Advocating for Federal Funds for

State Meat Inspection

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) Secretary Randy Romanski attended the 2024 National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Winter Policy Conference in Washington D.C. from February 5 – 7, 2024. While there, he co-sponsored an action item for NASDA to urge USDA and Congress to appropriately fund state meat inspection programs to ensure a healthy and robust meat supply.

“Wisconsin's livestock farmers rely on the availability of state-inspected meat processing facilities, and in recent years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service has been providing states significantly less funding," said Secretary Romanski. “This reduction in federal funding has the potential to impact state services and the meat processing industry."

Federal funding is a critical part of the Farm Bill, and NASDA members continue to amplify the need for an updated, unified 2024 Farm Bill. NASDA recognizes the need for the 2024 Farm Bill for American agriculture and for those who rely on food and nutritional assistance programs.

“Wisconsin agriculture depends on the Farm Bill to strengthen conservation and climate resilience efforts, ensure a food safety supply, and develop local food systems," added Romanski. “The Farm Bill provides important funding to invest in agriculture research, respond to animal disease, and promote international trade."

What Can Producers Expect for Profits in 2024?

Despite rumors of its demise U.S. milk producers expect 2024 to be a profitable year according to the latest report released from Zisk.

Zisk is a free app that incorporates data from producers on their milk contracts, feed prices and a predictor of dairy enterprise profitability. In its third annual report, by combining the data of all of its users, it shows that dairy producers are expecting a profitable year, although much less than for the previous two years. Zisk has now been downloaded by over 4,000 farm owners, representing 4.2 million cows, or 45% of the U.S. herd. As such, aggregating the data from all those farms shows some fascinating insights, including data on herd size, average basis, milk production in an overall trend report showing what to expect in 2024. The report is available for free online at Ziskapp.com.

Ag Census Highlights Wisconsin’s Strengths

The results are in from the 2022 Census of Agriculture. The National Agricultural Statistics Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducts the census every five years to aggregate agricultural information for each state. It includes farm size, commodities, and impact.

The data highlights that Wisconsin’s agricultural diversity is its strength, says Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Secretary Randy Romanski.

“Wisconsin produces an abundance of milk, grains, specialty crops, and livestock,” he says.

The state of Wisconsin ranked No.10 in the U.S. for total value of production at $16.7 billion. According to the census, Wisconsin farms had a net farm income of $77,839 in 2022.

“Wisconsin is home to more than 58,000 farms, and 95 percent of those are considered family farms,” says Romanski. “With 13.8 million acres of land dedicated to farming, it is clear that agriculture is still at the heart of our state.”

Top Takeaways from the 2024 Ohio Pork Congress

From innovative ideas and encouraging conversations to powerful networking and frank discussions, the 2024 Ohio Pork Congress in Lima, Ohio, was a huge success.

“Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect from the crowd this year with the challenging pork production environment we are in,” says Ohio Pork Council (OPC) president Nick Seger. “But it’s been positive and shows the resiliency and dedication of Ohio pork producers.”

In addition to a Swine Health Symposium, state and national updates and a trade show, OPC members also came together to raise over $38,000 in its Friends of Pork PAC Auction that supports non-Checkoff state relations and project work.

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Upcoming Events:

February 13 - Soil Health Practices Impact on Phosphorous Pools and Availability

February 15 - 2024 FFA Farm Forum

February 17 - Wisconsin Cattlemen's Association Winter Conference

February 20 - Producing Quality Beef Workshop - Monroe Equity Livestock Sale Barn

February 20 - 2024 Annual Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grant Workshop

February 29 - Producing Quality Beef Workshop - Sparta Equity Livestock Sale Barn

March 1 or 2 - IGNITE Conference

March 14 - Producing Quality Beef Workshop - Stratford Equity Livestock Sale Barn

March 19 - Business of Beef: What are Your Options?

March 21 - Marketing Beef: Begin with the End in Mind

March 26 - Veterinary Skills All Beginners Need

WLIC Members

Being a small non-profit, WLIC relies on memberships and sponsorships to further academic programs and events to educate on livestock traceability, identification, and premises ID. We sincerely thank our Industry and Individual partners for their continuous support of WLIC.

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