Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

Wisconsin Senate Bill SB113 Compare Versions

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

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1	1	2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
2	2	LRB-2082/1
3	3	JAM:cdc&emw
4	4	2025 SENATE BILL 113
5	5	March 7, 2025 - Introduced by Senators JAMES, TESTIN, DASSLER-ALFHEIM,
6	6	KEYESKI, PFAFF, SMITH, SPREITZER and WALL, cosponsored by Representatives
7	7	NOVAK, TRANEL, ANDERSON, BEHNKE, DITTRICH, GUNDRUM, B. JACOBSON,
8	8	JOERS, JOHNSON, KITCHENS, KRUG, MIRESSE, MOORE OMOKUNDE, MOSES,
9	9	MURPHY, MURSAU, PALMERI, TUCKER, TUSLER, UDELL and WICHGERS.
10	10	Referred to Committee on Agriculture and Revenue.
11	11	AN ACT to create 20.115 (4) (t) and 93.60 of the statutes; relating to: a
12	12	transition to grazing pilot program and making an appropriation.
13	13	Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
14	14	This bill creates a Xtransition to grazing pilot programY in the Department of
15	15	Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to provide support and grants to
16	16	farmers who are implementing livestock forage-based managed grazing systems
17	17	and farmers and agribusinesses in the grazing-fed livestock business. Under the
18	18	bill the department may award up to $40,000 to each grantee, and may disperse up
19	19	to 75 percent of the grant in the first year following the department[s decision to
20	20	grant the award and may disperse up to 12.5 percent of the award in each of the
21	21	second and third years 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,
27	27	insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated:
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31	31	4 2025 - 2026 Legislature
32	32	SENATE BILL 113
33	33	- 2 - LRB-2082/1
34	34	JAM:cdc&emw
35	35	SECTION 1
36	36	2025-26 2026-27
37	37	20.115 Agriculture, trade and consumer
38	38	protection, department of
39	39	(4) AGRICULTURAL ASSISTANCE
40	40	(t) Transition to grazing pilot
41	41	program SEG A 500,000 500,000
42	42	SECTION 2. 20.115 (4) (t) of the statutes is created to read:
43	43	20.115 (4) (t) Transition to grazing pilot program. From the environmental
44	44	fund, the amounts in the schedule for the transition to grazing pilot program under
45	45	s. 93.60.
46	46	SECTION 3. 93.60 of the statutes is created to read:
47	47	93.60 Transition to grazing pilot program. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this
48	48	section:
49	49	(a) XManaged grazingY means a grazing system alternative to continuous
50	50	grazing, in which pastured fields are subdivided into smaller paddocks, livestock
51	51	density is controlled, and animals are rotated through paddocks at a frequency that
52	52	maintains perennial forage-based vegetative cover, ensures regular access to fresh
53	53	higher quality forage, and reduces soil compaction and erosion.
54	54	(b) XMarginal areaY means land that is excluded from cultivation due to
55	55	economic infeasibility or physical restriction for growing conventional crops, and
56	56	includes riparian areas, low areas prone to flooding, and steep lands not conducive
57	57	to conventional cultivation.
58	58	(2) TRANSITION TO GRAZING PILOT PROGRAM. From the appropriation under s.
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82	82	SENATE BILL 113
83	83	- 3 - LRB-2082/1
84	84	JAM:cdc&emw
85	85	SECTION 3
86	86	20.115 (4) (t), the department shall create and administer a transition to grazing
87	87	pilot program that awards grants to farmers for managed grazing technical
88	88	assistance and implementation support.
89	89	(3) GRAZING GRANTS. (a) Subject to par. (b), the transition to grazing pilot
90	90	program shall award grants to farmers for any of the following purposes:
91	91	1. Assist a farmer with establishing perennial forages for rotational grazing of
92	92	livestock raised in a forage-based managed grazing system.
93	93	2. Provide assistance to a farmer in establishing harvestable continuous cover
94	94	in marginal areas that can produce supplemental feed for livestock that is raised in
95	95	a forage-based managed grazing system.
96	96	3. Provide a farmer with incentive payments during the first 3 years of the
97	97	farmer[s transition to forage-based managed grazing systems.
98	98	4. Assist a farmer with paying for forage-based managed grazing system
99	99	infrastructure needs, including fencing, watering, and other livestock management
100	100	infrastructure.
101	101	5. Technical assistance and support from a certified grazing specialist in
102	102	developing grazing plans, including determining field layout, infrastructure setup,
103	103	seed selection, and establishment of rotational grazing patterns.
104	104	(b) Grants awarded under par. (a) shall only be awarded to a farmer
105	105	implementing a new forage-based managed grazing system or a new managed
106	106	grazing practice that improves the conservation and financial performance of
107	107	existing grazing systems; grants may not be awarded to a farmer for the support of
108	108	the farmer[s existing grazing practices.
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132	132	SENATE BILL 113
133	133	- 4 - LRB-2082/1
134	134	JAM:cdc&emw
135	135	SECTION 3
136	136	(c) The department may not award more than $40,000 in grants under par. (a)
137	137	to any one grantee.
138	138	(d) In the year following the department[s decision to grant an award under
139	139	par. (a) the department may provide up to 75 percent of the award to the grantee,
140	140	and in each of the 2nd and 3rd years following the department[s decision to grant an
141	141	award under par. (a), the department may provide up to 12.5 percent of the award to
142	142	the grantee.
143	143	(4) SUPPORT FOR FARMERS. (a) The transition to grazing pilot program shall
144	144	provide the following for farmers and persons in agribusiness:
145	145	1. Assistance in navigating and analyzing the economics of forage-based
146	146	managed grazing and providing forage-fed livestock research, market development
147	147	initiatives, and other market opportunities.
148	148	2. Best practices for meeting consumer demand for forage-fed livestock
149	149	products.
150	150	3. Assistance in fostering innovation in and expanding farm and agribusiness
151	151	strategies in forage-based managed grazing systems and forage-fed livestock
152	152	practices.
153	153	(b) The department shall support the state[s forage-fed livestock supply chain,
154	154	including regional processors, aggregators, distributors, and markets.
155	155	SECTION 4. Nonstatutory provisions.
156	156	(1) The authorized FTE positions for the department of agriculture, trade and
157	157	consumer protection are increased by 0.5 SEG position, to be funded from the
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179	179	22 2025 - 2026 Legislature
180	180	SENATE BILL 113
181	181	- 5 - LRB-2082/1
182	182	JAM:cdc&emw
183	183	SECTION 4
184	184	appropriation under s. 20.115 (4) (t), for a position supporting the performance of
185	185	the transition to grazing pilot program functions required under s. 93.60 (4).
186	186	SECTION 5. Effective date.
187	187	(1) This act takes effect on the day after publication, or on the 2nd day after
188	188	publication of the 2025 biennial budget act, whichever is later.
189	189	(END)
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