SFSS Spotlight: Tamarack Spring Farm

Written by Erin Lenninger, WFU conservation coordinator

The Small Farm Sustainability Stipend (SFSS) successfully partnered The Nature Conservancy and Wisconsin Farmers Union to move resources to underserved Wisconsin farms, focusing on authentic relationships and a healthy future. The connections made through this program aim to put more conservation practices on the land and bring these farms into the community and the supportive space that is WFU. That is precisely what happened on a foggy day in mid-November 2025 at Tamarack Spring Farm.

Gretchen Severson, the only daughter and unofficial spokesperson for the family, applied and received the stipend in fall of 2025. Through my work in following up with SFSS farms, I arranged to gather a few local WFU members to meet with the family at the farm. WFU Jackson-Trempealeau Chapter President John Skoug and fellow WFU members Connie Skoug and Buzz Sorge joined me as I met Gretchen and her two brothers, Hans and Stefan, that morning in the driveway. What was expected to be a tour of the land and some “walk and talk” conversation instead started with a warm invite to the house and meeting of old friends! 

Gretchen introduced the WFU contingent to her parents, Steve and Becky. Everyone was invited to sit down comfortably, enjoy some espresso, tea, and homemade cookies. It didn’t take long for Steve, Becky, and Buzz to realize they had crossed paths in life before! In this cozy atmosphere, the Seversons shared the history of the farm, their goals for the future, and learned more about the farms of their now new (and old!) friends. 

Tamarack Spring Farm is nestled in Trempealeau County on about 120 acres and has been farmed by their family since the early 1800s. Every bit a part of the Driftless Area, the hills rise and fall continuously back along Norway Valley, once filled with many small dairy farms. Gretchen and her brothers’ grandparents had about 50 dairy cows themselves until 1986. They then transitioned to renting their fields for row crops while watching every single dairy leave the valley over the years. 

When Steve and Becky moved back to the farm in 1994, they continued to rent out land, but took an active interest in the forested land and worked to rehabilitate those acres while managing for wildlife. Steve and Becky’s children live across the country (including in Washington D.C. and Idaho) but make the pilgrimage home every year for the opening of deer hunting season (rather than Christmas). Their thoughtful management of wildlife in these lands is incredibly meaningful and traditional. 

In 2020, Steve and Becky put the land in a trust and started moving management to their children, though Steve still boasts the title of head groundskeeper. Gretchen has a degree in sustainable agriculture and feels called to protect the soil, as well as the communities that are inextricably tied to these small farms. Hans has a biology background, works as an occupational therapist in the area, and serves as the resident “scientist” of the group. He is living in Arcadia close to the farm with his wife and two sons and hopes to move to the farm sometime in the future. Stefan lives in Idaho, working on a farm and growing specialty crops with his partner. They are looking forward to moving home to Wisconsin sometime in the future as well. Gretchen says the combination of these strengths and passion among the trio make them a great team. 

The term “soil health nerd” did come up, and though they continue to rent over 50 acres of land to a neighbor for row crops, they have been able to experiment with no till and cover crops, as well as pull land out of tillage and put in perennial systems. They recognize the need to experiment and adjust on their conservation journey. They are testing varieties of nut and berry plantings to see what tolerates the present climate in the valley. This testing also includes pest pressures and this subject was a robust part of the day’s conversation.

The family has seen success and is encouraged with the hazelnut and chestnut plantings they’ve put in so far. Gretchen applied for SFSS money to expand and plant more chestnuts on a previously row cropped area of the farm, located above one of many natural springs that feed the land (and people). To ensure success of this orchard expansion, Gretchen and her brothers found they needed to cage each and every planting, which incurs additional costs. They are learning valuable lessons - like how chestnuts prefer sloped hills, but not wet roots, and hazelnuts like it a bit more wet. The family has also planted hardwood trees further upslope on the hills, some inoculated with truffle spores, and plans to grow their mushroom production in the coming years. They also have thoughts on future prairie establishment. 

After delicious treats, introductions, and a walk through history, we ventured out to hike the land and see the work of the family over the past decades. A stand of tamaracks stood near a spring fed creek, hazelnuts on the other side. Burr oaks and apple trees were planted higher up the hillside. Conversation never lagged as stories, tips, and suggestions flowed back and forth from the Seversons and our WFU visitors. The Skougs and Sorges are also managing land in similar ways - the respect, camaraderie, and support was instant.

At the end of the tour, the group walked a short distance down the road to a natural spring, just off the road itself. The Seversons shared how this water has sustained them and the community for centuries. They still haul water from it daily. The importance of this water, its function, spirituality, and continued health needed hardly a word spoken. A copper ladle was used to drink a cold, clear sip and left for others later. The chestnut trees being planted with the SFSS will be on the hillside above this spring. 

The Seversons exude the meaning and feeling of “the home farm.” It is the holder of generations of memories as well as a place of change. This day, it was the site of new friendships along a journey of conservation and preservation. A path that can benefit from different perspectives, through slow and purposeful experimentation, and supported by a community of others that deeply want all to succeed.

Stay tuned for additional articles featuring SFSS recipients in future blog posts and WFU newsletters. To learn more about SFSS and application deadlines, visit www.wisconsinfarmersunion.com/sustainability-stipend