Farmers in the Upper Midwest are expanding their sustainable farming efforts. This is according to Farmers for Sustainable Food’s recent member conservation survey. The survey results, released today, showcase the conservation practices utilized by farmers across Wisconsin and Minnesota. It demonstrates continued advancement and positive environmental impacts.
This is the eighth consecutive year of documenting conservation practices with farmer-led groups. It highlights the farmers’ dedication to ongoing improvement and improving soil and water quality.
In 2025, 211 farmers from six different farmer-led groups supported by Farmers for Sustainable Food
participated in the annual survey. It encompassed 255,670 acres and 411,972 head of livestock.
Farmers involved in the groups are passionate about implementing sustainability initiatives and
continuing to improve year after year.
“I believe sustainable farming is important. My dad taught me to always leave the ground better than
you found it,” says Calumet County Ag Stewardship Alliance member Lauren Danes of Danes Fairylane
Farm. “Healthy soil is often what makes or breaks a crop, and improving the soil helps keep the
environment that it supports thriving. You always want to make sure you’re taking care of it the best
you can.”
The sustainable practices measured and recorded in the survey include soil sampling, nutrient management planning, cover cropping, reduced or no-tillage. It also includes low disturbance manure application, variable rate fertilizer application, split nitrogen application, nitrogen stabilizer and planting green.
“My parents did such a great job of taking care of this land where I grew up, and I want to do the
same thing for the next generation,” said Jeff Lueck, member of the Western Wisconsin Conservation
Council. “We are truly stewards of the land, caring for it now, but maintaining it for future generations
to come.”
Results show potential environmental improvements due to sustainable farming practices. These
conservation efforts provide valuable benefits to climate , soil health and water quality throughout
Wisconsin and Minnesota:
- Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 28,918 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, equivalent to the emissions produced by 6,885 cars in a year.
- Prevention of sediment loss from farm fields of 255,444 tons, equivalent to 25,544 dump trucks worth of soil.
- Reduction of phosphorus runoff by 349,328 pounds of phosphorus, potentially preventing 174 million pounds of algae growth in local water bodies.
Data was analyzed by Houston Engineering, Inc. and Farmers for Sustainable Food.
“Farmers are making significant progress in sustainable agriculture, and this survey indicates that their efforts are creating positive results,” says Jamie Fisher, managing director of FSF. “We are proud to collaborate with farmer-led groups that are making a meaningful impact on both the environment and their communities.”
The farmer-led groups participating in the survey include Calumet County Ag Stewardship Alliance, Driftless Area Ag Alliance, Lafayette Ag Stewardship Alliance, Peninsula Pride Farms, Sheboygan River Progressive Farmers and Western Wisconsin Conservation Council.
