Jan. 22, 2026
MADISON, Wis. — The Bad Axe Watershed Stewards and the Coon Creek Community Watershed Council in Vernon County were among the 49 producer led watershed groups funded by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) to support conservation solutions by encouraging innovation and farmer participation in efforts to improve Wisconsin’s soil health and water quality.
Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), announced this week that $1 million will be awarded to 49 to those farmer-led groups.
“Wisconsin’s farmers and producers know firsthand the value of clean water and soil and are critical partners in our state’s conservation efforts, and I’m glad to have supported this program to help ensure our farmers, kids, and communities have access to safe, clean drinking water,” said. Gov. Evers. “I have been proud to visit many of these recipients and groups, and the work they do every day to support farmers and their local communities is critical, and it remains a priority to ensure they can continue to do this necessary work for years to come.”
Provided by the Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grant (PLWPG) Program, this year’s funding is the 11th round of grant awards since funding was first made available. Gov. Evers recognizes that farmers are key partners in the state’s work to protect and preserve the state’s natural resources, and has championed supporting increased funding for the PLWPG in his previous budgets, including increasing the program’s base funding to $1 million annually in the final 2021-23 Biennial Budget and securing an additional $500,000 in the 2023-25 and 2025-27 Biennial Budgets.
“For more than 10 years, Wisconsin farmers have been implementing conservation efforts as part of the Producer-led Watershed Protection Grant Program,” said DATCP Secretary Randy Romanski. “Through their efforts with neighbors and partners, farmers lead, innovate, and mentor, inspiring new producer-led groups to follow in their footsteps. It’s great to see the success of this program continue and grow.”
Annual interest in DATCP’s PLWPG program continues to exceed the program budget. This funding cycle matched 2025 for the highest number of requests in the history of the program, with 49 groups applying for a total funding request of almost $1.65 million.
“As one of the first two farmer-led watershed groups funded by DATCP, the Horse Creek Farmer Led Watershed program is now on its 11th year of existence. It has been very rewarding watching how producer awareness has grown and the evolution of the program’s focus,” said Timm Johnson, member of the Horse Creek Farmer-Led Watershed Council. “We are now focusing on soil health, water infiltration, crop health, and improving water quality in Horse Creek. Utilizing conservation practices and cover crops, we have dramatically reduced Phosphorus and soil loss in the watershed.”
This year’s grant cycle will support four new groups, indicated below with an asterisk, while helping veteran groups continue to advance their work. A map of recipients can be found on DATCP’s website and here.
The 2026 PLWPG recipients and award amounts include:
Antigo Silt Loam and Water – $3,800
Apple Willow Farmer-Led Council* – $15,800
Bad Axe Watershed Stewards – $26,300
Biological Farming Friends – $22,000
Buffalo Trempealeau Farmer Network – $26,800
Calumet County Ag Stewardship Alliance – $16,500
Cedar Creek Farmers – $22,000
Central Wisconsin Farmers’ Collaborative – $20,000
Chippewa Valley Producer-Led Watershed Council – $18,000
Coon Creek Community Watershed Council – $22,000
Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil & Healthy Water – $23,500
Dry Run Farmer-Led Watershed Council – $10,800
Eau Pleine Partnership for Integrated Conservation – $30,000
Farmers for Lake Country – $20,000
Farmers for the Upper Sugar River – $24,000
Farmers for Tomorrow River Watershed Council – $26,800
Farmers of Fourteen Mile Creek – $6,800
Farmers of Mill Creek Watershed Council – $13,200
Farmers of the Barron County Watersheds – $22,000
Farmers of the Lemonweir Valley – $20,000
Farmers of the Roche-A-Cri – $2,800
Farmers of the Sugar River – $12,000
Farmers on the Rock – $30,000
Farmers4Health – $9,000
Flambeau Valley Watershed Group – $5,000
Fond du Lac County Watersheds Alliance – $26,800
Friends of the Little La Crosse Watershed* – $15,400
Green Lake Farmer Coalition* – $26,800
Hay River Farmer-Led Watershed Council – $22,000
Horse Creek Area Farmer-Led Watershed Council – $11,000
Jefferson County Soil Builders – $22,000
Kenosha County Regenerative Producers – $24,000
Lafayette Ag Stewardship Alliance – $22,000
Lake Wisconsin Farmer Watershed Council – $30,000
Milwaukee River Watershed Clean Farm Families – $24,000
Muddy Bottom Farmers – $11,000
Peninsula Pride Farms – $26,800
Producers of Baraboo-Redstone – $22,000
Red Cedar Conservation Farmers – $26,800
Rock River Regenerative Graziers – $30,000
Sauk Soil & Water Improvement Group – $30,000
Seven Rivers Soil Cooperative – $30,000
Shawano County Watershed Advisory Council* – $17,500
Sheboygan River Progressive Farmers – $26,800
South Kinni Farmer Led Watershed Council – $18,000
Walworth Alliance Teaching Environmental Regenerative Systems – $20,000
Watershed Protection Committee of Racine County – $22,000
Western Wisconsin Conservation Council – $24,000
Yahara Pride Farms Inc. – $22,000 About the Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grants
Including the recent round of funding, DATCP has awarded more than $8.2 million to 57 different groups across the state since the program started in 2015. Grant projects have focused on providing conservation education to farmers, conducting on-farm demonstrations and research, issuing incentive payments for implementing conservation practices, organizing field days, and gathering data on soil health and water quality.
In 2024, groups in the program delivered conservation practices on nearly 1.7 million acres, an increase from 1.5 million acres in 2023. This includes a 34 percent increase in no-till practices, a two percent increase in nutrient management, and a 37 percent increase in cover crop adoption. In addition, the program provides valuable peer-to-peer learning opportunities for farmers across the state.
Producer-led groups must work with a county land conservation department, University of Wisconsin-Division of Extension, a non-profit conservation organization, or the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, which serves as the group’s collaborator. Funds cannot pay for real estate, loans, equipment, or lobbying, and the program places caps on the amount of funding that can be used for staff support to the groups. Each group must start with at least five farmers in the watershed.
Additional details on the impacts of Wisconsin’s producer-led groups is available on DATCP’s website here.
An online version of this release is available here.
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