The following was written by Casey Langan of Sand County Foundation and edited by the Mid-West Farm Report. Photo courtesy of Sand County Foundation.
For Dan McGraw, one special sighting changed everything. “I call it my spark bird,” McGraw said about the Long-eared owl he first spotted in 2019. That sighting sparked his interest in creating bird habitat on his 240-acre farm in southwest Wisconsin.
The owl’s presence was no coincidence. Years earlier, Dan’s father, Paul McGraw, enrolled 16 acres of pastureland in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. As part of the program, Paul planted white pines, which provide ideal habitat for Long-eared owls to hunt mice.
“There are parts of this property that in my opinion never should have been in row crop production ag,” McGraw explained. Over time, he explored ways to let the farm “do what it wanted to do.”
Although much of the surrounding area in hilly Iowa County consists of pastures for beef cattle and contoured hay and cornfields, it was also once home to ecosystems of grasslands and oak savannas. As those ecosystems became scarce, it has led to lower grassland bird populations.
Inspired by neighbors restoring grasslands, the McGraws enrolled their remaining crop fields in the Conservation Reserve Program in 2013. While Dan originally hoped to attract large deer, his focus shifted to supporting native bird species.
Dan’s neighbor, John Kivikoski, introduced him to Cindy Becker from Southern Driftless Grasslands and Britta Petersen of Pheasants Forever. The pair surveyed the farm and identified remnant prairie and oak savanna in need of restoration.
With guidance from Sand County Foundation and the NRCS, McGraw received financial support to restore these ecosystems.
“Working with Sand County Foundation and the NRCS has been fabulous,” McGraw said. “It’s been easy and led to great connections with like-minded landowners.” In return, he has hosted three on-farm events to share conservation opportunities with other landowners.
McGraw’s efforts have paid off. Recently, he spotted a rare Henslow’s Sparrow on his property. It’s one of 53 bird species he has identified in recent years. “It’s like the field of dreams,” McGraw said. “If you build it, they will come.”
To protect bird populations, McGraw delays prescribed burning until after nesting season. He also lightly grazes 80 acres of grassland with cattle to mimic natural disturbance once caused by bison.
“We have an unbelievable number of good things going on in this neighborhood,” McGraw said. He noted increased sightings of bobcats, badgers, and bats as well.
Each hunting season, Dan and his daughter Cassie reflect on their land management decisions. “The farm has provided for our family for a long time,” McGraw said. “We’re giving it a long-deserved rest.”
