Boards & Councils Overview

The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) has responsibilities related to many different boards and advisory councils. Some of these boards and advisory councils are created by the Legislature. Others are created by the department.

All of the boards and councils identified in this directory are subject to the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law in subchapter V. Subcommittees of a board or council are also covered. Among other things, the Open Meeting Law requires:

• Advance public notice of all board and council meetings (including telephone meetings).
• Meeting notices must include notice of agenda items to be considered at the meeting. Action is generally limited to items on the public agenda.
• Meetings must be held in a publicly accessible place. If a “meeting” is held by telephone, public access must be provided.
• Meetings must be held in open session. A board or council may move into closed session only for certain narrow purposes specified under the Open Meeting Law. (The boards and councils identified in this directory would seldom, if ever, have a legitimate reason to move into closed session.)
• The board or council must make a record of actions taken in closed session.

Minutes and other records related to boards and councils are public records, and are open to public inspection to the extent provided in subchapter II of Chapter 19 of the Wisconsin Statutes.

Boards and Advisory Councils

Board of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
The Governor appoints citizens who serve on the DATCP board for six years. The board is a policy making body.

Land and Water Conservation Board
The LWCB connects local and state governments on conservation and farmland preservation issues.

Livestock Facility Siting Review Board
The Livestock Facility Siting Review Board is a seven member group authorized to review appeals of local decisions involving permit applications for new and expanded livestock facilities.

Statutory Councils
The following councils are created by statute and attached to DATCP for administrative purposes:

• Agricultural Producer Security Council
• Fertilizer Research Council
• Agricultural Education and Workforce Development Council

Standing Advisory Councils Created by DATCP
Wisconsin statute authorizes the department secretary to create advisory councils to advise the department on matters within the department's jurisdiction.

• Rural Energy Management
• Aquaculture
• Organic Advisory Council
• Agrichemical Technical Advisory Council (formerly the Atrazine Techincal Advisory Council)
• Agricultural Chemical Cleanup Council
• Consumer Protection Advisory Council

Ad Hoc Advisory Councils Created by DATCP
The DATCP Secretary is authorized to create temporary ("ad hoc") advisory councils to advise the department on matters within the department's jurisdiction.

• CREP Implementation Committee

Statutory Boards Attached to Other Agencies (DATCP membership)
DATCP is represented on a number of statutory boards or councils which are attached to other agencies.

• Groundwater Coordinating Council
• Invasive Species Council
• Kickapoo Reserve Management Board
• Laboratory of Hygiene Board
• Rural Economic Development Board
• State Fair Park Board
• Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Board
• Waste Facility Siting Board
• Wisconsin Conservation Corps Board

Agricultural Marketing Boards
Wisconsin statute allows DATCP to adopt marketing orders for agricultural commodities.

Bioenergy Council
The Bioenergy Council was created in 2010 and is charged with identifying “voluntary best management practices for sustainable biomass and biofuels production…"