Kewaunee conservation staff report 2024 permits, 19,000 acres walked for farmland preservation and plans for groundwater testing

County conservation staff reported year-end program results and upcoming activities, including permit revenues, farmland-preservation compliance work, manure-storage abandonment efforts and planned groundwater nitrate testing.

Staff told the Kewaunee County Land Conservation Committee that the department issued 10 animal-waste storage permits in 2024, bringing in approximately $5,000 in permit revenue. The farmland-preservation program completed 126 walkovers covering roughly 19,000 acres; staff reported that 95 farms are fully compliant with the farmland-preservation requirements and 31 farms are on compliance schedules that allow them to retain tax credits while completing required work. The most common compliance issues noted were inadequate tillage setbacks (the five-foot setback from surface water) and erosion concerns. Staff said some older manure-storage facilities require abandonment or complete rebuilding before they could meet modern standards; the department is seeking cost-sharing with NRCS and DNR to address those installations.

Staff described a small number of older storage pits that the county is keeping available for emergency use by small farms. Staff emphasized that those pits are not built to CAFO standards and therefore are not appropriate for CAFO operations; small farms could use them in emergencies. The conservation office also plans nutrient-management farmer-education classes in February (10 a.m.–2 p.m.), with sign-up required; staff said the program typically draws 30–40 participants and that grant funding helps reimburse the classes.

On groundwater protection, staff said the county remains under a no-spreading restriction until April 15 for applications less than 20 feet to soil and that the county plans a single nitrate-testing date in October 2025. Staff expects the EPA to again help fund nitrate sampling; the department currently has a donation-line balance of roughly $5,000–$7,000 available to support testing and related outreach. Staff said it was still interpreting recent lab results and had not yet provided a full analysis to higher-level agencies.

Staff introduced a new employee, Samantha, who began work Jan. 2 and will assist across technical programs including nonmetallic mining and other duties. Staff also encouraged attendance at several upcoming meetings: extension CAFO meetings (Jan. 28 in Green Bay; Jan. 29 in Fond du Lac; Jan. 30 in Manitowoc) and the Midwest Manure Summit (Feb. 26 at Lambeau Field; early registration through Feb. 1). Wildlife-damage claim reporting for 2024 will be presented at the committee's February meeting.

No formal committee action was taken on these program updates during the meeting.