An Act to create 20.115 (4) (ds) and 93.54 of the statutes; Relating to: a dairy agriculture resilience investment now grant pilot program, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. (FE)
Summary
AB1213 would direct the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) to create a new Dairy Agriculture Resilience Investment Now grant pilot program. The program would award grants to dairy producers with fewer than 1,000 milking cows to support projects intended to improve operational efficiency and resilience. The bill also gives DATCP authority to adopt rules to administer the program.
The bill includes a state appropriation of $1.5 million in general purpose revenue for fiscal year 2026-27 to fund both the grants and program administration. In effect, it creates a new statutory grant program in the agriculture chapter of Wisconsin law and adds a dedicated funding line for dairy assistance.
Impact
AB1213 would amend Wisconsin statutes by creating s. 93.54 and a corresponding appropriation entry in s. 20.115 (4) (ds), establishing a new state grant program for smaller dairy operations. It would affect DATCP by assigning it responsibility for designing, administering, and potentially regulating the program through rulemaking. The practical beneficiaries would be dairy producers with fewer than 1,000 milking cows, who could receive state grants for efficiency and resilience projects.
Sentiment
The available record suggests the bill was framed as a targeted support measure for Wisconsin’s dairy sector, with no recorded committee transcript debate or vote breakdown in the provided materials. Its introduction and appropriation indicate a generally supportive policy approach toward helping smaller dairy farms adapt and remain viable. However, the bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, so it did not become law.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided committee materials, but the bill’s structure suggests likely policy questions around whether state funds should be directed to a pilot grant program, how eligibility should be limited to farms under 1,000 cows, and what projects should qualify as improving efficiency and resilience. Potential concerns would also include the size of the appropriation, the scope of DATCP’s rulemaking authority, and whether the program would favor certain dairy operations over others.
Crossfiled
An Act to create 20.115 (4) (ds) and 93.54 of the statutes; Relating to: a dairy agriculture resilience investment now grant pilot program, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. (FE)