As the state Secretary of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection, Rod Nilsestuen has led the charge to preserve Wisconsin’s working agricultural and forest lands. Rod convened the Working Lands Initiative Steering Committee, a diverse group of leaders with a shared interest in keeping Wisconsin’s working lands in production. Out of these committee meetings came a proposal for a statewide Purchase of Development Rights grant program, which if instated would be an invaluable tool for communities, farmers, and land trusts in protecting farmland.
“Rod has been a visionary leader of the Department of Agriculture and a champion of the idea that protecting Wisconsin’s working lands is vital to the state’s future. The land trust community of Wisconsin is behind him in taking action to protect Wisconsin’s working lands.”
~ Jim Welsh and Kate Wipperman,, Natural Heritage Land Trust
