United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resources 

Conservation Service

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Wisconsin Report 2014
 Wisconsin ~1~

Healthy Land is Productive Land

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (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 that there is.

The Leader for Conservation on Private Lands

NRCS is the leader in helping people make sound choices for healthy land and water. 

Through voluntary incentive-based programs, NRCS works one-on-one with you to 

provide the technical expertise and financial assistance to make conservation work 

on private lands.
1 2014 Report

Greetings!

It has been an exciting, and challenging, year for the Natural 

Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) with the advent of a 

new Farm Bill, which was passed on February 7, 2014. This 

new Farm Bill reinforced congressional support for, and interest 

in, getting conservation on the ground. In fact, this Farm Bill 

marked the first time in history Title II (Conservation Title) 

surpassed Title I (Commodity Title) of the Farm Bill.

One new conservation program created in the 2014 Farm Bill, 

the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), will 

bring record levels of conservation practice installation through 

public-private investments.

Other highlights of the 2014 Farm Bill include continued investments in our base Environmental 

Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and our Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). There are 

also continued investments envisioned for Easements (both wetlands and working lands), and a 

recoupling of Conservation Compliance with crop insurance. We encourage you to visit 

www.wi.nrcs.usda.gov for information regarding all of NRCS-Wisconsin technical tools, services, 

and financial assistance.

As you will see in the pages ahead, we have had many great accomplishments in this exciting year, 

and there are many people to thank for them:

• The farmers in Wisconsin who stepped up to enroll in the Conservation Stewardship 

Program and Environmental Quality Incentives Program, adding new acres of conservation; 

and the thousands of farmers and landowners seeking only conservation technical 

assistance to remedy an erosion problem, improve their water quality, conserve their water, 

or enhance wildlife habitat, thank you;

• 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 provide 

the best technical assistance and programs possible, thank you;

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

of seeing the work that they do build healthier land and water. In 2014, we provided $48 

million through all programs to farmers for conservation efforts. To all of you, thank you!

I am proud to share with you the 2014 Wisconsin Report from NRCS, highlighting some of our 

conservation accomplishments. I welcome your comments and feedback, and look forward to 

another great year.

State Conservationist
 Wisconsin ~1~

The mission of the USDA’s Natural Resources 

Conservation Service is to work with farmers 

and forest landowners helping them make good 

conservation decisions about their land.

NRCS programs are voluntary and incentive-based. 

Producers apply to participate in NRCS programs 

and we provide them with the technical guidance 

and financial assistance they need to implement 

proven conservation practices on their lands.

The conservation practices NRCS promotes - 

everything from practices that manage excess 

nutrients and waste on farms to practices that 

promote soil health, among a host of others, are 

helping to protect our natural resources for the 

long term while at the same time improving 

Wisconsin farms. It’s about taking care of the 

landscape in concert with agricultural productivity.
3 2014 Report

Conservation Technical Assistance

NRCS has assisted Wisconsin landowners in conserving resources on private lands for over 75 years. Technical 

assistance is the help provided by NRCS to address opportunities, concerns, and problems related to the use 

of natural resources. It helps landowners make sound resource management decisions on private, tribal, and 

other non-federal lands. This technical assistance is the primary mission of NRCS.

Every county in Wisconsin has a conservation team to assist in conservation planning. These plans are specific 

on-farm resource assessments and serve as the foundation for participation in other programs. Having a 

conservation plan allows interested parties to participate in financial assistance and easement programs. 

Conservation Technical Assistance is a voluntary program carried out by NRCS in cooperation with local county 

conservation professionals.

Conservation Accomplishments of ALL NRCS Programs*

Highlights for FY 2014

• Conservation Plans Written on 274,582 acres

• Wetlands Created, Restored or Enhanced on 559 acres

• Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans Written = 77

• Land with Conservation Applied to Improve Water Quality = 413,871 acres

• Land with Conservation Applied to Improve Agricultural Irrigation Water Management = 1,131 acres

• Land with Conservation Applied to Improve Irrigation Efficiencies = 2,490 acres

• Cropland with Conservation Applied to Improve Soil Quality = 361,224 acres

• Cropland with Conservation Applied to Improve Soil Health and Sustainability = 58,145 acres

• Cropland with Applied Soil Health Management System = 12,245 acres

• Stewardship activities Applied that Improve Environmental Quality = 69,572 acres

• Non-Federal Land with Conservation Applied to Improve Fish and Wildlife Habitat Quality = 27,626 acres

• Forest Land with Conservation Applied to Protect and Improve Vegetative Condition = 21,909 acres

• Grazing Land with Conservation Applied to Improve Resource Base = 21,582 acres

• Grazing Land with Conservation System Applied to Achieve a Sustainable Forage-Animal balance = 11,122 

acres

*Source: Performance Results System (PRS) report for NRCS Wisconsin October 2014

Conservation Plans consider all these important resources.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
 Wisconsin ~1~

Regional Conservation Partnership Program

The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is a new, comprehensive and flexible program that 

uses partnerships to stretch and multiply conservation investments and reach conservation goals on a regional 

or watershed scale.

RCPP promotes coordination between NRCS and its partners to deliver conservation assistance to producers 

and landowners. NRCS provides assistance to producers through partnership agreements and through 

program contracts or easement agreements.

Through RCPP, 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.

Funding for RCPP is allocated to projects in three different categories:

• Critical Conservation Areas - eight geographic areas across the Nation - 35% of funding 

• National - for nationwide and multi-state projects - 40% of funding

• State - projects in a single state - 25% of funding

Wisconsin enjoyed a very successful initial launch of the new RCPP, with great response from numerous 

Wisconsin conservation partners. Proposals included four in the Critical Conservation Areas, four in the 

National pool, and two State proposals. These projects will bring federal assistance to bear on Wisconsin 

priorities and leverage funds from many sources to focus on a critical conservation need.

Wisconsin State Resource Priorities:

• 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

• Insufficient Energy

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5 2014 Report

Environmental Quality Incentives Program

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides a voluntary conservation program for farmers 

that promotes agricultural production, forest management and environmental quality. EQIP offers financial 

and technical help to eligible participants to install or implement structural, agronomic or management 

conservation practices on their land to protect soil and water quality.

Farmers develop a conservation plan, if they don’t already have one, for the acreage affected by the 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.

Financial Assistance FY14 = $24.9 million*

Number of Contracts FY 14 = 1300 

Number of acres = 132,262 

*Includes all initiatives and special funding

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New Local Working Groups 

Established in 2014

Local Working Groups offer an avenue 

for interested individuals and groups to 

advise NRCS on local resource priorities 

for programs and funding. In 2014, new 

Local Working Groups were formed, pulling 

together two or more counties united by 

geography, similar land use, resources and 

type of agriculture. The larger grouping 

allowed greater access to funding for 

the group. Each of the 20 Local Working 

Groups held a public meeting to gather 

input on resource concerns, and identify 

funding priorities.
 Wisconsin 6

Environmental Quality Incentives Program

Top 40 Practices by Financial Investment - Installed FY 2014

 Count of 

 Practice Practices FY 2014 Dollars

Waste Storage Facility 39 $3,525,645

Cover Crop 255 $1,092,044

Nutrient Management 353 $953,589

Heavy Use Area Protection 78 $756,509

Streambank and Shoreline Protection 75 $671,544

Waste Transfer 47 $660,687

Fence 163 $643,711

Grade Stabilization Structure 71 $427,800

Irrigation System, Sprinkler 16 $398,641

Pumping Plant 31 $373,734

Comprehensive Nutrient Management CAP 39 $301,000

Integrated Pest Management 35 $297,283

Lighting System Improvement 2 $296,667

Grassed Waterway 158 $295,674

Prescribed Grazing 174 $270,840

Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan 35 $249,635

Mulching 218 $246,553

Irrigation Pipeline 10 $200,041

Seasonal High Tunnel for Crops 28 $183,846

Access Road 34 $181,591

Obstruction Removal 118 $142,653

Roofs and Cover 3 $135,635

Vegetated Treatment Area 26 $134,850

Forage and Biomass Planting 58 $133,849

Subsurface Drain 40 $131,337

Waste Treatment 2 $128,665

Stream Crossing 54 $125,223

Underground Outlet 57 $114,007

Roof Runoff Structure 31 $98,189

Stream Habitat Improvement 29 $97,941

Forest Stand Improvement 52 $97,055

Critical Area Planting 231 $95,616

Tree and Shrub Establishment 39 $93,221

Waste Facility Closure 10 $88,577

Lined Waterway or Outlet 15 $87,998

Tree and Shrub Preparation 45 $69,184

Conservation Cover 26 $61,294

Brush Management 52 $60,904

Residue and Tillage Management 27 $55,340

Forest Trails and Landings 16 $44,617
7 2014 Report

Environmental Quality Incentives Program 

Top 40 Practices - FY 2014

 Count of 

 Practice Practices FY 2014 Dollars

Nutrient Management 353 $953,589

Cover Crop 255 $1,092,044

Critical Area Planting 231 $95,616

Mulching 218 $ 246,553

Prescribed Grazing 174 $ 270,840

Fence 163 $643,711

Grasses Waterway 158 $295,674

Obstruction Removal 118 $142,653

Heavy Use Area Protection 78 $756,509

Streambank and Shoreline Protection 75 $671,544

Grade Stabilization Structure 71 $427,800

Forage and Biomass Planting 58 $133,849

Underground Outlet 57 $114,007

Stream Crossing 54 $125,223

Forest Stand Improvement 52 $97,055

Brush Management 52 $60,904

Waste Transfer 47 $660,687

Tree and Shrub Site Preparation 45 $69,184

Subsurface Drain 40 $131,337

Waste Storage Facility 39 $3,525,645

Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan CAP 39 $301,000

Tree and Shrub Establishment 39 $93,211

Watering Facility 36 $17,582

Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan 35 $249,635

Integrated Pest Management 35 $297,283

Access Road 34 $181,591

Pumping Plant 31 $373,734

Roof Runoff Structure 31 $98,189

Stream Habitat Improvement 29 $97,941

Prescribed Burning 29 $39,089

Seasonal High Tunnel for Crops 28 $183,846

Pipeline 28 $37,369

Residue and Tillage Management 27 $55,340

Vegetated Treatment Area 26 $134,850

Conservation Cover 26 $61,294

Diversion 23 $21,271

Upland Wildlife Habitat Management 21 $12,735

Spoil Spreading 20 $39,176

Forest Management Plan 20 $22,758

Irrigation System, Sprinkler 16 $398,641
 Wisconsin 8

Driftless Area Landscape 

Conservation Initiative

The Driftless Area Landscape Conservation 

Initiative (DALCI) targets additional funding 

for erosion control and fish and wildlife habitat 

projects in the four-state area of Wisconsin, 

Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. In year two of the 

five year initiative, Wisconsin had applications 

for $4.9 million, With $1.7 million in funding, 150 

applications funded.

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

NRCS is working with conservation partners to 

combat invasive species, protect watersheds and 

shorelines from non-point source pollution, and 

restore wetlands and other habitat areas. NRCS 

is also working with Federal and local partners to 

measure the effects that conservation practices 

have on water quality. The overall strategy is to 

accelerate conservation practice implementation in 

each focus watershed, so that water quality actually 

improves downstream.

In FY14, Wisconsin obligated $930,415 in 20 

EQIP contracts covering 4,282 acres in these 

watersheds.

Landscape Initiatives

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 water 

quality issues in selected priority watersheds.

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Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

Lower Fox Phosphorus Reduction 

Priority Watersheds

Through the Environmental Quality Incentives 

Program, a special sign up for farmers in the Lower 

Fox in the Green Bay area focuses on reducing 

phosphorus entering Lake Michigan.

In FY14, Wisconsin obligated $ 3,161,559 in 65 

contracts covering 5,900 acres to farmers for 

phosphorus reduction in these targeted areas.

Great Lakes Demonstration Farm 

Network

In collaboration with the Great Lakes Commissions 

and the Brown and Outagamie Land Conservation 

Departments, NRCSestablished a network of 

demonstration farms in the Lower Fox Watershed. In 

2014, these farms installed leading edge conservation 

practices that reduce phosphorus runoff. These 

farms showcase the practices by conducting field 

days and tours for area farmers.
9 2014 Report

DALCI Success Story

Pool, Riffle, Run . . . Pool, Riffle, Run ~ The Rhythm for Restoring Streams

There is an art to restoring a stream which has 

been degraded through many years of pasturing, 

agriculture and sediment deposition. Getting the 

right combination of depth, flow, bottom, overhead 

cover, and bank shape takes skill and finesse. 

Tony Pillow, NRCS Soil Conservation Technician 

and Brent Bergstrom, Project Director, Sauk County 

Conservation, Planning and Zoning Department have 

been working to restore Bear Creek in southern 

Sauk County. They have provided the design and 

construction guidance for the instream and stream 

bank practices. Tony’s mantra is Pool – Riffle – Run 

as the combination for best trout habitat. Pools 

are deep, 3 feet or more, with LUNKERS (wooden 

underwater structures) for best trout habitat.

With over 4.25 miles of contiguous stream 

restoration, Bear Creek may now be poised to 

jump to Class I status. In the two years prior to the 

restoration, monitoring showed an average of 71 

brown trout per 100 yards; two years after showed 

a 40 percent increase, to 100 fish per 100 yards. 

That adds up to about 1,150 brown trout per mile of 

stream.

The key to Bear Creek success is putting together a 

corridor of adequate length to support the fishery. 

Once the first landowner’s project got underway, 

neighboring landowners saw and wanted their 

segment of stream restored too.

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program 

(EQIP) and Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program 

provided the means to restore such a long stretch of 

stream. Over the course of three years, NRCS District 

Conservationist Chris Miller tapped into several EQIP 

funds for $436,000 in contracts with three different 

landowners, between 2011 and 2014. Additional 

funds came from Sauk County Conservation, Planning 

and Zoning Dept.,Trout Unlimited, other grants, as 

well as hundreds of hours of volunteer labor from the 

Aldo Leopold Trout Unlimited Chapter.

Restoring a natural shape and flow involves reshaping 

streambanks, flattening the slopes to dissipate the high water 

energy after storms to avoid undercutting and sloughing of the 

banks. Inserting rock weirs will create pools behind, then riffles 

and a run of faster water to recreate the ideal trout habitat.

Caddis fly larvae prove that the water and conditions 

are right to produce invertebrates to feed the burgeoning 

fishery.
 Wisconsin 10

Dan Brick of Brickstead Dairy knows the stakes. He 

is fully aware of the water quality issues swirling 

around the dairy industry in Northeast Wisconsin. 

He is a conservation and community leader, and is 

committed to finding win-win solutions to maintain 

both environmental quality and the agricultural 

heritage of the area. He is working on the leading 

edge of many different fronts, from the concrete to 

the hypothetical.

Concrete

The 800 milking cows at Brickstead Dairy produce 

both milk and manure in abundance. Through the 

Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Dan 

recently invested in an additional 2.9 million gallon 

concrete manure storage structure to safely contain 

manure and milkhouse waste through the winter 

until it is safe to spread as fertilizer on the 900 acres 

of crop and hayland.

Cover Crops

Cover crops are a key part of Dan’s conservation plan 

to reduce runoff of soil and nutrients from cropland. 

The cover crops utilize phosphorus, build organic 

matter, and improve water infiltration and holding 

capacity. Dan is continuously tweaking the seeding 

mix, timing and planting to get the best results.

GLRI Success Story

From the Concrete to the Hypothetical - Putting the Pieces Together

Monitoring

Brickstead Dairy is one of four special Demonstration 

Farms in the Fox River Watershed through the Great 

Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Dan agreed to be a demonstration farm because he 

wanted the opportunity to do the research and gather 

the data on nutrients and cover crops. He wanted 

to see real data on how different cover crop systems 

are reducing phosphorus in runoff, and also for tile 

drainage systems. As a demonstration farm, he can 

help build the data base needed to find out the best 

cover crop practices to reduce phosphorus loss.

Hypothetical

Dan is also participating in the Fox River Watershed 

Phosphorus Trading Pilot Project, with the Great 

Lakes Commission and Brown County Land and 

Water Conservation Department. Phosphorus 

Trading means that industries that produce 

phosphorus could buy credits from farmers who 

are reducing their phosphorus contribution to the 

watershed. It is lower cost for the industry to meet 

overall goals and helpful for the farmer. This pilot 

project is developing a model for how this could work 

in the real world of the Fox River Watershed. 

“We need to do our part here in the dairy industry. “We 

need to be ahead of the game. In five years, there will be 

cover crops on every piece of ground.” 

Dan Brick, Brickstead Dairy
11 2014 Report

Young Forest Initiative

The Young Forest Initiative is a special effort with 

American Bird Conservancy and others to build 

young forest habitat in 21 Northern Wisconsin 

counties. EQIP funded wildlife habitat projects for 

bird species that are in decline.

Special Initiatives for 2014

Honey Bee Effort

NRCS provided technical and financial assistance in 

parts of five Midwestern states to help improve the 

health of bees, which play an important role in crop 

production.

The funding focused investment to improve pollinator 

health and is targeted in Michigan, Minnesota, North 

Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Lake Superior Landscape 

Restoration Initiative 

USDA has launched a joint NRCS-Forest Service 

Lake Superior Landscape Restoration Initiative to 

fund conservation work in select Lake Superior 

watersheds. Water quality, soil and forest health, 

and habitat restoration for Sharp-tailed Grouse, 

Coaster Brook Trout, and Golden-winged Warblers, 

are among the goals for the Partnership in the 

Beartrap-Nemadji and Bad-Montreal watersheds.
 Wisconsin ~1~

Conservation Stewardship Program

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) encourages agricultural and forest landowners to maintain 

existing conservation systems and make new conservation improvements such as improved soil health, better 

air and water quality practices, wildlife habitat management, or energy efficiency improvements.

NRCS coordinates its implementation of CSP with the other premier Farm Bill working lands program, the 

Environmental Quality Incentives 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. 

Participation in the program is voluntary.

Over 450 Wisconsin farmers and forest landowners enrolled in CSP in 2014. This is the fifth year this program 

has been open throughout Wisconsin. A great response from Wisconsin landowners comes as no surprise as 

Wisconsin has a strong conservation ethic and a long history of conservation.

Financial Assistance FY 14 = $3,275,870 

New Contracts FY14 = 473 contracts

Number of New Acres FY14 = 162,029 

Total crop and pasture land acres enrolled in Wisconsin to date is 883,000 plus 108,000 

acres of woodland (non-industrial private forestland) in 2700 contracts.

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CSP Success Story

Keeping Watch Over the Valley

“Thanks to Carlton Petersen and Todd Cockroft, NRCS 

staff in Richland Center, because they are the ones that 

got the wheels turning on this project,” says Calvin. 

“These projects would have not happened without the 

help of NRCS.” Calvin Sebranek

View of the Sebranek farm in Southwestern Wisconsin
13 2014 Report

Calvin and Joyce Sebranek operate a 400 acre cash 

grain and beef farm in Richland County, in the 

Driftless Area of southwest Wisconsin. The farm has 

been in the family since 1942, with Calvin and Joyce 

taking over in 1985. With their three children, they 

now farm with a corn-soybean-hay rotation, and 

custom raise 80 Holstein heifers and 300 Holstein 

steers annually.

Conservation and environmental protection has 

always been a priority on the farm. In 1975, Calvin’s 

dad constructed the first grade stabilization dam on 

the farm. Calvin initiated other practices, including 

no-till on cropland, with contour and conservation 

buffer strips. Through the Environmental Quality 

Incentive Program (EQIP) Calvin completed a 

comprehensive nutrient management plan including 

the development of a 285acre nutrient management 

plan.

One long-term problem on the farm was the 

increasing loss of cropland due to the encroachment 

of eroding streambanks. Fancy Creek runs through 

the most highly productive cropland on the farm. In 

recent years, several major storms and flash flooding 

have washed out streambanks, damaging cropland 

and the stream itself. Through the assistance of EQIP, 

approximately 5,400 feet of streambank protection 

and habitat improvement has been completed since 

2008.

The streambank project was a huge success. A 

neighbor joined in on the project after seeing what 

Calvin was doing. Over a half mile of streambank 

is now protected in the valley, and trout are being 

spotted in this stretch of stream. Through CSP, 

Sebranek is credited with existing conservation 

work that protects soil and water quality, plus new 

conservation enhancements on the farm, such as 

harvesting hay in a manner that protects wildlife.

The farm is a family business. Calvin and Joyce have 

long believed in their duty to leave the land better for 

future generations and to inscribe a strong sense of 

sustainable farming and environmental protection for 

family and community. 

Severely eroding streambanks 

needing protection.

Wooden “lunkers” are 

placed in the stream to 

provide fish habitat.

Rocks are placed on top of 

the lunkers to hold them in 

place.

Final grading and placement 

of riprap on the streambank.

Beautifully restored 

streambank on Fancy Creek
 Wisconsin 14

Easement Programs

Iowa

Minnesota

Illinois

Lake

Superior

Lake

Michigan

Green Bay

Jacksonport

Robert J. Geitner

November 2014

Michigan

Marquette

Milwaukee

Price

Dane

Clark

Polk

Grant

Vilas

Iron

Rusk

Sawyer

Bayfield

Oneida

Sauk

Forest

Marathon

Douglas

Dunn

Iowa

Taylor

Marinette

Oconto

Rock

Wood

Dodge

Barron

Jackson

Burnett

Ashland

Lincoln

Juneau

Monroe

Vernon

Portage

Chippewa

Shawano

Adams

Green

Langlade

Pierce

Buffalo Waupaca

Columbia

Brown

Lafayette

Richland

Waushara

Saint Croix

Jefferson

Eau Claire

Fond du Lac

Florence

Door

Washburn

Crawford

Walworth

Outagamie

Trempealeau

Waukesha

Manitowoc

Winnebago

Racine

La Crosse Calumet

Sheboygan

Pepin

Washington

Kewaunee

Green

Lake

Kenosha

Menominee

Ozaukee

4

3

1

2

3

4

1

6

4

7

9

6

2

8

2

4

5

6

8

4

5

8

3

8

8

26

1

2

3

3

4

8

6

2

16

4

3

34

1

23

13

70

5

20

10

26

4

6

25

44

1

3

41

1

16

26

32

DC serves more than one county

Easements

Per County

Total - 601

1 - 4

5 - 13

14 - 26

27 - 44

45 - 70

Natural Resources Conservation Services

WRE Conservation Easements

NRCS Wetlands Reserve Easements to date

In FY14, Wisconsin obligated 2.86 million* in ACEP contracts covering 1300 acres in 17 easements.

* Includes acquisitions, restoration and maintenance funds.

Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) 

The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) provides financial and technical assistance to help 

conserve agricultural lands and wetlands and their related benefits. Under the Agricultural Land Easements 

(ALE) component, NRCS helps state and local governments, non-governmental organizations, and Indian Tribes 

protect working agricultural lands and limit non-agricultural uses of the land. Under the Wetlands Reserve 

Easements (WRE) component, NRCS helps to restore, protect and enhance enrolled wetlands.
15 2014 Report

DC serves more than one county

Jacksonport

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Price

Dane

Polk

Clark

Vilas

Grant

Rusk

Iron

Bayfield

Sawyer

Forest

Sauk

Oneida

Douglas

Marathon

Iowa

Taylor

Rock

Dunn

Marinette

Dodge

Oconto

Wood Jackson

Barron

Lincoln

Ashland

Burnett

Juneau

Monroe

Portage

Vernon

Chippewa

Adams

Shawano

Buffalo

Langlade

Pierce

Green

Door

Columbia

Brown

Waupaca

Washburn

Lafayette

Richland

Jefferson

Saint Croix

Fond

du

Lac

Eau Claire

Crawford

Waushara

Florence

Outagamie

Walworth

Waukesha

Manitowoc

Racine

La Crosse

Winnebago

Sheboygan

Calumet

Marquette

Kenosha

Menominee

Trempealeau

Pepin

Washington

Green Lake

Kewaunee

Ozaukee

Milwaukee

Minnesota

Illinois Iowa

Lake

Michigan

Lake

Superior

WRE - Wetland Reserve Easement

GRP - Grasslands Reserve Program

FRPP - Farm & Ranch Lands

Protection Program

EWPP - Emergency Watershed

Protection Program

Green Bay

Michigan

Conservation Easements

DC serves more than one county

Total - 767 (83,619 acres)

Natural Resources

Conservation Services

(Aquired and Completed)

^GRP - 22 (3,870 acres)

^ EWPP - 43 (5,515 acres)

^ FRPP - 101 (14,952 acres)

^ WRE - 601 (59,280 acres)

NRCS Conservation Easements to date - All Programs

ACEP is a consolidation of three former programs – the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), Grassland Reserve 

Program (GRP) and Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program (FRPP).

 ACEP has two components: 

1. Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) component that combines FRPP and GRP.

2. The Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) which continues the functions of Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP).

Not part of ACEP, the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWPP) purchases easements in response to 

natural disasters and is intended to relieve imminent danger from those occurrences.
 Wisconsin 16

Soils

NRCS knows that soil is the foundation of sustainable 

agriculture. Our educational campaign called “Unlock 

the Secrets in the Soil” is providing farmers with 

important information about caring for their soil 

resource. Healthy soils are important for several 

reasons. These soils are more productive and 

farmers optimize production, improving their bottom 

line. Environmentally, keeping the soil healthy keeps 

nutrients on the farm - not in the local waterways. 

It also holds water for living plants and reduces the 

chance of flooding by allowing the water to infiltrate 

into the soil.

The four key messages for healthy soil are:

1. Keep the soil covered as much as possible.

2. Disturb the soil as little as possible.

3. Keep plants growing throughout the year to feed 

the soil.

4. Diversify as much as possible using crop rotation 

and cover crops.

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NRCS Soil Health Information can be found at:

www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/soils/health/

In a recent message to employees and stakeholder groups, NRCS Chief Jason Weller 

wrote:“NRCS’s soil health campaign was not created to make a splash, it was created to make a 

difference. And thanks to all of you, we are making a profound difference across the landscapes of 

this great nation — today and for generations to come.” Jason Weller, Chief, NRCS 

Since the kick-off of the national campaign in October 2012, the soil health effort has blossomed across the 

country with dozens of local, state and national stakeholder groups teaming up to help mobilize this growing 

movement.

Local workshops, field days and demonstrations on the basics and benefits of soil health and cover crops were 

conducted throughout the year, in nearly every state by a wide range of producer groups and stakeholder 

groups, as well as the NRCS.

Thanks to the on-going work of our dedicated conservation community, and to the ingenuity, innovation, and 

skill of our nation’s farmers, there is renewed energy and excitement in harvesting the many on- and off-farm 

benefits of improving the health of our nation’s soil.

NRCS is Celebrating Two Years of a Successful Soil Health Campaign 
17 2014 Report

Cover Crops

A special signup for cover crops was offered in 2014 to encourage landowners to plant cover crops. It brought 

a terrific response from across the state with 468 eligible applications received. In this special signup all high 

priority applications were funded totaling $1.6 million in financial assistance covering 25,000 acres.

“We had an absolutely overwhelming response to the special pilot cover crop signup,” said Jimmy Bramblett, 

State Conservationist in Wisconsin. “Farmers are rapidly moving to try cover crops to start re-building the 

health of the soil. We are excited to see so many farmers interested in pursuing the health and sustainability of 

our farm land.”

In total in FY14, $2.9 million for all EQIP applications that included cover crops on 55,000 acres.

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Success Story ~ Soil Health and Cover Crop Field 

Day

A field day held at the Van Wychen Farm in Brown County in October 

explored cover crop species, planting rates and management 

considerations. Conservation professionals from NRCS, Brown County 

Land and Water Conservation Dept. and UW-Extension demonstrated the 

conservation benefits and soil health improvements that can be gained 

from keeping soil protected and under cover.

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George Van Wychen has been farming since 1977, and planting 

cover crops for 15 years. His farm is now part of a farm network to 

demonstrate leading-edge conservation practices to reduce phosphorus 

runoff in their watershed.

“I have a passion for healthy soil. I don’t want to see brown creeks and 

runoff from tilled fields in the spring,” says George. “I am proud of my farm 

and want to show what we’ve done with cover crops, erosion control, and 

building healthy soils here.

We want to help get the word out to other farmers, and figure out new and 

better ways to farm and protect our water and environment,” says George. 

“We’re trying new things. There is lots of interest; we get questions from 

other farmers.”

The Van Wychens will continue building the health of the soil and sharing 

what they’ve learned to help others see the benefits of good conservation.

NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service Natural Resources ConservationService

U.S. Department ofAgriculture U.S.DepartmentofAgriculture

Helping People Help the Land

www.wi.nrcs.usda.gov

Healthy Soil

is productive soil

The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Need information about soil health? 

Contact your local NRCS office at the 

nearest USDA Service Center.

George Van Wychen (R) and Jason Firster, 

Soil Conservationist with NRCS, examine the 

soil profile, investigating the root depth of t 

radishes during the field day.

Crimson clover is 

a popular choice 

for a cover crop.
 Wisconsin 18

Outreach

2014 was a successful year for NRCS outreach efforts.

In Wisconsin, some of the activities include:

• 2014 Farm Technology Days in Portage County - the largest annual farm show in the state.

• World Dairy Expo - International event attracting world wide participation

• Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service Conference - largest event in the U.S. about organic 

and sustainable farming 

• State FFA Conference- boasts 19,000 members in Wisconsin

• Growing Power International Urban Ag Conference - building healthy and resilient community based 

food systems

• Earth Day Conference - in conjunction with the UW - Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies

• Pheasants Forever National Conference

• Farm Bureau Conference

• Grassworks Grazing Conference

• Wisconsin Wetlands Association Conference

• Great Lakes Conference

• Many other local events and fairs

Outreach is part of NRCS’ 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 under-served. Historically, underserved audiences have included minorities, tribes, women, the disabled, new farmers, veteran farmers, limited 

resource farmers and small-scale farmers. Outreach involves understanding under-served customers and their 

needs, learning how best to communicate with various groups, earning the trust and acceptance of underserved customers, and developing partnerships and working relationships.

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Farm Technology Days - Stevens Point August 2014

NRCS had a major presence, with 

a Soils Pit, and two informational 

displays in the Conservation Tent 

and Progress Pavilion Tent. Melissa 

Knipfel and Kevin Halvorson from 

NRCS, along with the Portage County, 

Land Conservation and UWEX 

organized the exhibitors for the 

Conservation Tent. This year, 23 

different exhibitors had informational 

displays in the Conservation Tent. 

Phil Meyer, Area Resource Soil 

Scientist, took lead with the Soils 

Pit – featuring the soils of the host 

site. Betsy Doolittle, Area Resource 

Conservationist, was instrumental in 

Cover Crop demonstrations.
19 2014 Report

Professional Development Workshops for Women in Conservation

Two workshops for Workshop for Conservation Professionals: Techniques to Reach a New Audience, the 

Non-operator Women Farmowner, were held in Madison, March 19 and Sept 22, 2014.

The workshops focused on improving conservation outreach to non-operator female farmland owners in 

Wisconsin. This growing but often under-served audience is crucial to increasing the adoption of conservation 

practices on all types of farmland in the state. The workshops were conducted by the Women, Food and 

Agriculture Network (WFAN), a non-profit organization based in Iowa that has been doing research on 

conservation and women landowners for the past decade. Funding is provided by the USDA Natural Resources 

Conservation Service through a Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG).

The women conservationists participating in these training workshops will organize Learning Circles for 

women landowners in their areas. Three were held in southwest Wisconsin in April, 2014, and 3-6 will be held 

in other areas of the state in spring, 2015.

Participants in the September workshop learned best practices for organizing and conducting a conservation tour. 

Wisconsin High School Land Judging 

Competition

The 2014 State FFA/4-H Land Judging Competition was 

held in Portage County during Farm Technology Days, 

near Amherst, Wisconsin. This year there were 13 Senior 

and 9 Junior teams from across the state. Todd Mau, Phil 

Meyer and Melissa Knipfel took lead on this project. This 

year’s winner was the Senior Team from Pecatonica High 

School. They will represent Wisconsin at the National 

Land Judging competition in Oklahoma, May 5-7, 2015.
20

Earth Team

Earth Team volunteers choose us. They believe in us, our mission and the benefits 

we offer the environment. They choose to work alongside us on our conservation 

projects. They do this for the experience, the self-satisfaction, to help the 

environment and for a hundred other reasons.

The Earth Team/NRCS partnership works. It is a great example of cooperative 

conservation that results in environmental benefits everyone can enjoy. NRCS 

applauds their hard work, dedication, and commitment to improving our nation’s 

land, air and water.

In 2014, 60 Earth Team volunteers in Wisconsin invested 4,000 hours of their time 

to NRCS, our mission and to our customers.

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 Wisconsin
2014 Report
www.wi.nrcs.usda.gov

The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

NRCS helps protect the environment, 

preserve the nation’s natural resources and 

improve agricultural sustainability through 

voluntary conservation of private lands.

Wisconsin ~ December 2014