Ag board to meet May 16

The citizen policy board for the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection will hold its next meeting in Madison at department headquarters on May 16, taking up issues of dog selling, dairy industry grants and working lands.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. with the board setting aside time to hear from the public. Each person who wants to make a comment to the board is asked to fill out and submit an appearance card to the board's clerk.

Then the board will consider a new regulation of dog sellers in the form of ATCP 16. Board members will then consider a scope statement - the first step in the rulemaking process - on Discretion in Rule Violation Enforcement Against Small Business (ATCP 1.)

Next on the agenda is a scope statement on Working Lands and Farmland Preservation and a scope statement on telephone solicitations through texting.

The board will then consider a hearing draft on dairy industry grants and loans and then hear a report from Bob Battaglia from the Wisconsin Agricultural Statistics Service.

During lunch the board will visit nearby Glendale Elementary School, which has been adopted by the staff at the state agency for mentoring and other activities.

When the meeting reconvenes at 1:05 p.m., the board will hear a report on the Alice in Dairyland program and the Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin program.

The agenda also includes a report on organic farming activities in the state followed by board member reports on their activities. Secretary Ben Brancel will then give his report to board members.

The meeting will be in Room 106 at the DATCP building, 2811 Agriculture Drive in Madison. It is scheduled to end by 2:55 p.m.