News

Wisconsin farm groups support funding PACE conservation easement program

A Wisconsin program that pays farmers for permanent agricultural conservation easements might get its first funding since its creation in 2009.

Wisconsin’s Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement or PACE program started strong but has not been funded since.  Angie Doucette with American Farmland Trust tells Brownfield she’s hoping Governor Tony Evers’ 15-million-dollar budget item gets approved by the Legislature, allowing partner organizations to double that money.  “There’s much more demand on the landscape in Wisconsin for folks who want to permanently protect their farm and sustain that land into the future than there is funding to be able to support.  At American Farmland Trust, we truly believe that we should try to compensate our landowners and farmers to the best of our ability for protecting their land.”

Farmer Kyle Zweig was one of the first Wisconsin farmers to join the PACE program in 2009.  He tells Brownfield, “It’s given us an opportunity, number one, to preserve our sesquicentennial farm.  Number two, kind of extend our economic viability for my generation and my children as well.”  Zweig was just out of college and hoping to return to the farm operated by his father and grandfather, but that wasn’t economically feasible without some growth which included some upgrades to their 70-cow dairy.  “The capital influx from the easement allowed us to have some modest growth and kind of created a path for my wife and myself to join the family business.”

The 15-million-dollar ask is supported by farm groups including Wisconsin Farmers Union and Wisconsin Farm Bureau but must get past the Legislature’s budget writing Joint Finance Committee first. 

Michelle Ramirez-White is with Wisconsin Farmers Union.  She tells Brownfield, “I think the values of making ag land more affordable for beginning farmers and people entering into farming is so valuable and a really important point to continue to underscore.” 

Jason Mugnaini with Wisconsin Farm Bureau tells Brownfield, “It’s an opportunity here with a program that already exists at the state level to put a little influx of money and start actually protecting farmland so that its available for the next generation of farmers.”  He says American Farmland Trust is right to be concerned about the U.S. losing another half a million acres of farmland to development and utilities over the next fifteen years.

Doucette says if the Governor’s funding proposal makes the final state biennial budget, it’s already spoken for as the waiting list for farms to sign up for PACE is long.  She tells Brownfield there is a very significant need to think long-term about how to sustain the program beyond the next budget.  “Historically it was funded for one year and it’s been inactive since, and that was about fifteen years ago.  American Farmland Trust doesn’t want to see this be another flash in the pan.  We want to work with the legislative body and our partners to determine a long-term funding solution to save Wisconsin’s agricultural land.”

American Farmland Trust says Wisconsin is expected to lose 2,400 farms totaling 515,200 acres to development, with 67% of the losses on high-quality ag land.  Due to their proximity to metropolitan areas, Dane, Waukesha, and St. Croix counties have seen the most farmland losses.

American Farmland Trust made its presentation to lawmakers and lobbyists Tuesday at the State Capitol.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Audio: Angie Doucette from American Farmland Trust and farmer Kyle Zweig discuss the importance of funding Wisconsin’s PACE program.

Audio: Jason Mugnaini from Wisconsin Farm Bureau reacts to American Farmland Trust presentation at the Capitol with Brownfield’s Larry Lee.

Audio: Michelle Ramirez-White from Wisconsin Farmers Union reacts to American Farmland Trust presentation at the Capitol with Brownfield’s Larry Lee.