURSAU, PALMERI,
TUCKER, TUSLER, UDELL and WICHGERS, cosponsored by Senators JAMES,
TESTIN, DASSLER-ALFHEIM, KEYESKI, PFAFF, SMITH, SPREITZER and WALL.
Referred to Committee on Agriculture.
***AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***
AN ACT to create 20.115 (4) (t) and 93.60 of the statutes; relating to: a
transition to grazing pilot program and making an appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill creates a Xtransition to grazing pilot programY in the Department of
Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to provide support and grants to
farmers who are implementing livestock forage-based managed grazing systems
and farmers and agribusinesses in the grazing-fed livestock business. Under the
bill the department may award up to $40,000 to each grantee, and may disperse up
to 75 percent of the grant in the first year following the department[s decision to
grant the award and may disperse up to 12.5 percent of the award in each of the
second and third years following the department[s decision to grant the award.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as
an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
SECTION 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place,
insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated:
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SECTION 1
2025-26 2026-27
20.115 Agriculture, trade and consumer
protection, department of
(4) AGRICULTURAL ASSISTANCE
(t) Transition to grazing pilot
program SEG A 500,000 500,000
SECTION 2. 20.115 (4) (t) of the statutes is created to read:
20.115 (4) (t) Transition to grazing pilot program. From the environmental
fund, the amounts in the schedule for the transition to grazing pilot program under
s. 93.60.
SECTION 3. 93.60 of the statutes is created to read:
93.60 Transition to grazing pilot program. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this
section:
(a) XManaged grazingY means a grazing system alternative to continuous
grazing, in which pastured fields are subdivided into smaller paddocks, livestock
density is controlled, and animals are rotated through paddocks at a frequency that
maintains perennial forage-based vegetative cover, ensures regular access to fresh
higher quality forage, and reduces soil compaction and erosion.
(b) XMarginal areaY means land that is excluded from cultivation due to
economic infeasibility or physical restriction for growing conventional crops, and
includes riparian areas, low areas prone to flooding, and steep lands not conducive
to conventional cultivation.
(2) TRANSITION TO GRAZING PILOT PROGRAM. From the appropriation under s.
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SECTION 3
20.115 (4) (t), the department shall create and administer a transition to grazing
pilot program that awards grants to farmers for managed grazing technical
assistance and implementation support.
(3) GRAZING GRANTS. (a) Subject to par. (b), the transition to grazing pilot
program shall award grants to farmers for any of the following purposes:
1. Assist a farmer with establishing perennial forages for rotational grazing of
livestock raised in a forage-based managed grazing system.
2. Provide assistance to a farmer in establishing harvestable continuous cover
in marginal areas that can produce supplemental feed for livestock that is raised in
a forage-based managed grazing system.
3. Provide a farmer with incentive payments during the first 3 years of the
farmer[s transition to forage-based managed grazing systems.
4. Assist a farmer with paying for forage-based managed grazing system
infrastructure needs, including fencing, watering, and other livestock management
infrastructure.
5. Technical assistance and support from a certified grazing specialist in
developing grazing plans, including determining field layout, infrastructure setup,
seed selection, and establishment of rotational grazing patterns.
(b) Grants awarded under par. (a) shall only be awarded to a farmer
implementing a new forage-based managed grazing system or a new managed
grazing practice that improves the conservation and financial performance of
existing grazing systems; grants may not be awarded to a farmer for the support of
the farmer[s existing grazing practices.
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SECTION 3
(c) The department may not award more than $40,000 in grants under par. (a)
to any one grantee.
(d) In the year following the department[s decision to grant an award under
par. (a) the department may provide up to 75 percent of the award to the grantee,
and in each of the 2nd and 3rd years following the department[s decision to grant an
award under par. (a), the department may provide up to 12.5 percent of the award to
the grantee.
(4) SUPPORT FOR FARMERS. (a) The transition to grazing pilot program shall
provide the following for farmers and persons in agribusiness:
1. Assistance in navigating and analyzing the economics of forage-based
managed grazing and providing forage-fed livestock research, market development
initiatives, and other market opportunities.
2. Best practices for meeting consumer demand for forage-fed livestock
products.
3. Assistance in fostering innovation in and expanding farm and agribusiness
strategies in forage-based managed grazing systems and forage-fed livestock
practices.
(b) The department shall support the state[s forage-fed livestock supply chain,
including regional processors, aggregators, distributors, and markets.
SECTION 4. Nonstatutory provisions.
(1) The authorized FTE positions for the department of agriculture, trade and
consumer protection are increased by 0.5 SEG position, to be funded from the
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SECTION 4
appropriation under s. 20.115 (4) (t), for a position supporting the performance of
the transition to grazing pilot program functions required under s. 93.60 (4).
SECTION 5. Effective date.
(1) This act takes effect on the day after publication, or on the 2nd day after
publication of the 2025 biennial budget act, whichever is later.
(END)
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