CHILTON, Wis. — Calumet County is seeing more conservation practices appear throughout the countryside. Members of Calumet County Ag Stewardship Alliance (CCASA) will share updates at the group’s annual meeting, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 24.
Several speakers will make presentations:
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Fifth-generation farmer Dan Brick not only cares about his animals, but he is also passionate about the land he farms and dedicated to sharing his environmental journey with the community and fellow farmers. Conservation and cow comfort is at the heart of Brickstead Dairy’s mission and drive the decision-making and vision of the dairy. Dan assumed ownership of the Dairy in 1996 when his father Eugene retired. He has grown the dairy from 20 cows to 900 cows.
To engage in more conservation-friendly practices, Dan became an inaugural member of the Lower Fox Demonstration Farms Network in 2014, whose mission is “to demonstrate the effectiveness and adaptability of conservation practices to reduce erosion and sedimentation, control phosphorus runoff and address other nonpoint source pollution issues. Additionally, Fox Demo Farms is measuring the feasibility of implementing conservation practices on farms in northeast Wisconsin.”
Since joining this group, Brickstead has implemented many new practices on the farm that have led not only to success but also to recognition. Some of those practices include reduced disturbance manure applications, 100% cover cropping, no-tilling, a water quality monitoring system and inter-seeding. He will present how the demo farms is focusing on utilizing cover crops in rations.
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Shawn Wesener, data collection specialist for Farmers for Sustainable Food, works directly with farmers to help track conservation practice outcomes. Wesener has a professional background in agriculture and public planning. As a certified crop adviser, he most recently served as a precision agriculture specialist for Country Visions Cooperative, based in Brillion, Wis. He is now supporting farmer-led groups in their conservation efforts by working directly with farmers and crop advisers to capture the data needed to drive sustainability projects and support continuous improvement. He will be presenting the findings from CCASA’s 2022 member conservation practices survey results.
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Joe Smedberg has been the district conservationist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Calumet County and Manitowoc Counties for over 12 years. Before coming to the county, he worked in southeastern Wisconsin in Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Dodge, Washington, Ozaukee, Rock and Walworth counties. He will provide program updates.
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Aaron Wunderlin, Research Specialist for Discovery Farms, oversees data collection and site maintenance, analyzes data and presents water quality data for monitoring projects around the state. Aaron received his bachelor’s degree in biology from UW-Platteville and master’s in environmental science and policy from UW-Green Bay. His technical background ensures accurate data collection and organization. He will share how Discovery Farms is working with farmers to learn.
Details
Who: Calumet County Ag Stewardship Alliance
What: Annual meeting
When: 5:30 p.m. Jan. 24
Where: Neighborhood Pub & Grill, N5091 County Rd BB, Chilton
Agenda
- CCASA year in review and 2023 goals
- Lower Fox Demonstration Farms focusing on utilizing cover crops in rations: Dan Brick, Brickstead Dairy
- CCASA conservation outcomes 2022: Shawn Wesener, Farmers for Sustainable Food
- NRCS program – 2023 and beyond: Joe Smedberg, NRCS district conservationist
- Discovery Farms working with farmers to learn: Aaron Wunderlin, Discovery Farms
