
The Adamski family from Seymour has been honored as the 2024 recipient of the Wisconsin Leopold Conservation Award.
This $10,000 award recognizes farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners who excel in soil health, water quality, and also wildlife habitat management.
Rick Adamski and Valerie Dantoin, owners of Full Circle Farm, received the award at the November 14 Wisconsin Board of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection meeting. A video celebrating their conservation efforts will premiere at the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Meeting on December 8.
Sand County Foundation and American Farmland Trust present the Leopold Conservation Award in 28 states, with the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation and Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin as state partners.
The award honors those who inspire others to adopt conservation practices on their land. It aligns with Aldo Leopold’s call for an ethical relationship between people and the land in his 1949 book, A Sand County Almanac.
About the Adamski Family
“We bank our wealth in the soil and the nutrients stored there,” says Valerie Dantoin.
Their 240-acre Shawano County farm stays covered year-round, thanks to a managed grazing system Rick and Valerie established.
Soil tests show their pastures’ organic matter is two percent higher than neighboring tilled fields. Each one percent increase in organic matter retains 20,000 extra gallons of water per acre. This improves resilience during droughts or heavy rains.
The Adamskis also focus on carbon sequestration. Since the 1990s, they’ve followed guidelines to maintain their farm’s organic certification while enhancing biodiversity, soil health, and water conservation.
“If we could not farm in an environmentally friendly way, we wouldn’t farm at all,” Valerie says.
This commitment means managing a cattle herd that matches their land’s carrying capacity. Since retiring from dairy farming in 2014, they’ve rotationally grazed 100 beef cattle. For 25 years, they’ve composted all their cattle’s winter manure.
Their son Andrew and his partner Heather Toman are helping transition Full Circle Farm back to a diversified operation. They raise 60 pigs, a flock of laying hens, 10 acres of vegetables, and also run a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) business.
Full Circle Farm serves 1,000 people weekly, offering 150 CSA shares and sales at farmers markets. Andrew is also studying bio-char and vertical tillage for his master’s degree in soil health.
The Adamskis founded two cooperatives to ensure fair prices for sustainably produced food and better market access for conservation-minded farms.
Full Circle Farm hosts field days to teach conservation practices, including habitat creation and riparian buffer establishment. Valerie co-founded the Wisconsin Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship program and works as a conservation coach for Wisconsin Women in Conservation. Rick, former president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union, consults for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
The Adamskis have planted hundreds of trees, shrubs, and also expanded riparian buffers to 30 feet along waterways. These areas and a farm pond provide habitat for a range of wildlife, including badgers, foxes, pheasants, green herons, Sandhill cranes, as well as Hungarian partridges.
“It’s ethical to leave a corner of the farm as wetlands for frogs and migrating waterfowl,” Valerie wrote.
“The ethical thing is to care for the land, soil, and water as if our children’s children will farm after us,” she continued. “It’s ethical to enjoy the sunset, revel in the land’s richness, and never wonder what it’s worth.”
Accolades
“We are honored to partner with Sand County Foundation and the Leopold Conservation Awards to support sustainable agriculture,” said Chad Vincent, CEO of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.
“Wisconsin farmers lead the way in preserving the future of agriculture,” said Wisconsin Farm Bureau President Brad Olson. “We commend Full Circle Farm for its conservation efforts.”
“These award recipients are examples of Aldo Leopold’s land ethic in action,” said Kevin McAleese, President and CEO of Sand County Foundation. “Their work shows how thoughtful agriculture benefits clean water, healthy soil, and also wildlife.”
“As national sponsor, American Farmland Trust celebrates these recipients’ dedication,” said John Piotti, AFT President and CEO. “This award recognizes exemplary conservation practices, the land itself, as well as the people who steward it.”
“Rick and Valerie are successful farmers, community leaders, and stewards of Wisconsin’s land and water,” said Randy Romanski, Wisconsin Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
The award’s finalists included Bartling’s Manitowish Cranberry Co., Glacial Lake Cranberries, and Joe Hovel.
To see past recipients, visit www.SandCountyFoundation.org/Wisconsin.
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