Scott Jeanquart and his family are early pioneers in sustainable farming. They’ve always been open to trying new things on their dairy farm, Bryersquart Farm in Forestville, Wis., to improve soil health and sustain their farm for the next generation.
The Jeanquarts have been planting cover crops to help prevent soil erosion for over 30 years, long before sustainable practices became more widespread. They also installed filter strips over 40 years ago, which are still in operation today.
Scott and his wife, Stacie, became official partners on the farm with Scott’s parents in 2015. They have five boys, ages 13, 11, 7, 5 and 2, who are already passionate about the farm and involved in any way they can.
“I’ve always been committed to preserving our land for the next generation,” Jeanquart said. “I want my children to have an easy transition and be successful on the farm one day, so maintaining and improving our soil health is important for their future.”
Over the years, Jeanquart has continued to find new ways to improve soil health and increase organic matter content.
“We recently started incorporating more diverse crop mixes to improve our organic matter and strengthen the soil with various species,” he said. “We’ve added different plants, such as radishes, clover, ryegrass and hairy vetch.”
Jeanquart has been a member of Peninsula Pride Farms for over six years. He enjoys connecting and learning from other members of the group.
“I’ve had the opportunity to connect with members who manage farms of all sizes, and we’ve all benefited from sharing our experiences and knowledge with one another,” he said. “Attending different field days has also been rewarding and eye-opening. I often learn something new that I can apply to our farm.”
Annual survey results
As part of their PPF membership, the Jeanquarts participated in the 2025 annual Member Conservation Practice Survey. This is the seventh year the group has documented and shared its collective sustainability efforts and progress with the entire community.
The group, composed of 64 farmers, implemented various conservation practices, including planting 22,860 acres of cover crops, using no-till on 38,559 acres and planting into cover crops (otherwise known as “planting green”) on 9,203 acres. Members are also following a nutrient management plan on 88,407 acres.
The potential benefits of these practices:
- Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 5,603 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, equal to greenhouse gas emissions produced by 1,334 cars driven for a year.
- Prevention of sediment loss from farm fields of 51,046 tons, equivalent to 5,105 dump trucks worth of soil.
- Reduction of phosphorus runoff by 72,758 pounds, potentially preventing 36.4 million pounds of algae growth in local water bodies.
Data was analyzed by Houston Engineering, Inc. and Farmers for Sustainable Food.
Farmers interested in joining PPF can find out more information at peninsulapridefarmsinc.org.
By the numbers
Number of acres covered by conservation practices among Peninsula Pride Farms members:
- 2019 ― 197,405
- 2020 ― 224,242
- 2021 ― 371,783
- 2022 ― 388,789
- 2023 ― 289,996
- 2024 ―229,965
- 2025 ―331,559
*Multiple conservation practices can be used on a farm field
Potential impact of conservation practices in 2025:
- Phosphorus runoff reduction ― 72,758 pounds
- Sediment erosion reduction ― 51,046 tons
- Carbon dioxide emission reduction ― 5,603 metric tons
