[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6136538,"mediaKeyId","5667248-fb5095735679fa9ff242ec41237f9643","parentId",5667248,"title","Committee hears BEAD grant status and rule changes that broaden technology choices for rural broadband","audioSeconds",604,"startMs",4336000,"endMs",4940000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5667248-fb5095735679fa9ff242ec41237f9643&start=4336&end=4940","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5667248-fb5095735679fa9ff242ec41237f9643/thumbnail_4336000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6136538/Dunn-County/Wisconsin/Committee-hears-BEAD-grant-status-and-rule-changes-that-broaden-technology-choices-for-rural-broadband","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6136538-ca70d1812371c403d3c1fab1ee964e87/orig.mp4?Expires=1771021521&Signature=hHBVJhlfbt55tq~NSS0aZJSoXrFzziJgF~C13MY3Wly1u-P7brGVulBr5kkzVzxp4RlzEgEEOPkodqllrPo7B0eZtOWd0qFB-ygjTIv3usjLf9egbuEOXCw0luDidsWEdyhgqqw0wv5kpwhLoQ1bevwEzNiahxtJrwri~Y8Np2kSdHTxUCynkjgLnmm3Iw5EwdiZuXZ5fbFslgQuhw65jqZs5n1FX0-QEqz-FTMw7a-h3NWx2mOyOUzfV1aJp0jwBGUDeQRw3LtPCWpJi769cj8gWJcVhIdYm19Olt1KJDXhvTu42Wfaack9jEpd5y1Jo50hAzkMMDJDsoISFlzYRw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Dunn County, Wisconsin","date","2025-08-20T00:00:00Z","article","Dunn County staff updated supervisors Aug. 12 on the county’s involvement with the federal BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) program and recent changes in state subgrant procedures that broaden eligible technologies to include fixed‑point wireless and low‑Earth‑orbit satellite services.

Dan, a county official, said the state restarted subgranting after rule changes that made previously preferred technologies less prescriptive. “Fixed point wireless becomes essentially equivalent to fiber in that,” he said, explaining the state adjusted criteria so more providers can compete and some projects that would have been judged on a fiber preference may now consider other technologies. The changes were intended in part to lower per‑location costs and extend coverage in high‑cost areas.

County staff described one BEAD target area north of Wheeler in the town of Hay River where a provider had engaged but staffing and company changes and the rule revisions altered the application landscape. The state also added requirements for providers using low‑Earth‑orbit satellite options to include customer equipment costs in their project budgets — an attempt to make cost comparisons more apples‑to‑apples with buried fiber that requires no customer equipment subsidy.

Staff cautioned that fiber remains the preferred long‑term technology for many planners because of growth potential and future scalability, but noted that other technologies may be more affordable in sparsely populated or high‑construction‑cost areas. The committee did not take formal action but received the update and will watch upcoming state subgrant announcements.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Dunn County Community Resources and Tourism Meeting - 08/19/2025","oneSentenceSummary","County staff said BEAD subgranting rules have changed to treat fixed‑wireless and low‑Earth‑orbit satellite options more equally with fiber; the rule changes affect local project scope and the provider competition process in Dunn County.","taxTitle","taxId",53943,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6136544,"Extension crops and soils educator outlines research, outreach and 'low‑disturbance' manure work",1600,2160000,3760000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5667248-fb5095735679fa9ff242ec41237f9643&start=2160&end=3760","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5667248-fb5095735679fa9ff242ec41237f9643/thumbnail_2160000.jpg","/articles/6136544/Dunn-County/Wisconsin/Extension-crops-and-soils-educator-outlines-research-outreach-and-lowdisturbance-manure-work","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6136544-e43adedd5c4a229c71018419db25248e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771021521&Signature=F6mVOcyY1ePsPrPdVp-9xF4rtUieF0gwhWXvg2GpGO-2UFcXXyz8OUZxJ~47rvB3C-OECEx7Wj47VSbxexaew3Im7fgRcEj5Cz9~GYJgHQ3r6R-Syg4qXKRafdZiEAR3c9dk-KSeYkTDX7GYo3dqq6p0VNasyedmlsuyDIMPXaVeGTUKSkUCR3PnPUMOMZGnDD995uoUWdBeCUYQa9jcHZ0Z2T3SqY2gVauZXrWpTzlJBSDgClJyWVhzdw5C6sJb0gPg3ob4bY6oZph62lrOkdEzHrSM0toKlWPEM70pp3K9~iZRhMiOsNJqmLSqda0ldxjBXd3gbSv56shKbU6rQA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jerry Clark, the soils and crops educator serving Dunn, Chippewa and Eau Claire counties, told the committee Aug. 12 that agriculture remains a significant economic driver locally and reviewed Extension research, education and field work focused on nutrient management, cover crops and cropping alternatives.

Clark presented county farm statistics and described demonstration and research projects, including adaptive nitrogen management trials on small plots that tested rates from 0 to 200 pounds per acre and generally showed a yield plateau near 120–130 lb/acre in the years reported. He said the research included lysimeters to trap nitrate and that elevated readings in some lysimeters coincided with tile lines in the field, a finding the team will reexamine when they retrieve instruments next spring.

Clark also described a redesigned manure applicator training that used a large map and group exercises rather than slides; he said the interactive approach drew positive feedback. “I want to pass along that I was very impressed,” Clark reported a consultant saying about the hands‑on mapping and peer interaction used in the training.

Upcoming events include a low‑disturbance manure application field day on Sept. 3 at Alpha Lawn Farm west of Downsville, with demonstrations of injectors and narrow‑band application tools and discussion of GPS guidance and planting over application bands. Clark explained low‑disturbance application as systems that place manure just below the soil surface in a narrow band to reduce surface runoff and enable planting immediately behind the toolbar.

Clark also reviewed work on malting barley, alfalfa interseeding with corn silage, industrial hemp trials (noting this will be his final year on hemp projects), and collaboration with watershed groups, the Red Cedar Demonstration Farm and the Chippewa Valley Forage Council. He noted Extension faculty carry a research expectation and described recent and planned scholarly outputs tied to those projects.

The committee was directed to Extension’s event postings and a forthcoming flyer for the Sept. field day; staff offered to distribute the flyer to supervisors and to post events on the office Facebook page.","Jerry Clark, Dunn County soils and crops educator, summarized local agricultural economic impact, ongoing research on adaptive nitrogen management and outreach including a low‑disturbance manure application field day scheduled for September.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6136548,"Dunn County committee weighs funding to replace eliminated SNAP‑Ed FoodWIse program",1677,93000,1770000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5667248-fb5095735679fa9ff242ec41237f9643&start=93&end=1770","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5667248-fb5095735679fa9ff242ec41237f9643/thumbnail_93000.jpg","/articles/6136548/Dunn-County/Wisconsin/Dunn-County-committee-weighs-funding-to-replace-eliminated-SNAPEd-FoodWIse-program","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6136548-fc1c7fbb87dc0c8f4c8e1ff69b6386bf/orig.mp4?Expires=1771021521&Signature=OawNVtBidSxZ9U9FMt3xvjbYrc5M5Jjh3WsFHavQIsOyKyiaXabCFwpVtOd37UTmQcQiVxsjywgKbsaTNgHnuolwYhB9-FpdtjoNy90hrJkzPPdMbQ4WAaMrE00pNGN0XDJHNI4t~Y1ged6x1Y44ninen5USSlgQdAupNmEUZ6g6BaY7Fppomc4T6BnAKGOCYHNCEHtB2VVLbF63eOtyuFuJUob4IdOZ74BxNZQT8lvYcQIRtd0yrrlOVfe3J~~eFpCp0Qm2DZFXs5HfcOQenaDGIlWDd7v~O4UoT-pYaADrZRTDVr4j7dVhZxUZNGWP0pmC42BiZIs8~dnS~bxSng__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dunn County supervisors heard on Aug. 12 that federal cuts to SNAP‑Ed have forced UW‑Extension to begin laying off FoodWIse staff and end the program locally, and the Community Resources & Tourism Committee voted to add $50,000 to the proposed Extension budget to fund a 0.5 FTE health and well‑being educator for further review. Kristen, an Extension staff member, said staff received layoff notices after “the elimination of the SNAP Ed dollars,” and that two local FoodWIse employees will be with the county through Dec. 1 while two others end their work earlier this fall.

The proposal matters because the county now faces a choice about whether to use local levy dollars to maintain some nutrition and wellness programming previously funded by SNAP‑Ed. “This action does eliminate the FoodWIse program nationwide, including here in Dunn County,” Kristen said, and she presented options including a county‑funded 0.5 or 1.0 FTE to continue and broaden nutrition education without the SNAP‑specific eligibility limits.

Committee members pressed for details about cost and scope. Kristen said a full FTE would likely cost about $70,000 to $90,000 including salary and fringe and that a 0.5 FTE would be proportionally smaller; the committee ultimately approved an amendment to the department request that adds $50,000 to the extension budget to reflect a 0.5 FTE for further consideration at the upcoming budget workshop. Committee members noted the position would be an open UW‑Extension recruitment and that Extension would handle recruitment and HR.

Supporters argued keeping some capacity preserves local programming and infrastructure. One supervisor said a half‑time position would at least retain expertise and avoid losing the program’s local relationships; another member said the county should be cautious about adding recurring costs given other budget pressures. Opponents described the federal cut as unfair but said the county’s levy is limited and that county resources should be targeted to statutory duties and existing priorities.

The committee vote to add $50,000 to the proposed Extension budget was a voice vote; the motion passed and will be part of materials discussed at the county budget workshop and by the executive committee before final county board action.

The staff also walked the committee through the department’s priority‑based budgeting spreadsheet and two technical budget clarifications: a contractual services line originally approved at $275,017 had been recorded in the adopted 2025 budget at $268,442 (a discrepancy staff said they are correcting), and several distributed IT and maintenance charges are populated by other departments and appear as shifted amounts in line‑item detail. Kristen and finance staff said any overages in contractual services this year would likely be covered from existing fund balances or internal adjustments and not immediately by adding levy.

The committee instructed staff to include the 0.5 FTE cost estimate in materials for the Sept. 9 meeting and the budget workshop, so the full budget consequence can be reviewed. No final hiring decision was made; the action at the Aug. 12 meeting merely amended the department’s requested budget to include the 0.5 FTE placeholder for continued discussion.","County extension staff alerted supervisors that the federal SNAP‑Ed portion of the farm bill has been cut, triggering layoffs and ending the FoodWIse program; the committee voted to add $50,000 for a half‑time health and well‑being educator to the proposed budget for further consideration in the county budgeting process.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee hears BEAD grant status and rule changes that broaden technology choices for rural broadband

Extension crops and soils educator outlines research, outreach and 'low‑disturbance' manure work

Dunn County committee weighs funding to replace eliminated SNAP‑Ed FoodWIse program