The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.

On May 20th Governor Tony Evers announced the Wisconsin Farm Support Program, a $50-million investment to provide direct payments to Wisconsin farmers in support of the agricultural sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The groups listed below, many of whom sent this joint letter to DATCP and the Evers administration on May 8, issued the following statement in response to Governor Evers’ Wisconsin Farm Support Program:

“We appreciate Governor Evers’ acknowledgement of the critical role that farmers play in Wisconsin’s economy, and the heavy toll that the pandemic has taken on their farming operations. We applaud Governor Evers for this important investment in Wisconsin’s farming future.

We also look forward to continuing to work with the Evers administration to ensure that the funds are distributed equitably among all farms in the state – large and small, and producing all types of commodities. The smallest farms in the state are the most likely to be owned by women, veterans, farmers of color, and farmers under the age of 35, and they are also the most likely to be selling food directly to people in their communities thereby enhancing Wisconsin’s food security in this uncertain time. We are hopeful that Governor Evers will use the Wisconsin Farm Support program to continue to support the communities that have been hardest-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic."

Wisconsin Farmers Union

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute

REAP Food Group

Fondy Food Center

Rooted WI, Inc.

Artisan Grain Collaborative

Central Rivers Farmshed

FairShare CSA Coalition