DATCP Awards Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grants

Central Wisconsin Farmers’ Collaborative and Farmers of the Roche-A-Cri secure funding

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) has awarded $1 million in producer-led watershed protection grants (PLWPG) to 43 farmer-led groups for 2023. Grants support producerled conservation solutions by encouraging innovation and farmer participation in on-the-ground efforts to improve Wisconsin’s soil health and water quality.

2023 marks the third year in a row that the Central Wisconsin Farmers Collaborative has landed a ProducerLed Watershed Protection Grant from

DATCP, this time for $20,000.

Seven Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) member farms are participating in the project, which is in the Little Plover River/Wisconsin River watershed.

They include lead farm Plover River Farms, Feltz Family Farms, Firkus Farms, Hamerski Farms, Myron Soik & Sons, Okray Family Farms, and Worzella & Sons. Gagas Farms will be the eighth WPVGA member joining this Producer-Led group in 2023.

The Central Wisconsin Farmers Collaborative seeks to promote innovative conservation and stewardship practices that benefit the watershed, landscape and the land managers themselves through collaborative partnerships, farm-tofarm education programs and other strategic actions.

DATCP awarded $1 million in producer-led watershed protection grants to 43 farmerled groups (areas of concentration indicated in blue) for 2023, including $20,000 in funding to the Central Wisconsin Farmers’ Collaborative and $14,600 for the Farmers of the Roche-A-Cri.

Several WPVGA grower members are also involved in the Farmers of the Roche-A-Cri producer-led watershed protection group, which secured $14,600 in 2023 DATCP grant funding to protect and enhance the Big Roche-A-Cri and Little Roche-A-Cri

Creek watersheds.

Member farms include Coloma Farms, Flyte Family Farms, Heartland Farms, Nathan Bula Farms, LLC, Signature Farms, and Sterling Farms.

PROTECTING LAND & WATER

“With 14.3 million acres dedicated to agriculture in Wisconsin, our farmers are some of the most ardent supporters of protecting our land and water because they know firsthand the value of clean water and fruitful land for the success of their