Baldwin Helps Secure $28 Million to Support Wisconsin’s Farmers, Producers, and Rural Communities

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced that Wisconsin will receive more than $28 million to support farmers, producers, and rural communities. The investments are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development programs that are mostly funded by the Senator Baldwin-supported Fiscal Year 2023 government funding bill. The funding has been awarded to 11 cities, Tribes, companies, and individuals and will help improve public health and safety, expand access to clean, safe water, and grow our Made in Wisconsin economy.

“These investments will grow our rural economies, ensure Wisconsinites can lead safe, healthy lives, and set our communities up for success into the future,” said Senator Baldwin. “Our agricultural and rural communities face unique challenges, and I’m proud to help deliver results for them to ensure businesses can thrive, families have security, and our state continues to move forward.”

Below is a list of the projects funded:

City of Augusta, August, WI: $24,500 through the Community Facilities Grants to purchase a law enforcement vehicle for the Augusta law enforcement department.

Top Tier Ingredients, LLC, Hanock, WI:  $21,000,000 through the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program to help support Top Tier Ingredients finance a new potato dehydration facility in Hancock, Wisconsin. The facility will produce potato flake and potato flour ingredients used for the baking and snack food industry. Once operational, the business will have the capacity to process 20-22 million pounds of flakes annually. The project will create 18 jobs.

City of Thorp, Thorp, WI: Two investments totaling $1,810,000 from the Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants for upgrades to the City of Thorp's wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The plant is more than 35 years old and in need of upgrades due to growth in the community along with not being able to accept more wastewater without biological overloading and larger flows than the original design.

City of Bloomer, Bloomer, WI: Three investments totaling $1,478,000 through the Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants for upgrades to water and sewer systems of the city of Bloomer, Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources notified the city that the water distribution system exceeded lead limits. The city must remove all lead service lines and lead-jointed water main pipes. The sanitary sewer mains in the project area are near the end of their useful life and have root intrusions and broken claytile pipes.

Ace Ethanol, LLC, Stanley, WI: $1,857,600 through the Biofuel Producer's Relief Program to help two ethanol-production facilities in Wisconsin recover from unexpected market losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Odanah, WI: $99,000 through the Rural Business Development Grants to provide technical assistance through business planning, networking, and other needed resources to Bad River Tribal members and other area businesses. The project will focus on the Tribe's Sustainable Business Program and its emerging and established small-business owners. It will help at least three businesses and create six jobs.

Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation, Chippewa Falls, WI: $54,800 through the Rural Business Development Grants to provide technical assistance to small businesses in Chippewa County. Assistance involves rating feedstock and infrastructure to determine bio-economy development risks, issuing a risk rating, and marketing the area for biomass plant development based on the risk rating. This project will assist more than three area businesses.

Joseph Dolle, Trempealeau, WI:  $11,600 from Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Grant to help Joseph, a grain farmer, install a 12-kW ground mount solar photovoltaic array. This project is expected to save $1,545 a year. It will replace 11,528 kWh (100 percent of the company's energy use) per year

John Sippl, Menomonie, WI: $6,000 from the Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Grant to help John, a cattle farmer, install a 9.6-kW ground mount solar PV array. This project is expected to save $927 a year. It will replace 7,730 kilowatt hours (kWh) (100 percent of the company's energy use) per year.

Aaron Wilhelm, Fall Creek, WI: $9,800 from the Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Grant to help Aaron, a small business owner, install a roof mounted solar electric array. This project is expected to save $1,387 per year and will replace 11,007 kilowatt hours (100 percent of the businesses' energy use) per year.

Tres Comas LLS, Briggsville, WI: $2,480,000 through the Business and Industry Loan Guarantees to purchase and improve the Camp Lake Mason Campground in Briggsville, Wisconsin. This project will create three new jobs, and one job will be saved because of this investment.

A summary of the investments can be found here.

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