Baldwin Scores Major Wins for Wisconsin’s Farmers and Dairy Businesses in Senate’s Annual Agriculture Funding Bill

WISCONSIN – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, delivered direct support for Wisconsin farmers and rural communities in this year’s bipartisan agriculture funding legislation that passed unanimously out of the Senate Appropriations Committee today. Senator Baldwin successfully championed key initiatives to expand resources for Wisconsin dairy businesses, help farmers improve their efficiencies, support farmers’ mental health, and protect American farmland from foreign investment. The bill now heads to the full Senate for a vote.

“Wisconsin’s farmers and ranchers work hard every day to put our state on the map with world-class products and move our Made in Wisconsin economy forward. I’m proud to have their backs, creating and championing programs that help boost businesses’ bottom lines and keep Wisconsin families safe and healthy,” said Senator Baldwin. “Whether it’s helping Wisconsin dairy businesses innovate and grow for the future, protecting America’s heartland from foreign investment, or connecting rural communities with mental health resources, I’m happy to be giving Wisconsinites a seat at the table and delivering on the tools they need to succeed.” 

Senator Baldwin successfully fought to include several initiatives to support Wisconsin’s agricultural businesses and rural communities in this year’s bipartisan Fiscal Year 2025 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, including:

Supporting Wisconsin Dairy – Senator Baldwin’s Dairy Business Innovation Initiative (DBII) is funded at $17 million, a $5 million increase over last year’s funding thanks to an amendment Senator Baldwin successfully passed out of the Appropriations Committee. Senator Baldwin first secured the legislation to create the DBII to support dairy businesses in the development, production, marketing, and distribution of dairy products in the 2018 Farm Bill. Senator Baldwin also successfully included a provision to allow the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to direct Commodity Credit Corporation funds to DBIIs to help farmers dealing with the outbreak of avian flu (H5N1).

“Senator Baldwin again today demonstrated her steadfast commitment to dairy farmers and processors and her effectiveness as a lawmaker, securing support for education, research, and direct-to-business grants via the Dairy Business Innovation Initiative,” said Rebekah Sweeney, Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association Senior Director of Programs and Policy. “We thank Senator Baldwin for her hard work and partnership, both of which are essential as our industry addresses the continued challenges of a labor shortage and volatile marketplace, and emerging issues like the outbreak of H5N1 in dairy herds.”

Helping Farmers, Ranchers, and Producers Improve Efficiencies and Compete on a Global Stage – Senator Baldwin successfully included her bipartisan legislation to help farmers, ranchers, and producers access new innovative feed products that will help them compete on the global stage and reduce byproducts. The Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development (FEED) Act creates a new pathway at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval of new and innovative feed additive products that improve efficiency in meat and dairy production while also reducing byproducts, on par with our global competitors who are already benefitting from these increased efficiencies.

Funding Mental Health Resources for Farmers – Despite tough spending caps, Senator Baldwin was able to maintain funding for her Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) at $10 million. Senator Baldwin authored the bipartisan legislation that created FRSAN in the 2018 Farm Bill, connecting farmers, ranchers, and other agriculture workers to stress assistance programs and resources. Through FRSAN, state departments of agriculture, state extension services, and non-profits receive funding to establish helplines, provide suicide prevention training for farm advocates, and create support groups for farmers and farm workers.

Protecting American Farmland from Foreign Ownership – After fighting to include key provisions of her Farmland Security Act in the FY23 funding legislation – requiring USDA to transition to an online filing system to improve the transparency of foreign ownership in American agricultural land – this bill successfully included language directing USDA to report to Congress on their failures to enforce penalties on foreign owners of farmland for misreporting or failing to report their acreage.

Expanding Access to Grazing – Senator Baldwin fought to include $20 million, a $10 million increase, for the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI), a USDA program that helps farmers figure out what approach to grazing might be the best fit for their operation. Managed grazing is one of the most efficient and deployable strategies for carbon sequestration, and this funding will help farmers get ready to take advantage of carbon markets.

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