WASHINGTON, D.C., December 5, 2019 – Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture is opening signup for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) on December 9, 2019. The deadline for agricultural producers to sign up for general CRP is
February 28, 2020, while signup for continuous CRP is ongoing.

Landowners who enroll in CRP receive a yearly rental payment for voluntarily establishing long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees (known as “covers”) to control soil erosion, improve water quality and develop wildlife habitat on marginally productive agricultural lands.

By enrolling in CRP, producers are improving water quality, reducing soil erosion, and restoring habitat for wildlife. This in turn spurs hunting, fishing, recreation, tourism, and other economic development across rural America.

For more information, see the CRP Fact Sheet.

WI Assembly EXECUTIVE SESSION – Committee on Forestry, Parks and Outdoor Recreation

The committee will hold an executive session on the following items at the time specified below:

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

12:30 PM

328 Northwest

Assembly Bill 856

Relating to: the managed forest land program.

By Representative Mursau.

Release Date: December 26, 2019

Media Contact: Brian Kuhn, Director, Bureau of Plant Industry, (608) 224-4590

High-resolution photo: Evergreen with EHS 

MADISON – The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) advises consumers who purchased evergreens this holiday season to check for an invasive pest called elongate hemlock scale (EHS) and properly dispose of any holiday greenery that may show signs of infestation. Plant health inspectors found EHS this year at multiple Wisconsin retailers who imported and sold the evergreens that came from other states.

“You can leave decorations up for the holidays, but we want to make sure consumers are disposing of infested evergreens properly to prevent this pest from establishing itself in Wisconsin,” said Brian Kuhn, Director of DATCP’s Bureau of Plant Industry. “If you know your evergreen did not come from Wisconsin, or it is showing signs of EHS, make sure you dispose of it properly. Proper disposal protects our state’s forests and Christmas tree producers from EHS.” [Read more…]

The Wausau and Marathon County Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Department is beginning the process of updating its Fifteen-Year Forest Plan which will guide the management of our 30,195-acre Marathon County Forest from 2021 – 2035. Please help us with this important process. We want to hear from you about issues to address with plan revisions. Please submit feedback by September 25, 2019.

[Read more…]

NRCS Wisconsin Offers $7 Million for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program-Floodplain Easements

Apply Now, Until September 30 to be Considered for Funding

Due to the recent catastrophic flooding events, Congress has provided the U.S Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service in Wisconsin with over $7 million for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program-Floodplain Easements (EWPP-FPE). The program’s focus is to provide landowners with another option for those frequently flooded agricultural fields. Forested land, fallow land and pasture are also eligible, either alone or as part of a larger parcel, however, flooded cropland in the floodplain is the program’s primary focus. [Read more…]

The WI Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has detected emerald ash borer for the first time in Pierce County. This is the first new county detection of 2019 for Wisconsin.  There have also been finds this year in 46 new municipalities in counties where EAB had already been detected previously.

On July 1, a tree service company reported to the River Falls city arborist that they had removed a symptomatic tree with larval galleries, heavy woodpecker flecking, epicormic sprouts and canopy dieback. Department of Natural Resources staff subsequently collected a dead adult beetle. USDA-APHIS confirmed on July 29 that it was EAB.

To date, we have found EAB in 52 of the state’s 72 counties. The entire state is now part of the federally quarantined area, so there will be no regulatory changes as a result of this find.

You can find EAB detection maps for Wisconsin and the nation here.

NRCS Offers more than $200 Million in Emergency Funding to Restore Flood-Prone Lands: 11 states identified to invest in floodplain easements

WASHINGTON, July 24, 2019 – In response to recent flooding impacting many parts of the United States, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announces the availability of $217.5 million dedicated to funding conservation easements on certain lands damaged by flooding and other natural disasters. [Read more…]

MADISON​ – Recent severe weather in northern and central Wisconsin has resulted in significant damage to homes and businesses throughout the region. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) asks affected property owners to seek trusted contractors for repairs and to be leery of “storm chasers” that come knocking at your door with aggressive sales tactics.

Always use caution when interacting with travelling crews that show up at your door in the aftermath of a storm, never let them into your home, and do not give in to high-pressure pitches.

Start your search for a contractor by seeking references from neighbors, friends, family, local home builder associations, and your insurance company. You can also contact DATCP’s Consumer Protection Hotline (800-422-7128) to check on complaints against a business.

DATCP offers these tips for homeowners with storm damage: [Read more…]

Public comment period open through August 16, 2019

WOODRUFF, Wis. – Plans for improved access to the Northern Highland – American Legion State Forest through the designation of approximately 19 miles of all-terrain and utility vehicles routes on Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources roads in the state forest are now available for public comment. The roads proposed for ATV/UTV route designation will, in conjunction with routes on local and county roads, contribute to a system of ATV/UTV routes through the forest that connect communities and provide additional recreation opportunities. [Read more…]