Wisconsin Ag Connection - DATCP Halts Farm to School, Buy Local & Dairy 30x20 Programs

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DATCP Halts Farm to School, Buy Local & Dairy 30x20 Programs
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 09/14/2016

Several popular programs run by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture are being suspended due to uncertain budget projections for the coming year. During last week's state agriculture board meeting in Janesville, it was announced that funding for the Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin grant program has been halted; as was the Farm to School program, which is now without a coordinator.

State Agriculture Secretary Ben Brancel says the agency wants to wait and see how the state budget will be handled by the Legislature next year before deciding how, or if, the programs can be paid for. He told The Country Today that his department does not want to fill a Farm to School position and then later be forced to lay the person off if money is not available.

"We've got budget directives from the Legislature and each year a certain portion has to go to a lapse," Brancel told the newspaper. "So we're evaluating where the monies are available to meet the legislative requirements. Until we get through this process, we can't hire people that we may end up laying off."

The Buy Local grants are designed to reduce the marketing, distribution and processing hurdles that impede the expansion of sales of Wisconsin food products to local purchasers. The Farm to School program connects schools with nearby farms to provide children with locally produced fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy products.

Meanwhile, the Dairy 30X20 Grant Program, which strives to help the industry achieve an annual milk production of 30 billion pounds by the year 2020, has also been halted. Brancel hopes to know more about the fiscal situation of the DATCP by early next year.

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