Wisconsin farmers and other businesses related to the agricultural sector could once again get a share of the state's designated federal stimulus dollars in 2021. That's what Governor Tony Evers told members of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin on Tuesday's edition of the Dairy Signal.
During the hour-long webcast, the governor explained that Wisconsin is receiving about $3.2 billion in federal funds from the recently passed $1.9 trillion American Recovery Act. Like last year, he plans to allocate some of those dollars to producers who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"During the last CARES Act (of 2020) we provided lots of resources to farmers and small businesses and we're going to do this again, with even more resources being made available to us," Gov. Evers explained. "So our goal is as soon as we're able to get the final guidance from the federal government, we're going to get those resources out the door."
Last year, the state received $2 billion in CARES Act funding, of which Evers allocated $50 million to agriculture producers directly through the Farm Support Program.
Meanwhile, the governor said he's also optimistic that the Republican-led legislature will approve many of his proposed state budget items, including $43 billion in provisions that will benefit agriculture specifically. Some of those priorities include expanding local and international market opportunities, bolstering local meat processing, promoting agricultural innovation and farmer-led conservation, and supporting farmers' mental health and wellbeing.
Categories: Wisconsin, Government & Policy