Wisconsin has a biennial budget. This means that the state budget usually includes information about how money will be spent for a two-year period, from July of an odd numbered year through June of the next odd-numbered year. For example, the 2019-21 budget runs from July 2019 through June 2021.
This is the time in the legislative session when many lawmakers hold budget “listening sessions” or “office hours” at various public locations in their districts to gather input on the proposed budget from their constituents.
At these “listening sessions” members of the public are typically invited to share questions and concerns about matters involving state government, including particularly the state budget.
Should you choose to attend these listening sessions consider the topics of premises identification and traceability. Effective livestock premises identification is extremely important for animal health, disease control and interstate commerce. There is no charge to the livestock owners when their premises are first registered, and then renewed, every three years. WLIC processes these premises registrations and renewals, manages the database, which contains more than 80,000 premises records (including active and inactive premises), and enters and manages related animal identification and health papers, including Certified Veterinary Inspections (CVIs), brucellosis slips and Tuberculosis (TB) slips. Additionally, WLIC provides education and outreach services to the agriculture community and the public-at-large.
All of this data is crucial to timely traceback procedures in case of an animal disease outbreak. If the data is entered into the system, DATCP officials can trace the animal’s movement back to the farm of origin within minutes. This allows officials to take immediate steps and determine areas of quarantine. If the data is not entered into the database, it may take days, weeks or even months to sort through boxes of health papers to find all infected animals, which would halt exports and erode consumer confidence.
If you have any questions about the biannual state budget or anything regarding premises registration or livestock traceability please contact WLIC Executive Director, Jodi Legge, and jlegge@wiid.org.
