News

Dairy farmers seek action on Wisconsin ag bills

Dairy farmers converged on the Wisconsin State Capitol on Wednesday to support legislation they say would help them and the dairy industry. 

Farmers are supporting more than a dozen bills as they met with lawmakers during the Dairy Business Association’s Dairy Day at the Capitol. 

Green Bay area producer Raymond Dietrich asked lawmakers to support expanding the state’s Agricultural Road Improvement Program. He tells Brownfield, “It’s been a challenge of ours for years and it got really bad this last summer when they put a five ton weight limit on one of our bridges that was between me and eighty acres of my corn silage, so we had to go four miles around the block to get it done. That shouldn’t happen today.”

Jeremy Heim from Heim’s Hillcrest Dairy near Algoma also supports ARIP and changes to Wisconsin’s CDL truck licenses. “CDLs and the posting of B-class roads are really trapping us from moving products around the farms.”

DairyDay2-Heim              :06           “…the farms.”

Duane Ducat from Deer Run Dairy near Kewaunee also supports two transportation-related bills. He says, “The most important bill for me would be the ARIP (Ag Road Improvement Program) and the CDL bill. We need to keep our roads in good shape and we need drivers.”

Cody Carpenter from Redrock View Farms near Darlington asked lawmakers to pass legislation offering partial tuition payment for new veterinarians serving rural areas. “It’s challenging sometimes to get young vets to take the leap and move to a rural area, so I’m a big believer in the veterinary loan repayment packs.”

Kevin Krentz of Sheadview Dairy in Berlin emphasized the need to freeze and restructure animal inspection fees, “restructuring those in a way that’s affordable for farmers across the board.”

The future of some ag-related bills is uncertain with the legislative session ending in about a month, including a grazing initiative and a recently amended dairy cattle innovation grant bill.

Dairy Day at the Capitol is organized by the Dairy Business Association and is usually held in February each year.