Connect, Collaborate, Celebrate

Wisconsin Farm Bureau Members on the Frontlines of Conservation

There’s no doubt that Wisconsin Farm Bureau members make things happen. Whether serving on committees, executing an event or advocating for policy, in the hands of a WFBF member, things will get done.

When it comes to advancing conservation initiatives and conversations, Farm Bureau members are connecting with their community, collaborating with partners and celebrating success.

Connect

Travis Klinkner from Vernon County wanted to start a watershed group in his area. He thought it would be beneficial to get a group of farmers together to tap into the resources available to farmers through the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Watershed Protection Grant program. He took his idea to his county Farm Bureau board meeting.

Robert Nigh and Dave Mc Clurg, fellow Vernon County Farm Bureau board members, agreed that it would be a positive thing to have a watershed group in the county. The grant criteria calls for at least five farmers to be involved in a watershed to qualify for its funding. They needed a few more farmers on board to get the group going. The trio decided at a monthly Farm Bureau board meeting to invite more farmers in the community to see who else was interested. With two weeks until the grant application deadline, 10 people expressed interest and the Bad Axe watershed group was formed.

The group’s first official meeting was at Kevin Parr’s farm, winner of the 2020 Vernon County Conservation Farmer of the Year award. Fifteen people attended the first meeting.

I was sitting here alone thinking I was the only one who cared about conservation in my community. Come to find out, I have a lot of neighbors who appreciate conservation just as much as I do.
– Travis Klinkner

The key to the group’s success is the shared passion among the 45 active members. Klinkner shared that everyone in the group is driven to do more and try new things.

“We have all tried something new because of this network,” said Klinkner.

The Bad Axe watershed group is part of a coalition with three other Vernon County watersheds, Coon Creek, Tainter Creek and Rush Creek. The coalition allows all four groups to work together collectively and share resources.

The focus of the Bad Axe watershed group is truly farmer-led. The group strives to be a resource in the community and invites their friends and neighbors to on-farm events that showcase what farmers are doing to protect their shared resources.

Collaborate

Every August, Green Lake County Farm Bureau and the Green Lake Association co-host a Conservation Field Day to showcase the efforts farmers are taking to protect Green Lake.

The Green Lake Association is a nonprofit group that promotes the conservation of Green Lake and its watershed with a focus on water quality. The group has 1,000 members interested in protecting the lake.

The first field day was in 2017 at Dave Wilke’s farm. The lake association wanted to partner with real farmers to witness first-hand what was happening in the fields and farmyards. The goal was to get farmers together to talk about soil health and conservation practices. That first field day was open to the public for everyone to see and learn.

Forty people attended the first field day. It has since grown to more than 200 attendees.

Most of the attendees are people who live on the lake or are interested in recreation on or around the lake. They want to know what farmers are doing to keep it clean.

“The ‘Lake Lovers’ are hungry for more information about what farmers are doing to preserve this beautiful lake,” said Green Lake County Farm Bureau president Pete Badtke.

The annual event is held at a farm within the watershed. The event rotates farms as much as possible to showcase a variety of tools and practices. A farm tour during the field day highlights the conservation practices on the farm. The committee invites guest speakers from UW-Extension, USDA-NRCS and Soil and Water to discuss on-farm sustainability practices. Topics of discussion at the field days include cover crops, rotational grazing, creek and stream restoration and equipment demonstrations. The event also features face painting, corn hole and a petting zoo for kids.

Farm Bureau members volunteer to help make the event successful. Green Lake County Farm Bureau donates funds to the event every year to help offset the costs.

Three Green Lake County Farm Bureau members serve on the Conservation Field Day planning committee – Pete Badtke, Dave Wilke and Jim Hebbe. Jim Hebbe also serves on the Green Lake Association board of directors.

There is a healthy crossover between Farm Bureau membership and Lake Association membership in Green Lake County.

“As farmers and Farm Bureau, we have developed a nice working relationship with the Green Lake Association and its members by showing them we want to be good stewards of the land and that we care about the lake as much as they do,” said Badtke.

Celebrate

Each year, the Buffalo County Farm Bureau nominates a farmer for the prestigious Wisconsin Leopold Conservation Award.

Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes landowners who inspire others with their dedication to land, water and wildlife habitat on private and working land. The award is presented by the Sand County Foundation in partnership with the American Farmland Trust. Winners receive $10,000.

“Our farmers model the Leopold land ethic because you have to use conservation practices to be successful here,” said Buffalo County Farm Bureau president Ed Rippley. “We feel farmers should be recognized for how they farm in the driftless area.”

Buffalo County Farm Bureau works together to decide who to nominate for the Leopold Conservation Award. Board members bring their suggestions to a county meeting. They want to recognize Farm Bureau members but can also use the opportunity to recruit new members.

In 2023, the county nominated Noll’s Dairy Farm. Mark, Curtis and Scott Noll farm 400 acres of cropland and manage 450 acres of forest, oak savannas and prairies overlooking the Mississippi River. They also milk 120 dairy cows.

Once the county selects a farm to nominate, they work with a third party to write the application. Sometimes it takes a trusted individual to sit down with the farmer and have a conversation about what is happening on the farm to identify the projects and programs that are noteworthy to include in the application. For Buffalo County Farm Bureau and the Noll family, that individual was Carl Duley.

Duley was a UW-Extension agent in Buffalo County for 38 years. He had been called ‘a model extension agent,’ putting UW-Extension and the Wisconsin Idea to work at the farm level. He was well-connected and trusted in the community. Duley learned that the Noll’s were awarded the Leopold Conservation Award before his passing in October.

The Nolls were recognized as the winners of the 2023 Wisconsin Leopold Conservation Award at WFBF’s Annual Meeting in December. Farm Bureau is a proud sponsor of the award.

Having a community of support to bring an idea to life is a benefit of being a Farm Bureau member. These members have proved that when you leverage the Farm Bureau network you can have a positive impact in your community. These three stories are just a few examples of the many ways Farm Bureau members are investing in sustainability.

Have you considered how you can engage in the conservation conversation in your community?

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Story by Rachel LaCount and originally appeared in the April | May 2024 Rural Route.