CASCO, Wis. — Peninsula Pride Farms has seen tremendous growth over their five years of existence with the focus of caring for the soil and water in southern Door and Kewaunee counties. The farmer-led watershed conservation group set goals for the upcoming 2021 year in the field and looked back on encouraging experiences from last year.
At their annual meeting in mid-February, held virtually and for members only, the board of directors presented on various topics. They reviewed 2020’s successes in the field, discussed the positive outcome of cost-share programs, the addition of nine new members and their outreach to local communities.
PPF’s 2021 goals include:
- continue and grow the cost-share program for members and non-members
- increase member participation in the annual conservation practice survey
- explore methods to better track reductions in nutrient and sediment loss
- increase membership
In addition, PPF received a $30,000 grant from the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) for 2021 to support their work.
During 2020 they added nine new members with the help of a cost-share grant established by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), which has been a supporter from the beginning of the farmer-led group. The program, funded by a $10,000 grant from TNC, provided funds to farmers in southern Door and Kewaunee counties who had not received cost-share funds from PPF before for planting cover crops .
Overall, the group has 59 members, with 43 being farmers and 16 business supporters. PPF hosted seven events in 2020, reached over 10 million through news media and connected with over 130,000 people on social media.
More importantly, conservation practices implemented by members in 2020 included: over 18,000 acres of cover crops, 7,468 acres of split nitrogen application, 12.7 acres of harvestable buffer strips, 1,034 acres of verified bedrock depth and 650 acres of low-disturbance manure application. The group is proud to continue its relationship with TNC, Door-Kewaunee Demo Farms, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and DATCP.