Posted: 02.25.2011

Anyone connected with food production in the state should plan on getting involved with the cooperative effort called "Ag Day at the Capitol".

The day long event, hosted by the states commodity groups and farm organizations, will be more critical this year then ever before according to Paul Zimmerman with the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation.  "Since the fall elections one out of every four elected officials in Madison is new to the job," Zimmerman says, "That's why its critical that we have a strong number of growers and agribusiness representatives that can help educate these newly elected officials about issues ranging from use-value assessment to animal care practices."

The Ag Day at the Capitol event begins with registration at 11 a.m. at the Monona Terrace Convention Center.  After lunch, everyone will be briefed about the latest legislative developments they might want to address with their senators and assembly representatives.  Then, around 3 p.m., everyone will head to the capitol for one-on-one meetings with their local representatives.

"We're $137 million short in revenue between now and June 30th."  Zimmerman says  "In addition to that, it looks like Wisconsin, as a state, will be $3.6 billion short for fiscal budgets from 2011-2013.  Ag Day is a perfect opportunity for farmers to have a dialog with their representatives about what the plan is to address that issue - and why agriculture's an important component to keep in mind."

To register for the Ag Day at the Capitol event - call 800-261-FARM.

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