wi.nrcs.usda.gov/

Wisconsin

Fiscal Year 2016

Wisconsin 

Annual 

Report
Helping 

People Help 

the Land

USDA Natural Resources 

Conservation Service 

8030 Excelsior Drive, Ste 200 

Madison, Wisconsin 

53717-2913 

(608) 662-4422

www.wi.nrcs.usda.gov

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Contents

1

Greetings.................................................................................................................2

Welcome From the State Conservationist .......................................................2

Background .............................................................................................................4

Wisconsin NRCS History .................................................................................4

Helping People Help the Land .........................................................................5

State Resource Priorities .................................................................................5

Highlights.................................................................................................................6

Budget Overview..............................................................................................6

Local Working Groups .....................................................................................6

Technical Assistance........................................................................................7

Conservation Performance Results .................................................................7

Conservation Programs...........................................................................................8

Environmental Quality Incentives Program......................................................8

 Obligated Practices by Financial Investment..........................................10

 Obligated Practices by Practice Count ...................................................11

Regional Conservation Partnership Program ................................................12

Conservation Stewardship Program ..............................................................13

Landscape Initiatives.............................................................................................14

Lake Superior Landscape Restoration Partnership .......................................14

Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative...................................15

National Water Quality Initiative.....................................................................15

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative..................................................................16

Easement Programs..............................................................................................17

Agricultural Conservation Easement Program...............................................17

Success Story Highlights.......................................................................................18

Sustainability at its Best.................................................................................18

Hmong Community Gardens in Harmony with the Land................................20

Restoring the Little Lemonweir ......................................................................22

Aquaculture Site Built for Walleye Rearing ....................................................24

The Living Land Remembers, Treat it with Care............................................26

Partners in Conservation ...............................................................................28

Depending on the Wilds to Pollinate..............................................................30

Majestic Views on a Contour Farm................................................................32

Sweet Success ..............................................................................................34

Conservation in Focus ...................................................................................36

Outreach Highlights...............................................................................................38

Communicating our Message ........................................................................38

Outreach Focus on Wisconsin Tribes ............................................................39

Conservation Collaboration Through Agreements.........................................40

Earth Team ............................................................................................................41

Volunteers Make a Difference in Wisconsin...................................................41

Soil Health .............................................................................................................42

Highlights .......................................................................................................42

Wisconsin Leadership ...........................................................................................43

Management Team ........................................................................................43

District Conservationists by Area ...................................................................43

State Map ..............................................................................................................44

CONTENTS
In this fiscal year (FY) 2016 Wisconsin 

Annual Report, you will see snapshots 

of the Natural Resources Conservation 

Service's (NRCS) approach in helping 

people help the land to ensure its productivity for future generations. You will meet 

many Wisconsin landowners and farmers 

who have had success in partnering with 

us. You’ll learn about our programs and 

outreach successes, along with highlights 

of the work we do, which is strongly focused on meeting responsibilities in 

a cost-effective, timely, and accountable 

manner.

It has been an exciting and challenging year for NRCS with the revamped 

focus and emphasis on conservation planning. Conservation plans are 

developed and implemented to protect, conserve, and/or enhance natural resources within our clients social and economic interest and abilities. Planning 

up front, allows for NRCS to deliver conservation technical assistance and 

financial assistance to landowners in need, who are interested in conserving 

our natural resources and sustaining agricultural production in Wisconsin and 

across the country.

Our continued use of the 2014 Farm Bill has enabled us to continue investments in our base Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and our 

recently enhanced Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). There are also 

continued investments in Easements and specialty programs and initiatives, 

designed to focus conservation at the landscape scale. We encourage you to 

visit www.wi.nrcs.usda.gov for information regarding all of NRCS–Wisconsin’s 

technical tools, services, and financial assistance.

NRCS–Wisconsin achieved many great accomplishments in this productive 

year, and we couldn’t do it without our partners. I would like to take this 

opportunity to thank them.

• The farmers in Wisconsin who stepped up to enroll in the CSP and EQIP, 

adding new acres of conservation; and the thousands of farmers and 

landowners seeking conservation technical assistance to remedy an erosion problem, improve their water quality, conserve their water, or enhance 

wildlife habitat, thank you;

Jimmy Bramblett, State Conservationist

• Welcome from the State Conservationist

Greetings

2

GREETINGS
Jimmy Bramblett, State Conservationist

• The many partners in conservation that we work with, particularly the Land 

Conservation Committees and Departments, collaborating to make the most 

of our dollars and help provide the best technical assistance and programs 

possible, thank you;

• The NRCS staff, who shoulder an overwhelming workload, but they gain 

the satisfaction of seeing the work they do build healthier land and water. 

In FY2016, we provided over $45 million in financial assistance through all 

programs to farmers and landowners for conservation efforts. To all of you, 

thank you!

NRCS celebrates over 80 years of being pioneers in conservation, working 

with landowners, local and state governments, and other federal agencies to 

maintain healthy and productive working lands. Our agency started in Wisconsin, restoring the Coon Valley Watershed. We can be proud of our conservation heritage, as leaders and believers, we will continue to change and grow 

to meet our new challenges as an agency. 

I am proud to share with you the FY2016 Wisconsin Annual Report from 

NRCS, highlighting some of our conservation accomplishments. I welcome 

your comments and feedback, and look forward to continuing our efforts of 

helping people help the land.

Sign up online for

Client Gateway

A secure online portal for 

individual landowners and land 

managers to track payments, 

request assistance, sign 

documents, and request 

conservation assistance 

anytime, anywhere.

www.nrcs.usda.gov/clientgateway 

Greetings

3
• Wisconsin NRCS History

The First in the Nation for Conservation

Our agency was born in 1935, during a time of hardship and desperation, 

when the very soil that put food on our tables was literally blowing in the 

wind. 

Erosion was such a serious problem in the 1930’s that it awakened the 

nation to heed the message of a man named Hugh Hammond Bennett to 

save our soil. We began to realize then, and we must not ever forget, how 

the protection of our soil and water is the foundation of the health and wealth 

of our country.

It took only 70 years, from the time of the first infusion of settlers, to the 

early 1930’s, for traditional farming methods to reduce the land around Coon 

Creek, Wisconsin, and elsewhere in the state, from pristine to the brink of 

agricultural uselessness.

Wisconsin became the home of the first erosion control demonstration project in the country, the wildly successful Coon Creek Watershed in Vernon 

County. It was 22 miles long, nine miles wide, 92,000 acres over three counties, with outlet directly to the Mississippi River. There, the science and art of 

soil conservation to protect our land, water, food, and nation, was born. 

Background

4

BACKGROUND
• State Resource Priorities

• Helping People Help the Land

Thanks to the vision of early conservation leaders, our prosperity as a nation 

aware of conservation, is flourishing. The conservation legacy in this state, 

from our Coon Creek Watershed beginnings, led to today’s establishment and 

success of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) NRCS. 

NRCS is committed to helping private landowners care for the land, use it 

productively, and excel as stewards for the future. America’s working lands 

produce food and fiber, clear air and water, wildlife, and healthy soil. Farming 

can be one of the most environmentally compatible uses of land there is.

NRCS is the leader in helping people make sound choices, to ensure healthy 

land and water. Through voluntary incentive-based programs, NRCS works 

directly with farmers and landowners to provide technical expertise and financial assistance to make conservation work on private lands.

The agency promotes conservation practices, everything from practices that 

manage excess nutrients and waste on farms, to practices that promote soil 

health, among a host of others, all of which are helping to protect our natural resources for the long term, while at the same time improving Wisconsin 

farms. Taking care of the landscape in concert with agricultural productivity is 

our goal.

NRCS celebrates over 80 years of working with farmers and landowners, 

local and state governments, and other federal agencies to maintain healthy 

and productive working lands. 

• Water Quality Degradation

• Soil Erosion

• Soil Quality Degradation

• Inadequate Habitat for Fish and Wildlife

• Degraded Plant Conditions

• Livestock Production Limitation

• Excess Water and Insufficient Water

• Air Quality Impacts

• Insufficient Energy Use

Background

5
Agricultural Conservation 

Easement Program–

Agricultural Land 

Easements $328,000 

(F16 New Obligations)

Conservation Security 

Program $5,000 (not visible)

(FY16 Payments)

Wetlands Reserve Program 

Restorations (WRP) $325,000

Agricultural Conservation 

Easement Program–

Wetland Reserve 

Easements $2.8 million

(FY16 New Obligations)

Conservation 

Stewardship 

Program

$4.5 million 

(FY16 New 

Obligations)

Conservation 

Stewardship 

Program

$13.6 million 

(FY16 Payments)

Environmental 

Quality Incentives 

Program 

$23.9 million 

(FY16 New Obligations)

Wetlands Reserve Easement 

Restorations (ACEP-WRE) 

$144,000

• Local Working Groups

$45.6 Million Provided Through Conservation Programs

Local Working Groups, a subcommittee of the State Technical Committee, 

offer an avenue for interested individuals and groups to advise NRCS on 

local resource priorities for program funding. Local Working Groups are 

comprised of two or more counties united by geography, similar land use, 

resource, and type of agriculture.

In 2016, each of the 21 Local Working Groups met to gather input on 

resource concerns, and identify EQIP funding priorities for the upcoming 

year. Over 450 participants attended Local Working Group meetings. 

Collaboration was excellent, continued learning took place, and 

partnerships were developed and strengthened.

Highlights

6

HIGHLIGHTS

• Budget Overview

FY2016 NRCS Wisconsin Program Dollars
• Conservation Performance Results

NRCS offers technical assistance to address opportunities, concerns, and 

problems related to the use of natural resources to help landowners make sound 

resource management decisions on private, tribal, and other non-federal lands. 

Every county in Wisconsin has a conservation team to assist in conservation 

planning. Having a conservation plan allows landowners to participate in financial 

assistance and easement programs. Conservation Technical Assistance is a voluntary program carried out by NRCS, partnering with local county conservation 

professionals.

NRCS assists landowners in conserving resources on private lands by providing 

technical and financial assistance available through voluntary incentive-based 

programs. Highlights of our accomplishments are listed below.

• 2,044 Conservation Plans written on 328,487 acres

• 335 acres of wetlands created, restored, or enhanced

• 47 Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans written

• 440,848 acres with conservation applied to improve water quality

• 1,422 acres with conservation applied to improve agricultural irrigation water 

management

• 2,149 acres with conservation applied to improve irrigation efficiencies

• 391,027 acres of cropland with conservation applied to improve soil quality

• 45,212 acres of cropland with conservation applied to improve soil health and 

sustainability

• 9,428 acres of cropland with applied soil health management systems

• 460,020 acres of conservation applied to improve environmental quality

• 20,579 acres of non-federal land with conservation applied to improve fish and 

wildlife habitat

• 24,186 acres of forest land with conservation applied to protect and improve 

vegetative condition

• 18,333 acres of grazing land with conservation applied to improve resource 

base

• 9,696 acres of grazing land with conservation systems applied to achieve a 

sustainable forage-animal balance

Data Source: Performance Results System (PRS) October 2016

Highlights

7

• Technical Assistance
• Environmental Quality Incentives Program

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides voluntary 

conservation programs that promote agricultural production, forest management, and environmental quality to help install or implement structural, 

agronomic, or management conservation practices to protect soil and water 

quality.

Farmers develop a conservation plan for the acreage affected by EQIP 

practices. Conservation practices must meet NRCS technical standards. 

NRCS evaluates and ranks each application, with higher priorities given to 

the practices that address local resource concerns, and provide the most 

environmental benefit.

Special EQIP Opportunities

Honey Bee and Monarch Butterfly—NRCS helps farmers and landowners 

implement conservation practices to provide safe and diverse food sources 

for pollinators. NRCS-WI obligated $621,094 in 58 contracts covering 

1,056 acres.

On-Farm Energy—NRCS and producers develop Agricultural Energy 

Management Plans (AgEMP) or farm energy audits that assess energy 

consumption on an operation. Audit data is used to develop energy conservation recommendations. NRCS-WI obligated $827,656 in 28 contracts 

covering 3,326 acres. 

Organic—NRCS helps certified organic growers and producers, and also 

those working to achieve certification, to install conservation practices to 

address resource concerns on organic operations. NRCS-WI obligated 

$328,685 in 23 contracts covering 1,669 acres.

High Tunnel Systems—NRCS helps producers plan and implement high 

tunnels, steel-framed, polyethylene-covered structures that extend 

Conservation Programs

8

CONSERVATION PROGRAMS
growing seasons in an environmentally safe manner. High tunnel benefits 

include better plant and soil quality, fewer nutrients and pesticides in the environment, and better air quality. NRCS-WI obligated $660,391 in 74 contracts 

covering 201 acres. 

Cover Crops—Cover crops are grasses, legumes, forbs or other herbaceous 

plants that are established for seasonal cover and conservation purposes. 

They are used to reduce wind or water erosion by establishing cover after a 

minimal residue crop, to use up excess nutrients in the soil profile, for weed 

suppression, to provide nutrients for the next crop, to increase carbon 

sequestration, and improve soil structure. NRCS-WI obligated $1,476,750 in 

120 contracts covering 15,321 acres.

Conservation Activity Plan (CAP)—A CAP can be developed for producers to 

identify conservation practices needed to address a specific natural resource 

need. NRCS-WI obligated $539,418 in 118 contracts covering 11,909 acres.

New and Beginning Farmers—NRCS-WI obligated $3,852,899 in 286 contracts 

covering 10,518 acres.

Socially Disadvantaged Groups—NRCS-WI obligated $1,102,306 in 29 contracts covering 3,671 acres.

Specialty Crop—NRCS-WI obligated $108,320 in 3 contracts covering 90 acres.

Conservation Programs

9

FY2016 EQIP Funding Highlights

• Provided $23.9 million in financial 

assistance (includes all initiatives 

and special funding).

• Established 1,379 contracts.

• Enrolled 119,065 acres.
Conservation Programs

10

CONSERVATION PROGRAMS

TOP 40 EQIP OBLIGATED PRACTICES BY FINANCIAL INVESTMENT 

(Includes all initiatives and special funding)

Practice

Practice

Count 

(Number) 

 FY16 

Obligation 

(Dollars)

Cover Crop 1,205 6,322,564 

Waste Storage Facility 41 3,509,753 

Fence 205 1,082,476 

Waste Transfer 55 902,290 

Heavy Use Area Protection 108 874,928 

Lighting System Improvement 15 705,938 

High Tunnel System 78 683,864 

Roofs and Covers 11 597,082 

Waste Facility Closure 29 576,929 

Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan CAP 58 497,700 

Prescribed Grazing 254 486,736 

Waste Treatment 6 474,023 

Grade Stabilization Structure 48 411,227 

Conservation Cover 107 408,307 

Pumping Plant 48 406,171 

Streambank and Shoreline Protection 36 395,801 

Access Road 49 380,408 

Grassed Waterway 178 361,392 

Early Successional Habitat Development/Management 89 332,536 

Forage and Biomass Planting 100 314,737 

Mulching 177 309,487 

Brush Management 124 289,313 

Livestock Pipeline 106 269,378 

Sprinkler System 10 233,798 

Forest Stand Improvement 67 194,340 

Trails and Walkways 24 188,628 

Pond Sealing or Lining, Flexible Membrane 5 171,697 

Subsurface Drain 28 156,076 

Lined Waterway or Outlet 15 152,102 

Underground Outlet 46 142,726 

Stream Crossing 61 132,308 

Tree/Shrub Establishment 66 117,946 

Spoil Spreading 78 116,555 

Forest Management Plan CAP 64 110,378 

Obstruction Removal 73 106,933 

Residue and Tillage Management, No-Till 71 96,431 

Waste Separation Facility 4 92,308 

Farmstead Energy Improvement 7 82,855 

Wetland Restoration 21 82,141 

Aquaculture Ponds 3 79,616 

 

Data Source: ProTracts 10/1/2016
Data Source: ProTracts 10/1/2016

Conservation Programs

11

TOP 40 EQIP OBLIGATED PRACTICES BY PRACTICE COUNT 

(Includes all initiatives and special funding)

Practice

Practice

Count 

(Number) 

 FY16 

Obligation 

(Dollars)

Cover Crop 1,205 6,322,564 

Prescribed Grazing 254 486,736 

Fence 205 1,082,476 

Grassed Waterway 178 361,392 

Mulching 177 309,487 

Brush Management 124 289,313 

Heavy Use Area Protection 108 874,928 

Conservation Cover 107 408,307 

Livestock Pipeline 106 269,378 

Forage and Biomass Planting 100 314,737 

Critical Area Planting 95 39,865 

Early Successional Habitat Development/Management 89 332,536 

Watering Facility 81 43,401 

High Tunnel System 78 683,864 

Spoil Spreading 78 116,555 

Obstruction Removal 73 106,933 

Residue and Tillage Management, No-Till 71 96,431 

Forest Stand Improvement 67 194,340 

Tree/Shrub Establishment 66 117,946 

Forest Management Plan CAP 64 110,378 

Stream Crossing 61 132,308 

Structures for Wildlife 59 10,871 

Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan CAP 58 497,700 

Waste Transfer 55 902,290 

Access Road 49 380,408 

Grade Stabilization Structure 48 411,227 

Pumping Plant 48 406,171 

Prescribed Burning 47 45,366 

Underground Outlet 46 142,726 

Waste Storage Facility 41 3,509,753 

Streambank and Shoreline Protection 36 395,801 

Tree/Shrub Site Preparation 36 78,289 

Roof Runoff Structure 31 54,811 

Waste Facility Closure 29 576,929 

Subsurface Drain 28 156,076 

Trails and Walkways 24 188,628 

Irrigation Water Management 22 24,651 

Wetland Restoration 21 82,141 

Vegetated Treatment Area 21 78,882 

Diversion 20 19,941 
The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) uses partnerships 

to multiply conservation investments and reach goals on a regional or watershed scale, promoting coordination between partners to deliver assistance to 

producers and landowners. NRCS provides assistance through partnership 

agreements and program contracts or easement agreements.

NRCS and its partners help producers install and maintain conservation activities in selected project areas. Partners leverage RCPP funding in project areas and report on the benefits achieved. RCPP encourages partners to join in 

efforts with producers to increase the restoration and sustainable use of soil, 

water, wildlife, and related natural resources on regional or watershed scales.

Wisconsin secured 2 new agreements to improve the nation’s water quality, 

combat drought, enhance soil health, support wildlife habitat, and protect agricultural viability. Below are RCPP agreements, funded through EQIP. 

Driftless Area Habitat for the Wild and Rare: This project will provide a new 

comprehensive, targeted regional approach to restoring prairie, oak woodlands and streams for the benefit of the many at-risk species and abundant 

concentrations of native species found in the driftless area landscape.

• NRCS Investment: $2.9 million

• Lead Partner: Trout Unlimited

• Number of Partners: 30

Milwaukee River Watershed Conservation Partnership: This diverse partnership will implement cost effective conservation solutions that will improve 

water quality and soil quality along the impaired Milwaukee River corridor.

• NRCS Investment: $1.5 million

• Lead Partner: Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District

• Number of Partners: 18

• Regional Conservation Partnership Program

Conservation Programs

12

CONSERVATION PROGRAMS
The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) helps agricultural producers 

maintain and improve their existing conservation systems and adopt additional conservation activities to address priority resource concerns. CSP 

provides assistance to landowners who practice good stewardship on their 

land and are willing to take additional steps over the next five years. 

Through CSP, participants take additional steps to improve resource conditions including soil quality, water quality, water quantity, air quality, and 

habitat quality, as well as energy. NRCS coordinates its implementation of 

CSP with the other premier Farm Bill working lands program, EQIP. CSP 

and EQIP work in a complementary manner to address conservation issues 

associated with agricultural operations. CSP provides financial and technical 

assistance to help land stewards install additional conservation practices. 

Eligible lands include private or tribal cropland, grassland, pastureland, 

rangeland, non-industrial private forest lands, and other land in agricultural 

use.

• Conservation Stewardship Program

FY2016 CSP Funding Highlights

• Established 479 new contracts and 

324 renewal contracts.

• Provided $4.5 million in financial assistance 

for new and renewal contracts. 

• Enrolled 327,128 acres for new and renewal 

contracts.

FY2012–FY2016 CSP Funding Highlights

• Enrolled 1,046,768 total acres as of 10/2016.

• Established 2,703 active contracts as of 

10/2016.

Conservation Programs

13
• Lake Superior Landscape Restoration Partnership

NRCS uses Landscape Conservation Initiatives to accelerate the benefits of 

voluntary conservation programs, such as cleaner water and air, healthier 

soil and enhanced wildlife habitat. Conservation programs help agricultural 

producers improve the environment while maintaining a vibrant agricultural 

sector. 

NRCS recognizes that natural resource concerns transcend farm, county, and 

state boundaries. The most effective way to increase protection of natural resources is to target conservation to the most vulnerable or valuable areas and 

to apply a systems, rather than a practice-by-practice approach to conservation. By approaching large-scale resource concerns on a landscape level, this 

science based approach puts conservation in the right places.

NRCS is targeting conservation assistance to critical resources through a 

number of landscape scale initiatives. In Wisconsin, the initiatives are allowing 

NRCS and partners to focus staff and financial assistance on targeted resource concern issues in selected priority watersheds.

This partnership is located in Northern Wisconsin’s Beartrap-Nemadji 

and Bad-Montreal Watersheds to 

improve the Lake Superior basin. 

In partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, NRCS offers special 

funding to help farmers improve 

farm and livestock operations while 

improving water quality. The NRCS 

provided additional funds to help 

forest landowners improve timber 

quality, and wildlife habitat for deer 

and grouse. In FY2016, Wisconsin 

obligated $497,988 in 48 EQIP 

contracts cover 3,728 acres.

Landscape Initiatives

14

LANDSCAPE INITIATIVES
NRCS and partners are helping producers in selected watersheds in the 

Mississippi River Basin voluntarily 

implement conservation practices that 

avoid, control, and trap nutrient runoff; 

improve wildlife habitat; and maintain 

agricultural productivity. Two projects 

were prioritized including the Rush River in Pierce County and Sixmile Creek 

Watershed in Dane County. In FY2016, 

Wisconsin obligated $1,256,134 in 

43 EQIP contracts covering 5,652 

acres.

• National Water Quality Initiative

• Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative

The National Water Quality Initiative is 

committed to improving impaired waterways throughout the nation. Three 

watersheds were prioritized including 

Big Green Lake in Green Lake County, Spring Creek in Green County, 

and Wilson Creek in Dunn and St. 

Croix Counties. NRCS manages the 

initiative by making funds available to 

farmers and forest landowners in the 

selected watersheds, to accomplish 

needed conservation practices to reduce sediment and nutrient runoff on 

agricultural lands. In FY2016, Wisconsin obligated $1,962,287 in 36 EQIP 

contracts covering 6,600 acres.

Landscape Initiatives

15
• Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

NRCS, along with 11 other Federal Agencies, support and participate in the Great 

Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). This 

initiative addresses urgent issues such as 

cleaning up Great Lakes areas of concern, 

preventing and controlling invasive species, 

reducing nutrient runoff that contributes to 

harmful or nuisance algal blooms, and restoring habitat to protect native species. 

NRCS and the Great Lakes Commission 

established the Great Lakes Demonstration 

Farm Network, and are partnering with six 

farms in the Lower Fox Watershed in northeast Wisconsin. These farms are installing 

leading edge conservation practices that 

reduce phosphorus runoff. The demonstration farms showcase the practices by 

conducting field days and tours for farmers. 

NRCS and GLC are nearing completion of a 

“Fox P Trade” project which analyzes supply 

and demand for phosphorus credits, and 

evaluates the best approach for the establishment of a nutrient credit trading program 

for the Lower Fox Watershed. The trading 

guidebook is anticipated to be completed 

in December 2016. As a result of the Fox P 

Trade project, on October 13, 2016, the first official modern water quality trade 

between a crop farmer and a waste-water treatment facility in the U.S. side of 

the Great Lakes basin took place. In FY2016, Wisconsin obligated $777,057 

in 10 contracts covering 1,637 acres to reduce sediment and nutrient runoff in 

the Lower Fox Watershed through a special GLRI-EQIP phosphorus reduction 

program sign-up. 

In FY2016, Wisconsin obligated $2.1 million in 30 contracts covering 

6,139 acres to improve water quality in Lake Michigan through a special 

GLRI-EQIP nearshore health program sign-up. Funding for installation of core 

conservation practices that reduce sediment and nutrient runoff were focused 

in targeted sub-watersheds in the Manitowoc-Sheboygan and Milwaukee 

watersheds in eastern Wisconsin. 

Landscape Initiatives

16

LANDSCAPE INITIATIVES
The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) provides financial 

and technical assistance to help conserve agricultural lands, wetlands, and 

their related benefits. 

• Agricultural Conservation Easement Program

FY2016 ACEP Funding Highlights

• Wetland Reserve Easements: Obligated 

$2.8 million in nine agreements covering 

440 acres. 

• Agricultural Land Easements: Obligated 

$328,050 in two easements covering 

217 acres.

Wetland Reserve Easements: Provides technical and financial assistance 

directly to private landowners and Indian tribes to restore, protect, and 

enhance wetlands through the purchase of a Wetland Reserve Easements. 

For acreage owned by an Indian tribe, there is an additional enrollment 

option of a 30-year contract.

Agricultural Land Easements: NRCS provides financial assistance to eligible 

partners for purchasing Agricultural Land Easements that protect the 

agricultural use and conservation values of eligible land. In the case of 

working farms, the program helps farmers and ranchers keep their land in 

agriculture. The program also protects grazing uses and related conservation values by conserving grassland, including rangeland, pastureland, and 

shrubland. 

Easement Programs

17

EASEMENT PROGRAMS
Success Story Highlights

18

SUCCESS STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Beginning Farmer Revitalizes Former Mining Land

Dan Shelliam, of Lafayette County, Wis., grew up on a farm and started milking 

cows when he was 15. In 2000, he started farming full time and subsequently 

signed up for the NRCS Beginning Farmer Program through EQIP. As a beginning 

farmer, he started with 25 acres of pasture and 6 acres of work ground. Today he 

farms around 475 acres, and has 70 cattle. 

Dan learned about the agency in watching projects on neighboring farms that had 

received financial and technical assistance from NRCS. “Seeing some of the practices applied, like forestry and cover crops through EQIP, and seeing what it’s done 

for soil health and bringing wildlife back in, has been very gratifying,” said Dan.

“A lot of the land I acquired was what no one else wanted,” explained Shelliam. 

Much of the land was run down, and the ground was previously disturbed by heavy 

mining. “Truly a bad thing for any farmer out there, there’s so many heavy metals 

on top of the ground around here; in a dry year, those heavy metals contribute to 

drying up all the soils nutrients,” said Dan. “Zinc is normally measured in parts per 

million and the zinc I had on the land could be measured in grams.” The mining 

ground also had major erosion issues. Dan knew it would take years to fix the soil 

health issues on his land, but he was up for the challenge with the help of NRCS. 

Through technical and financial assistance provided by NRCS, Dan has enrolled 

325 acres in EQIP and 200 acres in CSP. Dan applied conservation practices on 

much of his farm to combat erosion, improve water quality, wildlife habitat, and 

air quality. He installed grassed waterways, rip rap, stream crossings, back water 

scrapes, cover crops, and uses no-till and low drift nozzles on his sprayer. “After a 

few years of applying conservation practices and enhancements to the watershed, 

areas that used to flood and cause erosion don’t flood anymore,” said Dan. The 

application of over 4,000 feet of rip rap and streambank repair in the watershed, 

installation of a ford stream crossing, and seeding the ford crossing have made 

• Sustainability at its Best
Success Story Highlights

19

a huge difference in grazing his cattle. The 

installed ford stream crossing helps combat 

streambank erosion because the cattle now 

drink down at the gravel crossing. Shelliam 

now rotationally grazes his cattle through 

6 different paddocks. With rotational grazing 

and practicing conservation, he sees grass a 

month longer than most if there’s a drought. 

Dan agrees with Aldo Leopold and recited 

his famous quote, “Conservation is a state of 

harmony between men and land – when you 

see the cattle working the various landscapes 

through rotational grazing, see the cover crops 

sprouting after a good rain, when things are 

managed with conservation in mind, you witness how much better things can be.”

Dan has also practiced no-till for 9 years and 

he utilizes and interseeds multi-species cover 

crops including radish, Italian rye grass, turnips, and clover. “Little implementations with 

the help of NRCS programs; each one helps 

benefit one another to get conservation done,” 

said Dan. Melissa Bartz, District Conservationist in Darlington explains further, “He is always 

thinking of ways to improve his land and his 

operation. He wants to work with the land to 

improve the health of the soil and its productivity. He seeks out information and does the 

research needed to be successful with new 

management techniques such as cover crops, 

no till and rotational grazing.”

Farming is where Dan’s heart is. “If you go to 

work and it doesn’t feel like work, you’re doing 

what you love, you get to see your production 

and success every year, taking pride in your 

work. Farming is a hard job, but to be around 

nature all day, it couldn’t get any better.” 

Dan says the more he’s implemented with 

NRCS, the better off he’s been. He enjoys 

watching the progress. “The turtles and endangered frog populations in our ponds are even 

more prevalent due to the installed conservation practices aiding in increased prime habitat. 

All the conservation practices we’ve done, 

we’ve really seen a kick back towards some-

thing else, whether it’s increased wildlife or 

combating erosion,” said Dan. “Our sustainability is going to be even better in a couple more 

years.”
20Success Story Highlights

SUCCESS STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Conservation Education for Flourishing Gardens

• Hmong Community Gardens in Harmony with the Land

A collaboration with the Eau Claire Area Hmong Assistance Association (ECAHAA) 

in Eau Claire, Wis., sparked a successful community garden project through a 

cooperative agreement with the NRCS. “Through our partnership, I was confident 

a project like this would greatly be of value in the Hmong community in Eau Claire,” 

explained Pa Thao, ECAHAA Executive Director. “Helping the historically underserved population into growing their own food locally, in a community people’s 

garden is part of NRCS’s mission of Helping People Help the Land,” said Ka Ying 

Vang, NRCS Soil Conservationist, Menominee Service Center.

The ECAHAA and Hmong community welcomed the opportunity to work with 

NRCS. Elders in the community have a passion for gardening and were interested 

in learning about growing food more sustainably and using conservation practices. Hmong community residents in the Eau Claire area were limited initially due 

to the lack of affordable land available for gardening, lack of transportation to and 

from available land, and language barriers. Through a cooperative agreement with 

NRCS, the ECAHAA was able to provide rented land for a large community garden 

plot and provide transportation to and from the garden plots for 13 Hmong community members throughout the 2015 growing season. “NRCS is committed to ensuring its programs and services are accessible to all our customers, especially the 

underserved. This great opportunity enabled us to provide technical and financial 

assistance in getting conservation on the ground, to assist the Eau Claire Hmong 

community,” said Jimmy Bramblett, NRCS State Conservationist for Wisconsin.

Within this historically underserved community group, knowledge on soil health and 

conservation was very limited. Project members participated in a ground breaking ceremony and workshop. NRCS employee Ka Ying Vang helped overcome 

barriers by giving presentations on land conservation, soil health, and the use of 

fertilizer, chemical pesticides, and herbicides. Ka also provided demonstrations on 
21Success Story Highlights

soil aggregate stability 

and further discussed 

soil health topics tied to 

farming practices Hmong 

communities practiced 

back in Laos and Thailand when conservation 

wasn’t understood. “I 

had the opportunity to 

teach modern conservation practices and talk 

about land management; 

show the group what was going on in 

the soil and how traditional practices 

back in Laos and Thailand degraded 

soil fertility. I was able to discuss and 

demonstrate ways to improve the soils 

and provide guidance to the community 

members in adding cover crops, crop 

rotations, reducing tillage, and other soil 

heath practices,” said Ka. “If community 

members are taught how to manage land 

with conservation and sustainability in 

mind, they can effectively use the same 

plots of land for 20, 40, or even 100 or 

more years from now,” explained Ka. 

“This workshop really opened their eyes, 

they never thought of the soil as being 

something living; it was so fulfilling to teach them and 

help make a difference; hearing they’ve never thought 

of some of the teachings before and were excited to try 

them, was rewarding.” 

The ECAHAA was also able to provide transportation 

for the Eau Claire Hmong community individuals to 

attend additional conservation education events, including the participation at the Minority Farmer Conference 

held in St. Paul, Minnesota. UW-Extension was also a 

key partner in the community garden project, providing 

financial assistance in garden plot maintenance. “Cost 

savings, due to UW-Extension’s partnership, provided 

the gardeners extra opportunity to visit their plots more 

frequently during the peak growing season,” said Tom Krapf, Assistant State 

Conservationist and Program Liaison. The Hmong Cooperative Agreement was 

successfully completed on September 30, 2015. Hmong community members 

have continued the community garden, utilizing their newly learned conservation 

practices provided through NRCS technical and financial assistance, sharing their 

harvest with friends and relatives. The group has future plans to rent larger plots 

for more gardening in the upcoming seasons. “The community garden, made 

possible through partnerships with NRCS, ECAHAA, and UW-Extension, gave 

them an opportunity to be useful, to fulfill meaningful traditional Hmong roles, and 

to contribute to their community in a positive way,” said Ka.
22Success Story Highlights

SUCCESS STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Farmer Revitalizes Stream Habitat

• Restoring the Little Lemonweir

Nate Bell, of Juneau County, Wis., is a third generation crop farmer who’s been 

riding in a combine since he was three years old. Bell’s grandpa bought the farm 

in the 1940s, and Nate always knew he wanted to continue the family tradition. In 

2007, he took over his family’s farm, renting the property from his parents, and in 

2008, purchased it. 

“I started realizing the importance of conservation as a teenager, and once I had 

kids, it clicked even more; I want to leave this land better than I received it,” said 

Bell. Nate’s first endeavor as a conservation farmer was practicing no-till. “When 

I was a kid, we chisel plowed everything and worked the ground a lot, then in 

the mid-1990s, we started no-tilling,” explained Bell. "We planted into some 

200 bushels of cornstalk and we were thinking, oh yeah right, we’re going to get 

beans out of here?” The soybeans ended up doing great and they started using 

no-till on many more acres from there. Nate farms and manages 3,000 acres in 

partnership with his father, Sam, and neighbor, Vern. His wife, Lisa, helps by maintaining the farm books, while also caring for their children, Lily (age 8), Lucy (age 

7), and Lucas (age 3), who always want to help dad in the shop. 

“Erosion was our biggest concern; we weren’t building any organic matter; much 

of our soil is highly variable around here, some good and some sandy knolls,” said 

Bell. “In 2011, we took one 35-acre parcel and planted a radish cover crop in the 

sandy soil. We thought we could try and get some tap roots down and do something to help the sandy soil there,” said Bell. The landlord called Nate in the hottest 

part of summer and said, “I don’t know what you guys did up here, but you’ve got 

to come and see this. Everyone’s corn in the area was done and this 35 acre parcel of sandy soil corn was still going strong; the cover crop bought that corn over 

two weeks extra time to get it ready due to increased water retention; we saw the 

benefits first-hand and are still seeing them with cover crops on that field,” explains 

Bell. Nate worked with the USDA-NRCS through EQIP and CSP to put 
23Success Story Highlights

conservation to work on his farm through drainage water management, cover crops, and more. He recently partnered with 

NRCS to complete a streambank restoration project. 

Bell’s property has a prominent stream running through it, 

where he witnessed erosion on the streambanks. “Erosion was 

the biggest problem on the banks; beavers also complicated the 

problem by plugging up the stream and subsequently flooding out 

my fields, which was very frustrating,” said Bell. Streambanks were 

covered in overgrown woody biomass and invasive species like box 

elder and honeysuckle. “When Jon Field, my local NRCS District Conservationist, contacted me with a plan to restore the stream, I was all over it,” said 

Bell. Tony Pillow, NRCS Soil Conservation Technician, spearheaded the project 

by surveying, designing, and helping install the restoration. The local Juneau 

County Land & Water Resources Department also provided financial assistance 

to make this project possible. 

The streambank restoration consisted of installing 24 lunkers or artificial overhanging banks that give trout a place to hide, grading streambanks, installing 

150 quad-axle loads of riprap, adding cross logs, and placing boulders to move 

water current. Over 1,700 feet of stream were repaired through the streambank 

restoration project. “Before, there were several spots where the water was ten 

inches deep; it wasn’t cool or running, now, there’s cool, deep, running water,” 

said Bell. The restoration includes a pool, riffle, run system. Water pools in an 

area of the stream characterized by deep depths and slow current, then riffles 

to shallow depths with fast current, then runs with moderate current and depths 

greater than riffles. The mixture of flows and depths provide habitat variety to 

support fish and invertebrate life. “The day we visited the successful restoration, 

the Wis. Department of Natural Resources was stocking the successfully restored stream with brown trout; Bell and his family can’t wait to fish the restored 

stream this year,” said Field. 

Nate also smoothed the surrounding banks and seeded down the areas with 

winter wheat, clover, perennial rye, and other species. The plantings act as a buffer between the stream and the adjacent cropland to reduce non-point pollution 

into the stream. “In December, the restoration was tested; water levels were the 

highest I’ve ever seen and all the banks held up great; I was amazed there was 

no washing,” said Bell. 

Nate is enthusiastic about the repaired stream and habitat for fish. “I am so proud 

of the streambank restoration; it’s really nice to have the streambank next to a 

major highway so people can see their tax dollars at work; everyone can see the 

benefits first-hand and subsequently, be supportive of future projects 

downstream,” explains Bell.
24Success Story Highlights

SUCCESS STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Lac du Flambeau Tribe Raises and Restocks Fish

• Aquaculture Site Built for Walleye Rearing

The Lac du Flambeau Tribe has inhabited the Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin, area 

since 1745. The Tribe acquired the name from its gathering practice of harvesting 

fish at night by torchlight. The Reservation, established by the Treaty of 1854, 

includes 86,000 acres of land, 24,000 acres of wetlands, and has 260 lakes and 

65 miles of streams and rivers. Sustainable conservation and protection of natural 

resources has always been a goal of the Tribe. Established in 1936, the Tribal 

Fish Hatchery works to raise and restock fish to meet their sustainability vision. 

Over the last 30 years, the Tribal Fish Hatchery has restocked the lakes with well 

over 415 million walleye. “From its small fish hatchery beginnings to today, Lac 

du Flambeau now has a multi-faceted, multi-program Tribal Natural Resources Department,” said Larry Wawronowicz, Natural Resources Director, Lac du Flambeau 

Tribe. 

The Lac du Flambeau Tribe has always been recognized as good stewards of the 

land and management of natural resources has been a high priority. Their focus 

is to protect pristine areas, restore degraded natural and wildlife resources, and 

help build strong communities. Common missions and participation in the Wisconsin Tribal Conservation Advisory Council (WTCAC), an advisory group to NRCS 

consisting of the eleven federally recognized tribes in Wisconsin, have fostered a 

strong conservation partnership with NRCS. NRCS has partnered with the Tribe 

on multiple technical and financial assistance projects through the years to combat 

shoreline erosion, improve wildlife habitat, improve forest health, improve wild rice 

populations, build hoop houses, and much more. All of these projects were possible through EQIP and CSP. “We’ve addressed resource concerns on more than 

11,000 acres of tribal land, through EQIP, since 2009, and we recently re-enrolled 

more than 28,000 acres of forestland in CSP,” said Michael Stinebrink, District 

Conservationist, Rhinelander Service Center. The most recent project partnership 

between the Tribe and NRCS includes the renovation of five aquaculture ponds 

through EQIP.
25Success Story Highlights

After 30 years, the original fish pond liners 

had fallen into disrepair and the harvest of 

fish was labor intensive. Since reconstruction, the facility has gone from 13 small 

ponds, having 5.4 acres of usable rearing 

space, to 6 large ponds with over 7 acres 

of surface area. Two newly-constructed, 

centrally located, fish gathering structures, 

known as kettles, save the hatchery staff the 

labor of harvesting each pond individually 

and reduce stress and mortality on the fish, 

during harvest. NRCS provided technical and 

financial assistance to redesign the ponds 

and implement the renovations, including a 

new network of water supply and aeration 

lines and a sediment tank treating the water 

before entering an adjacent wetland. “This 

project is taking out old ponds and putting 

in new ones that are more state of the art, 

giving more flexibility and ability to harvest 

the fish that are being raised for stocking, 

and getting them up to larger sizes and 

numbers,” said Wawronowicz. “Before, the 

Tribe was rearing 2−4 inch fingerlings in the 

small ponds, and now they can raise 6−8 inch fish for better survivability in the 

wild,” said Tom Melnarik, Soil Conservation Technician, and designer of the new 

aquaculture pond site layout. “Raising the fish larger is necessary due to shoreline development, increase in aquatic invasives like zebra mussels, and climate 

change,” said Wawronowicz. The Tribe wants to provide a sustainable supply of 

walleye for tribal and non-tribal fishing in reservation waters. 

In spring, fish spawn and Tribal spawning crews collect and fertilize eggs. Most 

fish are hatched by early June when the aquaculture ponds are stocked with the 

walleye fry. Walleye fry feed on zooplankton until approximately 6−8 weeks old. 

Their diet then changes to aquatic insects and other fish species. Fish are raised 

from the size of a mosquito in spring to 6−8 inches in fall and are then released 

into reservation waters. The new aquaculture ponds will help the Tribe to restock 

over 200,000 fish per year in area lakes and other waterways. “We wouldn’t 

have been able to get this project done without the technical support, financial 

assistance, and partnership of the USDA-NRCS,” said Wawronowicz. “This pond 

project was needed, and working with NRCS has been a great experience.”
26Success Story Highlights

SUCCESS STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Beginning Farmer Revitalizes Legendary Land

• The Living Land Remembers, Treat it with Care

Reed Fitton, of Gays Mills, Wis., is a beginning farmer who has the opportunity 

to rent and farm a legendary piece of property known as the Ben Logan Farm. 

Reed strives to work the land by adhering to Logan’s principles in the 1975 book, 

The Land Remembers. “Once you have lived on the land, been a partner with its 

moods, secrets and seasons, you cannot leave. The living land remembers,” from 

The Land Remembers. Reed didn’t grow up as a farmer, but became interested, 

after working on a few vegetable farms and a goat dairy. He had dreams to set up 

his own grazing and dairy operation one day. He gained experience by participating in the Wis. School for Beginning Dairy Farmers and is currently in his second 

year as a Dairy Grazing Apprentice. He’s working with veteran grazer Don Boland, 

a close neighbor, to graze his own herd and some of Boland’s heifers. During the 

2014 season, Reed raised and custom grazed 30 young dairy heifers of his own 

and 60 of his mentor’s. These animals were rotationally grazed and moved to a 

new paddock every day by Reed. Reed assists with milking 170 dairy cattle on 

Boland’s property. 

Fitton rents 105 acres, 55 tillable and 50 woodland. The owners have protected 

the southwest Wis. farm by granting conservation easement to the Mississippi 

Valley Conservancy, to ensure the tillable land will remain as farmland forever. Because of that, new buildings are limited, contour strips must stay on tillable acres, 

waterways must stay, and the wooded area must be fenced and free of livestock. 

The owners specifically wanted a renter to graze the land, so Reed jumped on the 

opportunity. That’s where the NRCS offered its assistance. Fitton applied and was 

accepted to utilize EQIP. Conservation practices Reed implemented include fencing, forage and biomass planting, livestock pipeline, watering facilities, prescribed 

grazing and conservation cover. “We’re encouraging beginning farmers to partner 

with us to learn about the best conservation practices available to help their land 

and to encourage them by offering technical and financial assistance to aid in their 

success,” said Jimmy Bramblett, State Conservationist in Wis. 
27Success Story Highlights

When Reed arrived, 40 acres 

were in hay and 15 acres were 

previously in corn. The land 

had been farmed conventionally. The land and waterways 

needed some work to be 

revived. Through conservation 

efforts and assistance from 

NRCS, Fitton seeded six kinds 

of forages into 15 acres of 

corn stubble to create paddocks. On the existing tillable 

acres not previously in corn, 

he interseeded a forage mix using no-till, to help thicken and strengthen the pastureland. The mix included meadow fescue, orchard grass, perennial ryegrass, 

ladino clover, alsike clover, and alfalfa. Reed specifically included clover species 

in his seed mix to aid honeybees as part of the NRCS Honey Bee Pollinator Effort 

through EQIP. To protect the clover blossoms and aid in pollinator habitat, the livestock are not allowed to graze the plants below four inches. “Leaving the plants 

growing higher than the minimum required really seemed to help in reference to 

the number of pollinators I see around. Winter is always rough on bees, but I’ve 

seen more pollinators this year than I ever have before due to my conservation 

efforts,” said Reed. Also, during the first year of seed establishment, he halted 

from haying the acres until after August 1. 

Fitton and his partner, Amanda Rubasch, are beekeepers themselves. They have 

six active hives and have seen great success with Reed’s prairie pollinator efforts. 

Not only has he increased value of the feed for his grazing cattle by including 

clovers, he has also seen an increase in bee activity at his hives, and an increase 

in honey production, which he says is sweet! “Through technical and financial 

assistance provided by the NRCS Honey Bee Pollinator Effort, I am seeing more 

bee and butterfly activity this summer than I ever have. The six bee hives on our 

land look healthy, I’ve got more bees and pollinators around, and honey production is up! There’s bee’s all over the place now, which is rewarding to see.”

“Karyl Fritsche, the District Conservationist in Crawford County, walked me 

through the whole application process, helped me set up a conservation plan, 

recommended seed mixes, assisted with questions, planting, and more. She’s 

been great to work with and NRCS has always been available if I have a question 

or stop into my local service center office,” explains Fitton. 

Setting a conservation plan for Fitton helped him realize his goals and passion for 

farming. “Always tilling the land and letting it wash out, and then the soil is gone; 

you don’t have to look hard to see that. There’s only so much soil there. We need 

to give back and not keep taking, taking, and taking. I’m doing my best to restore 

soil health in this area through conservation practices with NRCS.” Reed plans to 

continue his farming success as a grazer and owner of dairy heifers, while also 

implementing conservation practices that help the land, and pollinator habitat. 

“Starting as a young, beginning farmer with a dream of having my own operation, 

to being a successful grazer and farmer, with a herd of 60 dairy heifers of my 

own, I’d say I’ve reached my dream,” explains Reed. “I wouldn’t be where I am 

today without the technical and financial assistance of NRCS to help me reach my 

goals.” 
28Success Story Highlights

SUCCESS STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Red Cedar Demo Farm Offers Hands-On Education

• Partners in Conservation

The Red Cedar Demonstration Farm, in Menomonie, Wis., is a 155 acre, three 

parcel farm, leased by partners to educate and demonstrate conservation of natural resources. Collaborators in the partnership include the NRCS, Dunn County 

Land and Water, UW-Extension, and Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC). 

Partners attended a county board meeting, presented a demonstration and educational farm idea, and showed soil health demonstrations and benefits. The City 

and County owners of the parcels were enthusiastic about the project and agreed 

to a five year lease to implement conservation practices to educate students, 

partners, and the community. “They saw different agencies coming together to 

form a truly interactive partnership looking at conservation management together; 

this was instrumental to the committee in approving our ideas for the project,” said 

Dan Prestebak, Dunn County Land & Water.

“In 2015, a partnership was formed; we started implementing soil health practices, 

nutrient management standards, no-till, and cover crops,” said John Sippl, Dunn 

County NRCS District Conservationist. CVTC Agricultural Program students perform farm work on the ground in an outdoor classroom environment. “The Demo 

Farm gives students a hands-on opportunity to plant, scout fields, monitor growth, 

harvest, write nutrient plans, take soil samples; really, it’s a full farm laboratory for 

students,” said Sippl. The land previously housed livestock for many years and 

was cropped and tilled in a corn-soybean rotation. Partners observed wind erosion 

and saw the potential for soil health quality opportunities when the project started. “The red cedar watershed is an impaired watershed, and one of the ways to 

improve water quality issues is to apply conservation practices and fix soil health 

issues first,” said Sippl.

UW-Extension partners help with educational outreach for the farm. “New students 

arrive each year and have a chance to learn how to use farm equipment and 

also demo new technologies,” said Katie Wantoch, UW-Extension Agent. NRCS 
29Success Story Highlights

partners take the lead in soil conservation, offering technical 

advice on soil health principles and helping students with soil 

sampling in the field. Interest in the demo farm has grown 

across the region; farmers and partners are discussing potential 

new demo farms in their areas. “Individuals and agencies want 

updates to stay informed on how the demo farm is progressing 

and if they can implement some of these practices on other county 

lands,” said Sippl. 

Students currently plant one-third corn, one-third small grains, and one-third 

soybeans. No-till is being used on the majority of the land and cover crops are 

also being used after each crop harvest. “An experimental field of nine different 

species of full season cover crops was also planted, including sunflower, sorghum sedan grass, cow peas, radish, winter triticale, turnip, and multiple clover 

species. After the small grain oat harvest, cover crops were also planted on the 

field, a multi-species mix of a winter annual, a brassica species, and clovers. “With 

multi-species cover crops on the ground, we’ve seen an abundance of wildlife, like 

turkey, deer, and waterfowl on the property; more than we’ve ever seen before,” 

said Sippl. The soybeans had winter rye cover crop drilled in and were harvested 

for grain in summer 2016. Corn fields were aerial seeded with a winter cover crop 

when corn was still standing. Lime and urea are also being applied for nutrient 

management. A weather monitoring station, funded through a UW-Extension 

Northwest Regional Innovative Grant, is also in place to compare weather and 

crop yields over the next five years.

CVTC, the lease holder and student coordinator, has a unique partnership with 

the local implement dealers. They have agreements worked out with suppliers so 

students are allowed to use equipment for educational purposes. “We are more on 

the production side of the partnership, bringing students to learn, promoting soil 

health and water quality, looking at agronomy, marketing, and the financial side of 

harvesting; we’re excited to be a hands-on member of this great partnership,” said 

Mark Denk, CVTC Instructor. Students are able to use tractors, planters, and combines for planting and harvesting, as well as other needed equipment. “They are 

excited to have the opportunity to use first rate technology, GPS, and auto-steering, while also having partner staff as mentors and gaining hands-on educational 

experiences,” said Sippl. 

The demo farms main goal is conservation education. “NRCS, Dunn County 

Land & Water, UW-Extension, CVTC; we’ve always had a good relationship, but 

this project has really strengthened that relationship and it’s been great for the 

students and community also,” said Prestebak. The partners are excited to see 

the difference conservation can make in educating our next generation. “We can 

make a difference and educate others in the process,” explained Sippl. 
30Success Story Highlights

SUCCESS STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Organic Orchard Grower Makes Conservation Impact

• Depending on the Wilds to Pollinate

After a hard day’s work out in the orchard, there’s nothing like enjoying a glass of 

cider from the apple trees you hand grafted yourself. Deirdre Birmingham can do 

just this; she operates an organic hard cider orchard full time and is also an avid 

educator. She’s always been concerned and interested in the environment since 

she was a teenager. She spent much of her career in international agriculture and 

developing countries to help address poverty. Deirdre has academic training and 

experience in third world agriculture, but never had a farm of her own. She and 

her husband, John Biondi, decided to live their dream and bought 166 acres of 

farmland in 2002. Nothing was left on the land except crumbling foundations of the 

1880’s original buildings and the skeleton of an old farm house. 

Over the years, the land was used for cropping, livestock grazing, and dairying. 

“There’s something for everyone here; it’s a diverse landscape,” said Deirdre. 

When they bought the property, 58 acres of cropland was rented to neighboring 

farmers, there were pastured areas, 60 acres of timberland, and natural springs 

that feed into a trout stream. The land had its challenges, including invasive woodland species, invasive multi-flora rose, over-cropped farmland, highly erodible 

land, a need for pollinator conservation, and a need for buffers from neighboring 

farm chemical drift. 

Deirdre and John loved the Mineral Point, Wis. landscape and wanted to run a 

farm based business. “Before we decided what we wanted to grow, we knew 

whatever we grew, we wanted to grow it organically” said Deirdre. In 2003, they 

decided on growing true cider apples organically for the purpose of making cider. 

“We believe organic farming not only benefits the land, water, and wildlife, it also 

enhances the exquisite taste of our cider,” said Deirdre. 

Deirdre and John liked cider and decided they needed to have just the right apple 

varieties. “We found out the bitter sweets and bitter sharp varieties were not sold 

commercially in the United States so we needed to learn to make our own trees 
31Success Story Highlights

and started by learning how to graft,” said Deirdre. Deirdre and her husband took a 

grafting class and used scion wood from the graft teacher’s orchard, to hand graft 

their own trees. They now have 10 acres of trees and a seasonal high tunnel full of 

healthy seedlings. They press their own apples on-site and take the juice to a winery in Illinois, who makes the cider, then, it comes out under their label, The Cider 

Farm. “We are now ramping up apple planting; in 2017, we will plant 3,000 to 

4,000 trees, then in 2018, we will plant 5,000 more trees,” said Deirdre. 

Deirdre enrolled in CSP for orchard practices. They chip the prunings instead of 

burning them, then spread as mulch in the orchard. “We’re trying to build up soil 

health, adding wood chips to add organic matter; we’re also interseeding white 

dutch clover; tolerant and pollinator friendly, we use it as a living mulch, a cover 

crop that stays covering soil; any time we have bare soil I like to seed it in the 

orchard,” said Deirdre. She also installed windbreaks including bushes of nine bark. 

“The windbreaks help with the wind, as well as act as a buffer. It’s very windy here,” 

explained Deirdre. 

Birmingham has also used EQIP for invasive species control, forestry practices, 

cover crops in support of organic transition, the addition of pollinator friendly field 

borders around the orchard, and installation of a seasonal high tunnel for tree seedlings. “The high tunnel is a phenomenal program; for us, it’s extending the season 

and also ramping it up, early growth in April versus the colder field conditions,” said 

Deirdre. They also converted around 30 acres of rented cropland to prairie using 

NRCS assistance.

Deirdre wanted to choose plantings beneficial to wild bees and other pollinators, 

which keep their orchard thriving. “NRCS and their partner, the Xerces Society, 

came out to assess the orchard and recommended white spruce and nine bark, 

because pollinators like it and it blooms late, adding more diverse timing of blooming plants in the orchard,” said Deirdre. “We rely on the wilds out here and work to 

make life good for them so somethings blooming all the time,” said Deirdre. They 

also practice alternate row mowing so grass and herbal species are higher and 

flowing for pollinators and beneficial insects. 

"It’s farmers, like Deirdre, that are priceless advocates, working to get conservation 

on the ground on her own farm, and also educating others to help the environment 

in the long run,” said Andy Walsh, Iowa County NRCS District Conservationist. 

“Without good soil and good pollinators we don’t have a crop; we’re dependent on 

them as a natural resource. Healthy soils feed healthy plants and animals, which 

feed healthy people; it all makes sense,” explained Deirdre. 
32

SUCCESS STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Dairy Farmer Promotes Sustainability

• Majestic Views on a Contour Farm

Ron Abing and his wife, Terri, started farming in 1983 as part of a 50/50 partnership with John Haskins, a family friend. The farm is now known as Majestic View 

Dairies, LLC., located in Lancaster, Wis. Farming runs in the Abing family; Ron’s 

father and grandfather also owned dairies. “We’ve never done anything other than 

farming in our family as long as I can remember,” said Abing. Ron, Terri, and his 

two daughters, Sarah and Amanda, operate the large dairy with the help of some 

long time staff they know like family. “It’s truly a family business and we love it,” 

said Ron. 

Abing has always had dairy cows; he tried hogs for a while in 1980, but decided 

cows were for them. “Terri and I started our operation with 60 cows, and then, 

in 1993, we expanded the dairy to 100 cows. We continued to grow from there,” 

said Ron. The Abing's farm is 4,000 acres: 3,000 tillable, 900 in woodlands and 

pasture, and roughly 100 in building sites. They also have 1,100 cows and raise 

their own heifers, which are out to pasture 6 to 7 months of the year. The Abings 

also open up their farm to local schools and the public, throughout the year. “We 

believe it’s important to expose younger generations to farms and dairying,” explains Ron. Ron is also an advocate for conservation, explaining to all visitors the 

importance of taking care of the land.

Ron has always been conscious of erosion and the difference contour strips can 

make in controlling it. “I grew up with contours on the home farm; it’s 100 percent 

contour stripping and we were used to always farming that way,” said Ron. No-till 

was not popular when his father farmed, but now, he practices no-till and farms 

contours on many of his properties. “We plant corn into sod ground and soybeans 

into corn stubble; we no-till all those acres; we try to practice as much of it as we 

can,” said Ron. He also uses cover crops to increase soil health. “We’ve done a lot 

of winter rye over the years as a cover crop and we still do,” said Ron. “In feeding 

Success Story Highlights
33Success Story Highlights

our livestock, we produce all of our hay, high moisture corn, dry corn, and corn silage,” said Ron. Majestic View produces enough corn and alfalfa to take care of the 

dairy and then some. They sell their beans and a portion of their corn. 

“Ron has addressed a number of resource concerns on his farm over the years 

with the help of NRCS; he implemented 21 contracts with EQIP, utilizing 17 various 

practices to address resource concerns; he’s a willing landowner and knows the difference good conservation planning and implementation makes,” said Joe Schmelz, 

NRCS Grant County District Conservationist. 

“Manure handling would be the number one resource concern NRCS has helped us 

address,” said Ron. With financial and technical assistance from NRCS, he installed 

a manure storage structure adjacent to a new freestall barn for heifers.“We needed 

to build a concrete manure storage, and the cost sharing and technical advice we 

received from NRCS helped the whole plan and project come together successfully,” explained Ron. Abing has also worked with NRCS to build a satellite manure 

storage. During the summer, when the main dairy manure storage gets close to the 

freeboard line, he can move some of the manure into a satellite storage at a different farm. “The satellite storage is just the right size to spread on the local fields in 

that area and not haul any manure out; it covers the corn and bean grounds on the 

surrounding farmland,” said Ron. Abing has also worked with NRCS to repair ditches and reshape waterways on his farm. “Conservation is so important; do we have 

ditches and washouts everyone once in a while? Yes, but we will do everything we 

can to prevent them; we’ve reshaped waterways, put in cover crops, practice some 

no-till, and more; my ultimate goal is to have no topsoil loss; we’re currently working 

on greatly minimizing the loss,” said Ron. 

Ron is a true farmer at heart and enjoys that his family loves it too. “I love the 

challenge of growing crops every year and being outside, the kids and grandkids 

being so involved and our family being around the dairy all the time. It is truly a 

family business we are all passionate about,” explains Abing. Ron appreciates how 

accessible the local NRCS office employees are. “The NRCS office in Grant County 

is top notch. They are very up on everything and I can always get answers,” said 

Ron. Abing realizes the importance of conservation planning and implementation to 

keep land productive. “Conservation plans help me stay ahead of the designing and 

planning and NRCS always provides new ideas, advice, and solutions, we haven’t 

previously thought about. The information we get is priceless and the cost sharing 

is too,” said Ron. Ron wants to continue the dairy and keep it healthy and happy for 

future generations of his family. 
34Success Story Highlights

SUCCESS STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Beekeepers Restore Pollinator Habitat

• Sweet Success

Tim McDonald, of Blue River, Wis., has been a bee keeper for the past 25 years. 

He recently restored 48 acres of his property to include natural habitat for bees 

through EQIP. Tim and his wife, Diane, have maintained 300─400 colonies of bees, 

including 250 honey producing colonies and the rest nucleus half-size colonies. 

These colonies were built up for winter time to use as replacement colonies for 

over-winter losses. In midsummer when populations peak, Tim has around 

60,000 bees in each colony. 

When Tim was a child, he frequently visited a multi-use shop in Pardeeville that 

also housed a honey facility. The shop at one time managed 1,500 colonies of 

bees. The owner mentioned Tim should try managing a few bee hives. McDonald went out with the owner to look at some of the bees in the hives and he was 

intrigued. “We had a smoker going and opened the top of the first hive...that was 

my introduction to bees and I’ll never forget it, it was amazing to see even though 

we both got stung a couple times.” Tim started with three colonies, adding 30 or 

40 colonies more over the next few years and ending with hundreds of colonies. 

“Health issues with the bees, including lack of forage area and varroa mites are a 

prime concern. We’re lucky here because things are hilly; it’s hard to till here from 

fence to fence, so some forage stays for pollinators,” said McDonald. 

 ”It’s a really tough world out there for bees. With the lack of available forage and 

critical health issues, our society will be facing serious crop production issues in 

the future. NRCS is making a difference in helping landowners, like Tim, through 

our pollinator initiative in creating additional habitat that’s bee-friendly,” said District 

Conservationist, Carlton Peterson, Richland Center Service Center.

McDonald’s bees are kept in over 400 hives across a 75-mile loop in 17 partnering yards during the summer. Tim places around 24 hives in each partnering yard 

so areas don’t get over saturated with bees resulting in a lack of forage. “It’s a 
35Success Story Highlights

challenge to find good locations for bees; 

the habitat where you get different plants 

blossoming at different times. They need a 

variety of different food sources,” said Tim. In 

the winter, Tim brings all the bees back to his 

180 acre property to overwinter and keep an 

eye on things. 

In 2013, through the EQIP Driftless Area 

Landscape Conservation Initiative, Tim 

added 15 acres of pollinator habitat and 

25 acres of tree and shrub site preparation 

and plantings for habitat improvement and 

winter cover. In 2015, through the EQIP 

Honey Bee Pollinator Initiative, he also 

interseeded 8.5 acres of white clover into 

existing forage. EQIP assistance provided to 

landowners, like McDonald, provide guidance and support to farmers and ranchers 

to implement conservation practices that 

provide safe and diverse food sources for 

honey bees. 

NRCS staff provided financial assistance 

through EQIP and also the technical assistance Tim needed, including, site visits, a 

planting plan, providing options for obtaining 

seeds, and completing the final inspection of 

the plantings. “To keep them strong means 

they have to have really good nutrition to 

stay healthy.” Tim found out about the program and talked to his local District Conservationist, Carlton Peterson. “We had nothing 

before on our land, just a bit of alfalfa; the 

pollinator habitat plantings are starting to 

ramp up now, they take time to establish and 

spread; we’re in the third year now; we are 

seeing a lot of the varying grasses coming 

up and are excited to start seeing forbs 

soon,” said Tim. “With the pollinator habitat, 

it’s nice because plants are chosen to bloom 

in early, mid, and late season, so that’s really 

a plus to have forage available during those times.” 

Honey bees are Tim’s true passion and calling. McDonald understands the importance of conservation to keep bees healthy and thriving. He says it’s worth a few 

stings here and there to help pollinate the crops and food we all eat and need. 

“Bees are my thing, if I can leave something better than it was when it started; that 

means a lot to me.” Tim and Diane have also extracted, bottled, and labeled honey 

as part of their successful bee business. 

Tim says the working relationship with NRCS was great. “My local DC, Carlton 

Peterson was very helpful, a really good experience over all; trying conservation 

practices can be intimidating because it takes a lot of time and effort, but we did it 

because we really had NRCS we could rely on.”
36Success Story Highlights

SUCCESS STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Organic Dairy Farm Involves Entire Family

• Conservation in Focus

Tim Servais, of Hamburg Hills, is a second generation farmer. His father bought 

the Vernon County farm in the early 1970s and started with 23 cows. Tim came 

back home at age 28 and began managing the farm, increasing the dairy cows to 

90 and building a freestall barn. Tim now runs his operation organically and 

farms 1,250 acres, over 700 owned, and the remaining leased. Tim’s farm is 

certified organic and he is also working on transitioning a recently acquired rental 

to organic. He now has around 250 cows at the dairy. Tim and his wife, Lisa, farm 

with the help of their two sons, Zach and Jackson, and a handful of employees. 

His daughter, Sabrina, is specifically interested in the cows on the farm. “I guess 

I always wanted to be a farmer, I have two sons who want to farm and currently 

help, and a daughter who likes farming too, she especially likes to show Jersey 

cows,” said Tim. 

Tim plants hay, corn for grain, and corn silage as his main crops, using the harvest 

to feed his cows. He also integrates cover crops, to help with soil health and erosion issues. “The farm didn’t raise much when we first bought it; you couldn’t get 

alfalfa to grow on it. We also had a lot of erosion and ditch issues,” said Tim. “I’ve 

always been conservation minded, so I’m working on utilizing waterways and contour strips on the farm, to combat erosion and fix some of the conservation issues.”

Tim works with the USDA-NRCS NRCS through EQIP and CSP. “My dad worked 

with NRCS and I kept on following through with conservation efforts,” said Tim. 

Through EQIP, Servais installed fencing and grassed waterways, added access 

roads and cattle lanes, and installed a grade stabilization structure and water 

retention pond. He has also used EQIP for nutrient management, cover crops, 

and sinkhole treatments. “We’ve been working with Tim since 2002; we recently 

partnered to install an access road to gain access around a new freestall and to 

his feed storage area,” said Tom Kreuzer, NRCS Vernon County Soil Conservation 

Technician. Tim has participated in CSP since 2011, enrolling cropland and 
37Success Story Highlights

pastureland on his farm. “Tim recently signed up for five more years of CSP, to 

further enhance his conservation efforts,” said Sam Skemp, NRCS Vernon County 

District Conservationist. “I use cover crops, like winter rye, to combat erosion and 

help with weed suppression, since we farm organically,” said Servais.

Tim has also received assistance from NRCS in laying out contour strips. “We had 

many contour strips on the farm from when my dad farmed it. As we’ve acquired 

more land, we’ve worked with NRCS to lay out new contour strips on those properties,” said Servais. “We recently marked out a couple hundred acres of contour 

strips at Hamburg Hills; we’ve also modified some of the existing contour strip 

widths and made them a bit wider and more uniform,” said Kreuzer. 

Servais also works with NRCS to keep a current nutrient management plan for the 

organic dairy. “He has done nutrient management in the past; since he is organic, 

he tries to get most of the amendments from his cows,” said Kreuzer. “We’re so 

glad we went organic. The cattle are less stressed and are able to graze,” said 

Servais. Tim continues to have success running his dairy farm organically. “Farming 

is a lot of hard work but there are rewards, I love this land, the animals and being 

outside,” said Tim. “I want to make the farm nice and workable for my kids to run it 

in the future,” said Tim. 

“I am grateful for the financial assistance, but also really enjoy partnering with 

NRCS for the knowledge and technical advice, in helping engineer the projects we 

complete,” said Tim. “The NRCS office is great; I’ve known Sam and Tom for a long 

time; they’ve been good when I get busy; they’ll call me with a reminder and offer 

so much advice; I really appreciate it,” said Tim. NRCS plans to partner with Tim in 

the future to establish a grazing plan. Tim has recently added a new freestall and 

parlor to his operation, leaving further opportunity to utilize the land around the new 

structure for rotational grazing.
24

Outreach is part of the agency's daily business. We work to ensure that 

programs and services are made accessible to all customers, while placing 

special emphasis on those who may be underserved. Outreach involves 

understanding customers and their needs, learning how best to communicate with various groups, earning the trust and acceptance of customers, and 

developing 

partnerships and working relationships. FY2016 highlights for participation 

in outreach activities are below. 

• Farm Technology Days, the largest WI annual farm show 

• World Dairy Expo 

• MOSES Organic Farming Conference

• Midwest Manure Summit

• UW Nelson Institute Earth Day Conference

• Wisconsin Farm Bureau Conference 

• Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Conference

• Wisconsin Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Conference

• Grassworks Grazing Conference 

• Wisconsin Wetlands Association Conference 

• Agri-Business Crop Management Conference 

• Wisconsin Land Water Conference 

• Wisconsin Woodland Owners Conference

• Food Sovereignty Summit, Collaboration for Sustainability

• Professional development workshops for all ages and the 

underserved on soil health and conservation

• General and underserved targeted career and county fair events

OUTREACH HIGHLIGHTS

• Communicating Our Message

38Outreach Highlights
25

NRCS continues a 15-year partnership with the Wisconsin Tribal Conservation Advisory Committee to better meet their federal trust responsibilities 

to the eleven federally recognized Tribal Nations in Wisconsin. The Council 

meets with NRCS on a regular basis to implement plans for making Farm 

Bill programs work more effectively on tribal lands. The NRCS has designated staff who work with tribal conservationists, biologists and foresters to 

plan and implement conservation practices. Highlights of FY2016 accomplishments are below.

• Rhinelander Service Center staff and Northeast Area engineering staff 

worked with the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians 

to install new aquaculture ponds to help the tribe stock over 200,000 fish 

per year, moving area lakes back to a more sustainable fisheries balance.

• Baraboo Service Center staff worked with Ho Chunk Nation Department 

of Natural Resource staff to develop plans for restoring native prairie to the 

former Badger Army Ammunition at the foot of the Baraboo Hills.

• Shawano Service Center staff and Northeast Area staff worked with 

Oneida Nation natural resources staff to implement conservation practices 

utilizing ACEP, CSP, EQIP, and GLRI.

• The NRCS is working with five tribes to improve food production on tribal 

gardens though the installation of high tunnel systems.

• Andy Hart, Wisconsin NRCS State Forester, began a dialog with tribal forestry staffs, the U.S. Forest Service and the Wis Dept. of Natural Resources 

to improve program delivery on both tribal and non-tribal lands. 

• Outreach Focus on Wisconsin Tribes

39Outreach Highlights
Partnerships make our mission possible by leveraging existing funds to put 

more conservation on the ground. In FY2016, NRCS Wisconsin collaborated 

with conservation partners to enter into 13 new contribution or cooperative 

agreements. These agreements leverage NRCS financial investments with 

partner contributions to accomplish conservation priorities and address natural resource concerns. In FY2016, NRCS Wisconsin obligated $781,662 

into cooperative or contribution agreements, with financial commitments from 

partners totaling $869,995. 

NRCS Wisconsin thanks the following partners for their collaboration and 

financial commitment to make conservation work.

• Dane County Land & Water Resources Department

• Eau Claire Area Hmong Mutual Assistance Association, Inc.

• Green County Land & Water Conservation Department

• Grant County Conservation, Sanitation and Zoning Department

• Michael Fields Agricultural Institute

• Monroe County Land Conservation Department

• Ruffed Grouse Society / American Woodcock Society

• Sand County Foundation

• Southwest Badger Resource Conservation & Development Council, Inc.

• Trout Unlimited, Inc.

• Waupaca County Land & Water Conservation Department

• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

• Wisconsin Land & Water Conservation Association

OUTREACH HIGHLIGHTS

• Conservation Collaboration through Agreements

40Outreach Highlights
41Earth Team

EARTH TEAM

The Earth Team is NRCS’s volunteer workforce that is making a difference in 

every county in the nation. NRCS works with private landowners to improve 

soil quality, conserve water, improve air quality, and enhance wildlife habitat. 

Earth Team volunteers work side-by-side with conservation professionals and 

are an integral part of the conservation partnership.

Earth Team offers many opportunities for people who are interested in volunteering to improve the nation’s natural resources. People who are 14 years old 

and older can volunteer. Volunteers can work part-time or full-time, work outdoors or inside a local NRCS service center office, individually or as a group. 

In the above picture, active Earth Team volunteers and staff visit Aldo Leopold's farm and famous shack to celebrate National Volunteer Week. Active 

volunteers and staff were recognized at the event. 

In FY16, Wisconsin had 383 volunteers working a total of 4,088 hours! 

According to the Federal Interagency for Volunteerism, an hour of volunteer 

time in Wisconsin is valued at $22.48 an hour. In one fiscal year, Wisconsin 

Earth Team Volunteers have donated almost $92,000 to help our agency help 

the land. Volunteer efforts help improve land and wildlife habitat and contribute to cleaner water and air for everyone.

• Volunteers Make A Difference in Wisconsin
42

SOIL HEALTH

Soil is a living and life-giving natural resource. As world population and food 

production demands rise, keeping our soil healthy and productive is of paramount importance. By farming using soil health principles and systems that 

include no-till, cover cropping and diverse rotations, more and more farmers 

are actually increasing their soil’s organic matter and improving microbial 

activity. As a result, farmers are sequestering more carbon, increasing water 

infiltration, improving wildlife and pollinator habitat—all while harvesting better 

profits and often better yields.

NRCS Wisconsin worked to increase understanding of the importance of soil 

for food security and essential ecosystem functions. Soil health was promoted 

all year to farmers, landowners, and partners, workshops were held across 

the state, materials were distributed at conferences and career fairs, farm 

tours were held focusing on our soils, and much more.

Television Public Service Announcements (PSAs) were played throughout 

Wisconsin to educate farmers, landowners, and the general public about the 

importance of healthy soils. Over $250,000 in free television air time was 

donated by local Wisconsin television stations playing our educational healthy 

soil PSAs. Healthy soils are important for several reasons. These soils are 

more productive and farmers optimize production, improving their bottom line. 

Healthy soil is essential as global demands rise for food, fuel, and fiber. Soils 

also play a crucial role in food security, hunger eradication, climate change 

adaptation, poverty reduction, and sustainable development. As America’s 

agency for soil conservation, classification and studies, NRCS Wisconsin is 

excited that 2016 again brought attention to the importance of soil.

• Highlights

Soil Health
43Wisconsin Leadership

WISCONSIN LEADERSHIP

• Management Team

Jimmy Bramblett, State Conservationist

Eric Allness, Assistant State Conservationist, Partnerships

Judy Derricks, State Resource Conservationist

Tivoli Gough, State Public Affairs Specialist

Greg Kidd, Assistant State Conservationist, Easements

Tom Krapf, Assistant State Conservationist, Financial Programs

Mark Kulig, Assistant State Conservationist, Field Ops, Southwest Area

Ty Larson, Assistant State Conservationist, Field Ops, Northeast Area

Jason Nemecek, State Soil Scientist

John Ramsden, State Conservation Engineer

Josh Sherman, Assistant State Conservationist, Field Ops, Northwest Area

Deb White, Assistant State Conservationist, Management Strategy

John White, Assistant State Conservationist, Field Ops, Southeast Area

• District Conservationists by Area

Northwest Area

Jason Barrick, Baldwin Service Center 

Mark Biel, Ellsworth Service Center 

Gary Haughn, Ashland Service Center 

Melissa Knipfel, Medford Service Center 

Mike Koehler, Ladysmith Service Center 

Tammy Lindsay, Chippewa Falls Service Center 

Jane Reigel, Neillsville Service Center 

Dennis Reimers, Alma and Durand Service Centers

Patrick Richter, Barron Service Center 

Jennifer Roetter, Altoona Area Office 

John Sippl, Menomonie Service Center 

Ron Spiering, Spooner Service Center 

Ryan Swatek, Black River Falls and Whitehall Service Centers 

Keith Zygowicz, Lake Service Center 
44

WISCONSIN LEADERSHIP

• District Conservationists by Area (continued)

Northeast Area

Barry Bubolz, Shawano Service Center 

Roy Diver, Wisconsin Rapids and Stevens Point Service Centers 

Joe Johnson, Luxemburg Service Center 

John Malvitz, Green Bay Service Center 

Jeff Maroszek, Lena Service Center 

Amy Neigum, Wausau Service Center 

Lisa Neuenfeldt, Waupaca Service Center 

Matt Rataczak, Manitowoc Service Center 

Merrie Schamberger, Oshkosh Service Center 

Joe Smedberg, Chilton Service Center 

Michael Stinebrink, Rhinelander Service Center 

Lynn Szulczewski, Appleton Service Center 

Peggy Winter, Rhinelander Service Center 

Southwest Area

Melissa Bartz, Darlington Service Center 

Jon Field, Mauston Service Center 

Karyl Fritsche, Prairie du Chien Service Center 

Michelle Komiskey, Sparta and Onalaska Service Centers 

Chris Miller, Baraboo Service Center 

Carlton Peterson, Richland Center Service Center 

Joe Schmelz, Lancaster Service Center 

Sam Skemp, Viroqua Service Center 

Jason Thomas, Monroe Service Center 

Andy Walsh, Dodgeville Service Center 

Southeast Area

Adam Dowling, Madison Service Center 

Cory Drummond, Fond du Lac Service Center 

David Gundlach, Janesville Service Center 

Twyla Kite, Portage Service Center 

Michael Patin, Sheboygan Falls and West Bend Service Centers 

Brandi Richter, Elkhorn, Union Grove Service Centers 

Kathy Turner, Jefferson and Juneau Service Centers

Caleb Zahn, Green Lake and Westfield Service Centers

Wisconsin Leadership
Service Center

covers multiple

counties
USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider and employer.

Wisconsin • January 2017

www.wi.nrcs.usda.gov

Helping People Help the Land