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Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil and Water hosted a field day to demonstrate profitable farming practices that also protect soil health and water qaulity.
Representing tens-of-thousands of acres of farmland, the Dodge County Farmers for Health Soil and Water are spreading the word about profitable farming practices that build their soil while also protecting lakes and streams. The group formed a couple of years ago with support from Dodge County Land & Water, local lake groups, and numerous agriculture industry partners. Their efforts have been highlighted in this recent article in Agriview by Lynn Grooms.
 Farmer-Led Model
Serving as a model for locally led farm stewardship, Dodge County Farmers focus on soil health as a method of PREVENTION, to protect water quality, rather than practices that treat symptoms following soil erosion. While previous conservation programs were often based on "top-down expert model" that largely ignored the on-the-ground needs of working farms, the Farmer-Led model encourages farmers to come up with their own stewardship practices that protect soil, while also being profitable.
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Local Control: Farmers best know their own operations, fields and needs - empower them to find the best methods to protect soil health while also being profitable,
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Soil Health: By protecting soil health, farmers can improve their profitability, land value, and farm resilience, while also protecting water quality,
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Water Quality: Water Quality is a symptom of how we treat the land and soil. When we focus on symptoms, we often fail to address underlying causes, such as poor soil health. When we protect the soil, we protect that water.
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Cover Crop Innovators of Wisconsin will be hosting an evening Cover Crop discussion. This will be an open format event with no formal agenda or presentation - an opportunity for folks to get together and share ideas. Participants are asked to provide their own beverage (BYOB) and chip-in for a pizza order. Please contact Heidi Johnson to RSVP for planning purposes.
April 12th, 7pm, Landmark Coop 1401 Landmark Dr, Cottage Grove
Madison, Wis. – March 5, 2018 – Agricultural producers wanting to enhance current conservation efforts are encouraged to renew their Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) contract.
NRCS will mail contract renewal notification letters to all participants whose contracts expire in 2018, which will contain instructions on how to apply for renewal. Applications to renew expiring contracts are due by April 13.
Madison, Wis. – March 14, 2018 – The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Wisconsin is accepting applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Soil Health Initiative to maximize soil health benefits on farming operations. Applications are due to local USDA Service Centers by May 18, 2018.
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Water Action Volunteers (WAV) is a statewide program for Wisconsin citizens who want to learn about and improve the quality of Wisconsin's streams and rivers. The program is coordinated through a partnership between the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the University of Wisconsin - Cooperative Extension. Citizens, civic groups, 4-H clubs, students and other volunteer groups are participating in WAV programs across the state.
There are numerous training opportunities every year throughout the state. The schedule of events can be found here. Locally, the next training is April 18th in Blanchardville. To register;
Pre-registration required via email or phone: Ginny Bean, 608-558-3488
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April 3, 10, 12 @ 7:45 am
You care about our lakes and want to get involved…we’re here to help! For the person who really wants to dive in and make a difference, join us at one of our Clean Lakes Alliance Introduction Breakfasts.
Hear from staff at Clean Lakes Alliance about our current projects and how you can get involved in efforts to protect our lakes.
Sign Up: To join us at an Intro Breakfast, please email info@cleanlakesalliance.org with the date of the event you would like to attend.
Feel free to bring 2-3 colleagues, neighbors, or anyone else who cares about our lakes!
Event Schedule
7:45 a.m. Networking, coffee, and pastries
7:50 a.m. Program begins, with Q&A and discussion
8:45 a.m. Event concludes
Join the Clean Water Association and Lake Country community for their Third Annual Healthy Lakes Conference - NOT to be missed!
Agenda
- Keynote: Dr. Stephen Carpenter - "The Threats to our Lakes"
- Panel Discussion: What Can Be Done?
- Lunch
- Forming and Sustaining a Lake Organization
- Outdoor Education, Pontoon Rides
- Social Hour
Friday June 8, Seven Seas Restaurant, 1807 Nagawicka Rd, Hartland, WI 53029
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Municipal Green Infrastructure Opportunities
If you are municipal staff in stormwater, engineering, public works, planning, or community development, or if you work for a consulting firm that assists municipalities with stormwater planning, design, and/or construction, this workshop is for you! Learn how to leverage green infrastructure management practices and hear from other municipalities in the region which have taken advantage of these opportunities.
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences—Room 3080
600 E. Greenfield Avenue Milwaukee, WI
7:30 - 8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast and Networking
8:00 - 10:00 a.m. Program
Please register by sending an RSVP email to Ethan at
etaxman@cleanwisconsin.org.
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The Targeted Runoff Management (TRM) Grant Program offers competitive grants for local governments for the control of pollution that comes from diffuse sources, also called “nonpoint source (NPS)” pollution. Grants from the TRM Program reimburse costs for agricultural or urban runoff management practices in targeted, critical geographic areas with surface water or groundwater quality concerns.
All application materials for projects beginning in 2019 are due April 15, 2018.
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