Habitat & Conservation  |  07/12/2018

PF and Wisconsin Farmers Union to co-host Women Caring for the Land Events


326a563d-991e-48c1-bd21-17f6a67a0a0d
Wisconsin Farmers Union, in partnership with Pheasants Forever, will host Women Caring for the Land workshops around the state this summer. These events are geared toward women farmers or landowners who are interested in learning more about conservation. Each session includes a potluck lunch, networking and an afternoon tour of the host farm. Locations include:
 
• July 20, 10am to 2pm, Bouressa Family Farm, N3775 Ritchie Rd., New London. See Rachel Bouressa's grassfed and finished beef farm, where animals are on pasture year-round. Learn how the land is managed holistically and how that leads to healthier animals.
 
 Aug. 14, 8:30am-3pm, Buser Cattle Company, 6440 Wiesner Rd. Omro. Katie Kopina Buser and her husband John Buser own Buser Cattle Company, an operation primarily focused on grazing beef cattle. They utilize own 90 acres and neighboring pastures in conservation with the DNR and are putting practices to work that they learned working on several large cattle operations out west.
 
• Aug. 17, 8:30am -3pm, Donna Kehrmeyer, 15388 County Rd. EE, Osseo. Learn about this Trempealeau County cow/calf beef operation and hear how Donna is honoring her husband Jim's memory by continuing his love for stewarding the land. Conservation efforts on the farm have included farmland preservation, buffer strips, and planting trees and butterfly habitat. 
                                                                  
• Sept 6, 8:30 am -3 pm, Green Briar Farm, W936 Cty. Rd. N, Colby. Deb Esselman and her husband raise grass-fed British Park White beef and horses on her 80 acre farm. Deb is a former dairy farmer and has been involved in agriculture all her life. She has worked with the Farm Service Agency for the past 40 years.
 
• Sept. 12, 8:30am-3pm, Bossie Cow Farm, W6174 Cty. Rd. SS, Random Lake. Join Thelma Heidel-Baker, organic dairy farmer and insect conservation specialist for the Xerces Society, as she highlights pastured grazing for cows, pollinators and other wildlife, and how conservation can tie a family together through a farm transition.
 
• Sept. 18, 8:30am-3pm, Fenn's Folly, 12041 Severson Rd., Ferryville. Amy Fenn left her Madison library job in favor of tromping around a 40-acre hilltop trying to turn a depleted hayfield and unmanaged woods into a savanna/silvopasture. This will be her second year of strategically grazing heifers while designing and building infrastructure like fence, water, and an off-grid home. 
 
• Sept. 27, 8:30am-3pm, Long Winter Farm, W1446 Lawlor Rd., East Troy. Rachel Anderson's mission is to farm efficiently and sustainably profitable at low environmental impact. This 1500-acre farm utilizes no-till, strip-till, GNSS-based application, advanced cover crop systems, and water quality monitoring. Additionally, they maintain refuge for wildlife through wetland, prairie, and oak savanna restorations. Rachel and her mother Pamela are starting a new adventure on the farm with a brand-new cut-flower business.
 
Each event will kick off with coffee and networking. Lunch is a potluck (main dish provided) so bring a dish to pass. Please dress for walking in pastures. For more information about these events contact Deb Jakubek at 715-590-2130. Please register under the corresponding event atwww.wisconsinfarmersunion.com/upcoming-events or RSVP to the WFU State Office at 715-723-5561. The Women Caring for the Land series was developed by the Women, Food and Agriculture Network. Learn more at www.womencaringfortheland.org.