Farmer-led conservation group’s annual event draws more than 100 attendees

JUNEAU, Wis. — Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil & Healthy Water brought together local farmers, community members and industry experts to highlight and discuss innovative practices and soil health techniques, including the Haney test for soil health.

The Soil Health Expo took place on Wednesday, Feb. 5, drawing more than 100 attendees to the Juneau Community Center and celebrating the farmer-led group’s ongoing efforts to make a positive impact on the environment.

Featured speaker Lance Gunderson of Regen Ag Labs explained the Haney test for soil health and discussed how it could be useful for addressing soil fertility on the farm.

“Soil is a giant puzzle, but if we can pull enough pieces together, we can get an idea of what we’re looking at; that’s what we’re doing in the lab,” Gunderson explained.

During his presentation, Gunderson empowered farmers to take ownership of their soil fertility decisions, noting, “There’s not a single person that knows your farm better than you.”

He explained that choosing the Haney test or other conventional soil tests depends on what you’re looking to measure in your soils.

“It’s not about one test being right or wrong,” he said. “It just depends on what you’re using it for, what you’re measuring and what you think you might have an issue with in your soils.”

Chris Bandura, conservation cropping specialist at UW-Extension, shared findings from recently published soil health research. He emphasized the importance of soil health testing for tracking changes over time and guiding future farm management decisions.

In a series of lightning talk presentations focused on nitrogen research, attendees heard from Monica Schauer and Will Fulwider from UW-Extention as well as Brandon Blank from Rising Rock Farm.

Marti Viste, sustainability project specialist with Farmers for Sustainable Food, shared the group’s 2024 Member Conservation Practice Survey results. The survey shows the group’s use of various conservation practices, including soil sampling, planting cover crops, utilizing no-till and reduced-till methods, split nitrogen application, low disturbance manure application and planting directly into cover crops, also known as “planting green.”

“It takes significant cooperation and communication to keep our farmer-led group going,” Tony Peirick, DCF board president, said. “We thank our membership for their continued commitment to sustainable farming and to all those who help in supporting us along the way.”

During the business portion of the meeting, Brad Wyse and Bob Nass were elected to the board. Outgoing board members include Andy Wyse and Marty Weiss, who will now serve as a board advisor.

Other board members are president Tony Peirick, president; Randy Braker, vice president; Isabella Kraus, secretary; David Roche, treasurer and Jeff Gaska. Board advisors are Bill Stangel, Will Fulwider, Bill Nass, Brendon Blank, Jared Winter, Phillip Laatsch, Andrew Condon, Robert Bird, John Bohonek and Dale Macheel.

Photos:
DCF board photo

About Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil and Healthy Water:

Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil and Healthy Water is a nonprofit farmer-led conservation group in Dodge County in Wisconsin, whose members explore farming strategies that lead to improved soil health, greater farming efficiency, sustained profitability, and reduced environmental impact. Members share information gained through field trials with fellow farmers and strive to foster an understanding of the role of agriculture in the community. More information: dodgecountyfarmers.com