During his first State of the State address, Gov. Tony Evers announced he wanted 2019 to be the year of water. This is part of a growing focus on water quality in our state, but farmers across Wisconsin have been living the year of water long before the governor announced it.
Water is essential to the work we do. Without clean water, we could not raise cattle. Without clean water, cows could not produce milk. Without clean water, we could not process milk into the dairy products we make here.
We are also no strangers to controversies over water quality. Talk to farmers in Kewaunee County. They probably don’t see much novelty in the year of water. That does not mean they do not see the value in working on water quality issues. In fact, it just means they have already been engaged on this issue. And they are not alone.
For the past several years, the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has promoted the development of farmer-led watershed initiatives. DBA has been a supporter of this idea from the very beginning. We, along with other agricultural groups, sought funding for the first round of grants from former governor Scott Walker’s administration. We united again to expand the program and increase its funding in the subsequent budget. We are prepared to go to bat for the program yet again in the upcoming budget discussions in 2019.
Our support for these groups has not just been about lobbying. In the past five years, the skills of DBA staff have be-come more diverse and the services we are capable of offering have expanded greatly. These changes have broadened the type of support we can give farmer-led watershed initiatives.
Members of our team with communications and social media experience have helped these groups in those areas. Even more significant, the Dairy Strong Sustainability Alliance (DSSA) has worked directly with five watershed groups to help make their programming and outreach more successful. DSSA is likely to get involved with even more farmer-led groups in the future.
Gov. Evers plans to seek $70 million in bonding authority to improve water quality statewide. Most of this request, which still needs legislative approval, would go to pay for lead pipe replacement in urban areas. Some, like additional bonding for county land and water departments, would be used to help farmers make meaningful changes in rural Wisconsin. It is too early to know how the Legislature will respond to this plan, but concern for water quality is an issue that cuts across political divides. For example, Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has announced the formation of special taskforce to look at water quality issues in the coming legislative session.
On April 10, DBA will be hosting Dairy Day at the Capitol in Madison. This will give members of the dairy community the chance to come together and share our perspectives with our elected officials in Madison. I hope you will join us for this event. Water quality will certainly be a topic of discussion. It is important to highlight the work we have already done on this issue and our commitment to keep working toward cleaner water for everyone.
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During his first State of the State address, Gov. Tony Evers announced he wanted 2019 to be the year of water. This is part of a growing focus on water quality in our state, but farmers across Wisconsin have been living the year of water long before the governor announced it. 
For the past several years, the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has promoted the development of farmer-led watershed initiatives. DBA has been a supporter of this idea from the very beginning. We, along with other agricultural groups, sought funding for the first round of grants from former governor Scott Walker’s administration. We united again to expand the program and increase its funding in the subsequent budget. We are prepared to go to bat for the program yet again in the upcoming budget discussions in 2019. 
