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The MWFPA News Bulletin is underwritten in part by Bug Blocker Doors & Screens
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Food Safety Rules May Dodge Regulatory Reform Bullet
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WI Ranks Third In Food Manufacturing
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EPA Approves WI Phosphorus Exemptions
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved WI's plan to give manufacturers and municipalities less costly options for meeting the state's stringent phosphorus standards. Read
more.
MWFPA supported the option plan presented to EPA.
In 2010, WI adopted sweeping phosphorus regulations which took effect in 2013, creating new restrictions on a wide range of potential phosphorus sources, including large-scale wastewater producers. MWFPA in addition to other manufacturers and municipalities argued the rules were too costly, added uncertainty to the regulatory process and would have a negligible impact on phosphorus levels in Wisconsin's waters.
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Education, Transportation, Workforce Development Top Walker's WI Budget Priorties
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WI Gov. Scott Walker has laid out his state biennial budget proposal calling for significant increases in education, transportation, tax relief and workforce development. Read more.
His budget has been introduced in the WI legislature and has been referred to the Joint Committee on Finance. The legislature will debate the proposal through the rest of the spring and early summer with the Governor expected to sign the bill around July 4th. The 2017 fiscal year begins on July 1, 2017.
View the Gov's address here.
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Rauner Praises Work Toward IL Balanced Budget
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IL Gov. Bruce Rauner delivered his third budget address and praised lawmakers for working with their partners across the aisle toward a balanced budget.
Rauner told legislators assembled at the state capitol that Illinois has to stop playing the blame game and look to the future.
During his speech he again called for redistricting reform, term limits for elected officials, workers compensation reform, pension reform, and a property tax freeze, which has been passed by the House, as ways to encourage job creators to come to the state.
Rauner repeated that increasing taxes is not the answer to the state's budget problems, and there must be economic growth that is faster than government spending. He said he would not support the Senate's plan to expand the state sales tax to include groceries and medicine.
His budget proposal for FY 2018 contains spending that exceeds revenue by $4.6 billion, but will be balanced once he negotiates the "grand bargain" with the General Assembly.
Illinois has not had a state budget since July of 2015 and the state government continues operating mostly through court orders and spending appropriations. A stop-gap budget that was passed last year expired in January.
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IL "Grand Bargain" Bills Hits Snag
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The "grand bargain" package of budget and reform bills being considered in the IL State Senate hit a snag last week, but Senate leaders intend to continue working on the package and looking for enough votes to send it to the House.
Three of the budget and reform bills were called and received the necessary votes to pass out of the Senate. The votes to pass the three bills came from Senate Democrats.
Individual pieces of the overall package approved by the Senate include bills concerning local government consolidation
, procurement reform
and a bill allowing home rule governments to assign their right to collect a sales tax revenue stream over to a lender
. Legislation proposing reforms to several pension funds ran into significant opposition and failed to pass (
SB 11
).
Since each of the "grand bargain" bills includes language requiring that they all pass or the entire package fails, the defeat of the pension reform bill on the Senate floor poses a serious, although not insurmountable, threat to the package overall. The Senate leaders intend to continue working on changes to the package that might build broader support.
One of the bills undergoing significant change is the revenue bill. As introduced,
SB 9
included an income tax increase and sugary beverage tax. Significant opposition to the sugary beverage tax resulted in its replacement with a "business opportunity tax," which would impose a tax on employers based upon their payrolls.
The "business opportunity tax" proved equally unpopular and legislators are exploring an expansion of the state sales tax to include food, medicine and certain services. Under this plan, the overall state sales tax rate would be reduced, but the tax would generate additional revenue because it would apply to a broader base.
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MWFPA Conflict Resolution Seminar Set for March 1 - Register Now!
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 Due to the high level of demand, MWFPA is again offering
Resolve Employee Conflict, March 1, 2017 at the Kalahari Resort & Convention Center in Wisconsin Dells, WI.
Conflict is common among all people. It can become particularly problematic in the workplace if not managed correctly. With the right ideas, attitude and procedures, you can resolve conflict at your business and create a positive atmosphere for your employees and customers alike.
This workshop is intended for managers and supervisors who are responsible for the performance and productivity of employees and coworkers.
Cost: $495
Cost covers course materials, continental breakfast and lunch. Cost of lodging is not included in this fee. MWFPA has reserved a block of rooms at the Kalahari. Please contact the resort at 877.525.2427 or 608.254.5466 to get our rate of $112 per night.
For more information, see the seminar
flyer.
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MWFPA Scholarship Deadline Nears
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 The application deadline for the MWFPA Scholarship is drawing near - March 3, 2017.
The MWFPA Scholarship may award up to $2,000 (depending on availability of funds) in scholarship money to deserving children of parents or guardians who are employees of MWFPA member companies. They must also be a high school senior or post-secondary student accepted into, or attending, any post-secondary school in the United States.
Last year eighteen $1,000 scholarships were awarded under the program.
Undergraduate students attending, or planning to attend, UW Madison, Platteville or River Falls are eligible for Friday/Weckel scholarships. Applications are due by April 28, 2017. Last year six scholarships were awarded totaling $9,000.
Information and applications can be downloaded from the MWFPA
website, or by contacting Brian Elliott at:
brian.elliott@mwfpa.org, or by calling 608-255-9946.
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MWFPA Offers Exclusive Property & Casualty Insurance Program For Members
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 The Midwest Food Products Association is pleased to announce that
its members now have access to an exclusive insurance program that is written specifically for our industry. With assistance from the risk management firm Hays Companies, this program offers a customized Property and Casualty insurance program.
The program offers a complete insurance program for all business types, from processor to manufacturers, logistics to wholesaler and anything in between. No market segment is excluded, and no organization is too large or too small.
Learn more about what the MWFPA Insurance Program can do for you by visiting the program's website:
https://mwfpa.haysprograms.com/.
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MWFPA Events You Won't Want To Miss
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February 21, 2017:
MWFPA Food Science and Technology Committee. The committee will meet on February 21, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. until noon at the MWFPA Offices, 4600 American Parkway, Suite 210, Madison, WI 53718.
March 1, 2017:
Resolve Employee Conflict. Kalahari Resort & Convention Center, Wisconsin Dells, WI
. Cost: $495. Cost of lodging is not included in this fee. MWFPA has reserved a block of rooms at the Kalahari. Please contact the resort at 877.525.2427 or 608.254.5466 to get our rate of $112 per night. For more information click
here.
Register here. For more information, contact Brian Deschane at:
brian.deschane@mwfpa.org or telephone 608.255.9946.
May 31 - June 1, 2017:
MWFPA Spring Summit & Scramble.Trappers Turn Golf Course, Wisconsin Dells, WI
October 5, 2017:
MWFPA Sporting Clay Challenge. Milford Hills Hunt Club,
Johnson Creek, WI.
November 28 - 30, 2017:
MWFPA 113th Annual Convention and 90th Processing Crops Conference. Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, MN.
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Other Educational Opportunities
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February 28, 2017: Market Opportunities for Natural Chemicals From Vegetable Production and Processing. Heartland Farms Operations, Technology and Training Center Hancock, Wisconsin 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Wisconsin Institute for Sustainable Technology provides an opportunity to explore challenges and
opportunities in extracting, purifying and commercializing residual vegetable material as a source for high-value, natural chemicals. Registration deadline is February 20, 2017. For more information, click here.
March 1-3, 2017: Introduction to Ammonia Refrigeration Systems. Pyle Center, 702 Langdon Street, Madison, WI. This course is designed to establish a foundational understanding of ammonia refrigeration systems, components, and best practices that you can use immediately. For more inforamation, click
here.
April 24-27, 2017: Better Process Control School, Madison, WI.
The early registration deadline for the school is Monday, April 3rd. The cost of the training includes the updated (2016) course manual from FDA. Links to online registration, a course schedule, and other information can be found here:
www.foodsafety.wisc.edu Questions? Contact the conference registration services at 608-262-2451 or Dr. Barbara Ingham (University of Wisconsin) 608-263-7383.
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MWFPA IS A PROUD PARTNER IN
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Wisconsin now ranks third nationally for food manufacturing when measured by value of shipments. 
