Nitrogen program launches pilot with producer grants

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), invites Wisconsin farmers and cooperating entities, to apply for commercial Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program (NOPP) research grants, through Jan. 17, 2025. These grants aim to enhance the understanding of, and refine, new methods that optimize commercial nitrogen applied to agricultural fields.

Eligible applicants must be an agricultural producer or be working with one or more agricultural producers, agree to collaborate with the Universities of Wisconsin (UW) on their project and voluntarily conduct commercial nitrogen optimization field studies for a minimum of two years.

Preapproval of the research design must be obtained from UW, by Dec. 20, and is required for submitting the final grant application. The grant application, Request for Proposals and other application materials, are now available on DATCP’s website.

There is $1 million available for this round of grants. Multiple agricultural producers may work together or with cooperating entities, to submit a single application. Each agricultural producer, who is part of the application, is eligible to receive a maximum award of $40,000 for the project.

Outside of the individual grant awards, a grant will be made to the UW-System, for project monitoring, research and outreach assistance.

Grant recipients will be announced in spring 2025.

“Through the continuation of this program, farmers across Wisconsin, are able to conduct innovative research, to optimize the use of nitrogen in agriculture,” said DATCP secretary Randy Romanski. “These grants and the findings of these projects will be valuable, as producers continue to serve as stewards of our state’s land and water resources, for generations to come.”