NRCS and 8 Northeast Wisconsin Counties Launch New Upper Fox-Wolf Demonstration Farm Network

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS) and Waupaca County Land & Water Conservation Department, in partnership with Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, Outagamie, Portage, Shawano, and Winnebago counties and the Green Lake Association, have entered an agreement to launch a new network, the Upper Fox-Wolf Demonstration Farm Network. This is the fourth demonstration farm network in Wisconsin that NRCS has collaborated with conservation partners to establish. The partnership will support a network of farms that will demonstrate the best conservation practices to reduce phosphorus entering the Great Lakes basin.

This partnership will address the effectiveness of current conservation systems used to reduce nonpoint source pollution. The network will demonstrate to farmers and the public that the right combination of traditional conservation practices and other new, innovative technologies functioning on the landscape can produce viable and sustainable economic and environmental benefits.

“Through this collaboration and funding, we can publicly highlight the most effective conservation systems that have the greatest environmental and economic benefit; we’re excited to be partnering to establish our fourth series of demonstration farm networks,” says Angela Biggs, USDA NRCS State Conservationist for Wisconsin. “Participating farms will demonstrate the effectiveness and adaptability of conservation practice systems that reduce erosion, sedimentation and nonpoint source pollution. The network will also provide education and technology transfer opportunities for the public,” said Brian Haase, Director of the Waupaca County Land & Water Conservation Department.

The specific objectives of the project are to:

1. Establish a Demonstration Farm Network in the Upper Fox-Wolf basin to test the effectiveness of current and innovative conservation systems as they pertain to nonpoint pollution control.

2. Establish an efficient and effective mechanism to provide the transfer of technology and information on the effectiveness of conservation systems to the end-users, land management agencies, agribusiness and the public.

3. Create opportunities for others including resource, environmental and research agencies and agribusiness to test research, technical assistance and program implementation on the demonstration farm sites.

4. Create and implement an information/outreach strategy to share information and lessons learned to other natural resource managers, researchers, and stakeholders throughout the Great Lakes basin.

The new Upper Fox-Wolf Demonstration Farms are (1) Hintz Farms, Matt and Sara Hintz, of Amherst; (2) Gehrke Family Farms LLC, Rick Gehrke, of Omro; (3) Albright Brothers LLC, Jamie Albright, of Omro; (4) Deta J Farms LLP, Dave and Dusty Schultz, of Van Dyne; (5) Piney Lawn Acres LLC, Ed Montsma, of Fond du Lac; (6) Pollack Vu Farm, Chris Pollack, of Ripon; (7) Zeb Zuehls of Montello; (8) Erickson Dairy Farm LLC, Randy and Adam Erickson, of Bear Creek; (9) Tauchen Harmony Valley, The Tauchen Family, of Bonduel; and (10) Dan and Ruth Boerst of Manawa.

For more information, contact Brian Haase, Waupaca County Land & Water Conservation Department Director, at 715-258-6482, brian.haase@co.waupaca.wi.us; or Matt Otto, NRCS Resource Conservationist, at 608-662-4422 x 245, matt.otto@wi.usda.gov.