Land & Water Conservation

ATCP 50: Wisconsin's Soil and Water Resource Management Rule Revision

ATCP 50 is the administrative rule that governs Wisconsin’s soil and water resource management program, along with Chapter 92 of the Wisconsin Statutes. The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, or DATCP, administers the program in cooperation with other agencies. DATCP is proposing to revise ATCP 50 and is calling for public comment on the proposed changes.

View and download a copy of the proposed rule revisions
Current version of ATCP 50
Mark-up of ATCP hearing draft (shows complete text of current versions with proposed additions and deletions)
Why DATCP is revising ATCP 50
Overview of revisions
Status of the rule revision
Commenting on the rule
Public hearings
Written and electronic comments
Reference and resources
For more information

Why DATCP is revising ATCP 50

DATCP's soil and water resource management program operates in cooperation with county land conservation committees, the Land and Water Conservation Board, the Department of Natural Resources, and other state and federal agencies. The requirements set by all these agencies must align. These revisions are necessary to:

Align ATCP 50 with recent changes to NR 151, the DNR's administrative rule. The DNR added agricultural performance standards.
Address issues that have arisen since the last time we revised ATCP 50.
Improve coordination of the nonpoint pollution programs with local, state, and federal partners.
Meet requirements in Wisconsin Act 28 for conservation compliance provisions in the Farmland Preservation program.
Make routine updates and clarifications to the current rule.

Overview of revisions

Some of general areas of revision include:

Agricultural performance standards
Best management practice cost sharing
Conservation engineering certification
Farmland preservation conservation compliance

PowerPoint presentation

ATCP 50: Farmland Preservation Program-Conservation Compliance (2 page PDF)
ATCP 50: Farm Conservation Standards (2 page PDF)
ATCP 50: DATCP Oversight - Local Regulation, Nutrient Management, and Conservation Engineering (2 page PDF)
ATCP 50: Soil and Water Resource Management Grants (2 page PDF)

Commenting on the rule

Written comments on the provisions of the rule: Written comments will be accepted through April 30. You can:

· Mail them to Lisa Schultz, DATCP-DARM, P.O. Box 8911, Madison, WI 53718-8911

· Email them

· Submit them online

Public hearings: You can attend a public hearing to comment orally, turn in written comments, or simply to learn about the proposal. Here is the tentaive hearing schedule, pending approval by the Board of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection:

Tuesday, March 26, 2013 – Eau Claire
2:30-4:30 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.
Town of Washington Town Hall, 5750 Old Town Hall Road (map)

Wednesday, March 27, 2013 – Appleton
2:30-4:30 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.
Outagamie County Highway Department, Conference Room, 1313 Holland Road (map)

Thursday, March 28, 2013 – Tomahawk
2:30-4:30 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.
Rodeway Inn & Suites, 1738 Comfort Drive (map)

Wednesday, April 3, 2013 – Platteville
2:30-4:30 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.
University of Wisconsin- Platteville, Bjarne Ullsvik Hall South, 1 University Plaza (Corner of S Hickory Street and Main Street) (map)

Thursday, April 4, 2013 – Madison
2:30-4:30 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.
Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Board Room, 2811 Agriculture Drive (map)

The period for economic impact comments has closed.

References and Resources

The following documents are referenced in the proposed revision. Paper copies, available upon request, will also be on file with the department and the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

Primary and Secondary Technical Standards

NRCS 590 Nutrient Management Standard

Nutrient Management Checklist

Wisconsin Conservation Planning Technical Note WI-1

A2809 Nutrient Application Guidelines for Field, Vegetable, and Fruit Crops in Wisconsin-2012

A2809 Nutrient Application Guidelines for Field, Vegetable, and Fruit Crops in Wisconsin-2006

A2809 Nutrient Application Guidelines for Field, Vegetable, and Fruit Crops in Wisconsin-1998

List of Approved Soil Testing Laboratories

Nutrient Management Fast Facts

Wisconsin Procedures for Soil Testing, Plant Analysis and Feed and Forage Analysis

Soil Testing Laboratory Certification form (fillable Word document)

Conservation Engineering Practitioner Certification Form