At the beginning of October, dairy and manure equipment manufacturers from around the world descended into Madison, Wisconsin for the World Dairy Expo. With the dairy industry at state capitol’s doorstep, there was no better time to host a lobby day on the importance of dairy technology.
AEM members and staff met with state lawmakers and their offices to advocate for dairy and manure precision agriculture incentives. Using data from AEM’s Environmental Benefits of Modern Dairy, Hay, and Forage Production Technologies study, the meetings educated lawmakers on the benefits of precision agriculture technology and discussed a model bill that could help get these technologies into the hands of Wisconsin farmers.
Earlier this year, AEM members and staff drafted a model bill for Wisconsin that would establish a grant for small and medium dairy farmers in the state. The grant would help ease adoption of new technology and equipment, allowing Wisconsin farmers to increase workforce and environmental efficiencies. The bill is based on an AEM-supported bill that was passed and enacted in Iowa during the 2023 legislative session.
AEM will continue to work with Wisconsin legislators to enact the model bill during the 2025 session. Wisconsin’s dairy farmers need policies that will allow them to prosper and continue to be America’s Dairyland.
To learn more about precision agriculture incentives in other states or to get involved in AEM’s advocacy efforts, please reach out to the AEM Advocacy Team.
Subscribe to the AEM Industry Advisor for more AEM news and updates.
