Peninsula Pride Farms held its annual Summer Field Day and Membership Picnic on Wednesday, Aug. 26, at Heim’s Hillcrest Dairy in Algoma. More than 60 farmers, community members and agricultural business representatives attended for a full day of programming, which focused on learning and sharing sustainable farming practices and ideas.
Brittiny Mueller, a regional CAFO specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, shared how farmers and the department have been working together to protect water quality and natural resources in Door and Kewaunee Counties.
“Communication between farmers and DNR staff has been key to a successful collaborative approach centered on the shared goal of improving conservation in our communities,” Mueller said.
Ag water quality outreach specialist Laura Paletta with the UW-Extension shared outcomes from over 20 years of research on Kewaunee County farms. Results demonstrated that no-till and cover crop practices are reducing sediment loss and phosphorus loss on the area’s silt loam soils. Paletta noted that a key takeaway from the study is the importance of addressing concentrated flow areas in a field, which can diminish these reductions. Implementing other conservation practices, such as grassed waterways, can help control concentrated flows and are essential for reducing soil and phosphorus loss.
PPF board advisor and founder of Black Sand Granary, Adam Kramer, presented on building soil health to maximize profits. He shared stories from his farming experiences that helped him develop his approach to conservation and identified five key practices to build soil health: no-till, cover crops, variable rate technology, extended crop rotation and field border restoration.
“Rainfall is one of the biggest yield-limiting factors in the Midwest,” Kramer said. “That’s why increasing soil organic matter is so important because it also increases plant-available water.”
Anne Vogel, the EPA Region 5 Administrator, provided an update to attendees about the agency’s current priorities. She welcomed the opportunity to connect with farmers and address their questions at the event.
Farmers had the chance to hear from experienced applicators, including Dave LaCrosse, Adam Barta, Ben Heim, Jeff Kohnle, Jessy Hill and Trevor Balthazor, during a panel discussion moderated by Barry Bubolz. The panelists shared their expertise and how they use technology to continue to improve precision, accuracy and consistency in the field. The demonstration provided attendees with a firsthand look at several different types of sprayers, including the Hagie STS 20 with See & Spray technology, the Hagie with Y-dropper hoses, the Fendt fertilizer applicator with the G7 box for variable rate fertilizer and Heim’s DJI drone.
The event concluded with a tour of Heim’s Hillcrest Dairy. The farm is managed by seven owners, including Jeremy Heim, a member of PPF, across four generations of family members. It consists of over 1,600 cows that are milked in a new rotary parlor.
For more information about PPF and other upcoming events, visit peninsulapridefarms.org.