You can expect to see even more conservation strategies get implemented in Door and Kewaunee counties as a result of a bill signed into law by Governor Tony Evers on Monday. Introduced by Rep. Joel Kitchens and more than two dozen other members of the Assembly, the bill allows producer-led groups like Peninsula Pride Farms to be in a single watershed or adjacent ones. The bill also opens up a new pool of money for the groups to apply for from the state’s Department of Natural Resources as lake and river protection grants. Peninsula Pride Farms most recently received $37,960 in grant money from the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection, funding the organization’s president Duane Ducat says goes to its cost-sharing programs where over 50 percent of its members participated last year.

In a statement, Evers said that “farmers and producers are leading the way on some of our water conservation efforts because they know firsthand the value of clean water and fruitful land. I am glad to be signing this bipartisan bill today to expand opportunities for more producers to access this program so we can work together to improve surface water quality across the state.” Farmers received additional good news this week with improving weather conditions. The planting of corn, soybeans, and potatoes is either at or ahead of last year’s pace, but anywhere between two to five days behind the five-year average. That progress was made with only about four days suitable for fieldwork and approximately three days suitable the week before.