The final draft of ATCP 50 rule language was approved by the
Board of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection on September 21, 2023. The
rule now moves to the Governor and the Legislature for approval.
Background
ATCP 50 is the administrative rule that covers soil and water resource management grants to counties, county resource management planning, cost-share requirements for landowners, conservation compliance for farmland preservation tax credits, local ordinances, nutrient management, and other conservation practices.
Beginning in 2021, rulemaking began to consider options, including the conservation practices necessary, to implement the Silurian bedrock agricultural performance standards promulgated in 2018 by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in
Wis. Admin. Code NR 151.075, as authorized under
Wis. Stat. s. 281.16(3).
The second objective of the 2021 rulemaking is to assess options to update, simplify, add to, and clarify existing rule provisions related to implementation of existing agricultural performance standards, soil and water conservation on farms, county soil and water programs, grants to counties and cost-sharing for landowners, standards for soil and water professionals, and standards for cost-shared practices.
Rule Documents
To review rule documents, including the rule text, consult SS 081-21.
Bedrock Standard
Incorporation of the technical standard DATCP 01 – Verification of Depth to Bedrock into ATCP 50 will be considered during this rule change process. This technical standard was developed in 2020. The technical standard language and an accompanying resource document can be found on our
website. The purpose of the standard is to provide criteria, methodology, and the qualifications for verification of depth to bedrock to support implementation of Wis. Admin. Code NR 151.075 in areas where the bedrock consists of Silurian dolomite with a depth to bedrock of 20-feet or less.
Stakeholder Meetings
DATCP conducted stakeholder engagement in late 2021-2022 to enable information sharing and to gather stakeholder input.