DATCP official outlines nutrient‑management rules, funding and grower training to Adams County committee

Andrea Topper, nutrient‑management outreach specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), described the state’s nutrient‑management rules, funding streams and farmer training options during the Adams County Land and Water Committee meeting.

Topper told the committee that nutrient management aims to meet crop nutrient needs by allocating farm nutrient sources such as manure, then supplementing with fertilizer ‘‘at the right source, the right rate, the right time, the right place.’’ She cited state and federal guidance used to implement that approach and summarized what county staff and farmers must provide for a plan: current soil tests, field boundaries and cropping information.

The issue matters locally because committee staff and DATCP records show Adams County has elevated soil‑test phosphorus compared with many parts of the state and a large potato acreage. Topper said that potato production in the region helps explain higher soil phosphorus numbers and that potato crops have different fertility benchmarks than row crops.

Topline details and why it matters - Rules and guidance referenced: DNR agricultural performance standards (NR 151), DATCP implementation rules (ATCP 50 as referenced in the presentation), and the NRCS 590 nutrient‑management standard as the technical basis for plans. - Required plan elements: certified soil tests (one sample per five acres, refreshed every four years), field‑by‑field cropping and yield information, identification of dominant and predominant critical soil types, and manure inventories if animals are present. - Local data: Topper reported county soil‑test data from 2015–2019 showing a median soil‑test phosphorus near the mid‑range compared with the state; she said Adams County’s potato acreage (14,000–17,000 acres in a year) contributes to those values.

Funding, cost share and education programs Topper outlined three DATCP funding paths often used in Adams County: - SEG/SWRM (county staffing and practice cost share): counties receive periodic allocations to support staff and cost share practices; contracts are eligible in the year signed and may be extended one year under limited circumstances. - Cost share for nutrient‑management planning: DATCP cost share can cover plan development (Topper said $40 per acre for plan development is an available rate in the program documentation). - Nutrient Management Farmer Education grants (NMFE): two tiers exist — a tier‑1 ($25,000) grant to support farmer training and producing plans and a tier‑2 ($3,000) education grant for field days and outreach. Topper said the NMFE application and SEG funding rounds are open through April 15.

Topper emphasized that having a nutrient‑management plan can make a producer eligible for additional cost‑share practices (cover crops, reduced tillage, waterway work) and that counties play a key role implementing the state program by documenting plans and doing farm checks.

Committee Q&A: fall manure, timing and local risk Supervisor Posdolski (committee member) and Supervisor Suresh Przedalski asked whether fall applications drive runoff risks when ground freezes or during heavy spring rains. Topper answered that DATCP and NR 151 set specific constraints for fall applications, and that manure and fertilizer are treated differently in the rules. She said many fertilizer applications (for example, potassium) commonly occur in the fall and that ‘‘there are specific rules about fall applications, whether it be manure and or fertilizer’’ and that restricted soils (highly permeable sands, wet soils or shallow bedrock) carry additional limits.

On local soil characteristics, Topper said Adams County’s sandy soils increase percolation and require careful siting and timing of manure and fertilizer applications according to the NRCS/DATCP guidance.

Direct quotes - Andrea Topper: "Nutrient management is taking first and foremost if we have on‑farm nutrient sources such as manure, allocating those manure sources to our field ... and meeting our crop need at the right source, the right rate, the right time, the right place." - Andrea Topper: "In the state of Wisconsin the Department of Natural Resources ... sets the state agricultural performance standards" and DATCP explains how to meet them using the NRCS 590 standard. - Supervisor Suresh Przedalski: "There’s been concerns among citizens ... the application of the nutrients being applied in the fall, when there’s not the vegetation that would otherwise absorb the nutrient." (question to presenter)

Clarifying technical points and limitations Topper said DATCP requires soil tests from certified labs and that the statewide reporting dataset she cited covered 2015–2019; she noted the department is collecting the 2020–2024 data set. She also said county participation in farmland preservation zoning or agricultural enterprise areas is a major driver of plan adoption because the farmland preservation tax credit requires compliance with state soil and water conservation standards.

Ending Committee members asked follow‑up questions and were referred to county staff for technical follow‑up. Topper encouraged producers and county staff to apply for SEG and NMFE grants and described DATCP resources for training and plan development.