As part of the new, regional project Farm Climate Smart WI, Wisconsin Farmers Union will be engaging with small and mid-sized farmers located in the Fox-Wolf watershed to empower them to implement climate-smart practices. By working at the watershed level, the project is taking a hyper-regional approach to supporting farmers.
The Fox-Wolf watershed is located within sixteen counties in Northeast Wisconsin and has a drainage basin that makes up almost 10% of the state. Within the watershed there are three smaller basins: the Wolf River, Upper Fox River, and Lower Fox River basins. The Fox-Wolf watershed drains into Lake Michigan through the bay of Green Bay, making it a high priority area for conservation efforts.
This area of the state enjoys lots of surface water features like the Wolf River, Fox River, and Lake Winnebago. The Winnebago Pool Lakes (Lakes Winnebago, Poygan, Butte des Morts, and Winneconne) make up about 17% of Wisconsin’s inland lake surface water. Find more information about the Fox-Wolf Watershed and the impact that water quality has on the region from the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance.
Within the Northeast region of the state, Wisconsin Farmers Union is looking to connect with small, mid-sized, and underserved farmers who are farming beef, dairy, grain, or specialty crops. Reach out to WFU Conservation Coordinator, Erin Lenninger at elenninger@wisconsinfarmersunion.com or (715)-382-0341 to learn more about the project or to schedule a farm visit.
Farm Climate Smart WI is a project of the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance in partnership with Wisconsin Farmers Union, Pheasants Forever, Outagamie County, and Utah State University, and is made possible through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program.
To learn more about the project and the role of Wisconsin Farmers Union, visit wisconsinfarmersunion.com/fcs-wi. Sign up for the monthly climate-smart newsletter from WFU here.