The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is now accepting applications for the Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grants program. Funded by Governor Evers’ 2025-27 Biennial Budget, the program has a total budget of $1 million for 2027, with eligible groups able to receive up to $40,000.

Program Details

The grants aim to help farmers find and promote conservation solutions best suited for their watershed, based on topography, soil, types of operations, and other factors that differ among regions of the state. Since the program began in 2015, DATCP has awarded over $8.2 million to 56 producer-led watershed groups across the state.

Eligibility requirements include being a group of at least five farmers whose farms are in the same or adjacent watershed, with each farm having produced at least $6,000 in gross farm revenue last year or $18,000 over the past three years. Each group must also collaborate with a county land conservation department, the University of Wisconsin-Extension, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, or a nonprofit conservation organization.

Grant information and application materials are available on DATCP’s Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grants webpage and must be submitted by email in Microsoft Word format. For more information, contact Producer-Led Watershed Program Manager Dani Heisler at [email protected] or (608) 640-7270.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.