Story courtesy of Kriss Marion from WiWiC Communications.
Wisconsin Women in Conservation (WiWiC) is offering a series of on-farm conservation field days across the state throughout the summer. Sunday, August 28, there is a field day at Red Door Family Farm in Athens from 1-5pm. Farm co-owner and WiWiC Conservation Coach Stacey Botsford will lead a tour of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operation and integrated conservation practices. Botsford raises food-producing trees and shrubs next to crop plantings, and employs native prairie strips, multi-species cover crops, and beetle habitat.
“I take my role as a steward of the land very seriously,” says Botsford. “It is absolutely an honor to have such a great responsibility. Conservation is important to us all, because we live on this land, eat this water, and drink this food.”
Botsford will be joined on the tour by Amy Neigum, NRCS District Conservationist from the Wausau Field Office. The Field Day will also feature networking opportunities for women farmers, landowners and conservationists from from Marathon, Portage, Shawano and surrounding counties are welcome to attend. The Field Day is being hosted by Wisconsin Farmers Union staff and WiWiC NE Region Coordinators Kirsten Slaughter and Alicia Razvi. The event is FREE and includes a meal. RSVP at WiWiC.org under Upcoming Events. Contact Kirsten Slaughter for more information at [email protected] or 608-514-2031.
Botsford is a first-generation farmer on 15 acres producing organic fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, maple syrup, pork, chicken, and eggs. She and her husband Tenzin say they started their farm seven years ago as a response to the degradation of soil, water and rural communities they were witnessing. They believe it’s possible to feed their community while building soil and improving land through diversification, intensive management, and patience. In addition to CSA, they sell their products through farmers markets and to restaurants.
WiWiC is a state-wide collaborative effort led by the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in partnership with Wisconsin Farmers Union, Renewing the Countryside and Marbleseed (formerly MOSES). A three-year multi-faceted project funded by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), WiWiC brings together Wisconsin women landowners to connect and learn about conservation practices, resources, and funding opportunities.
In addition to Field Days, WiWiC also provides mentorship to women landowners and farmers who want to increase conservation practices on their properties – and FREE professionally-prepared Conservation Plans. There will be a series of Fall Learning Circle gatherings across the state in September and October. Registration is live now at WiWiC.org.
Leave a Reply