Field Day: Full Circle Community
2021-08-03 16:00 - 18:00 (America/Chicago) | Full Circle Community Farm, Full Circle Community Farm, W2407 Hofa Park Rd, Seymour, WI
Join us for a tour of Full Circle Community Farm and see pollinator and riparian buffers that were established last year. Full Circle Community Farm is a multi-generational organic farm using conservation practices and managed grazing to raise cattle, pigs, chickens. Full Circle also raises 10 acres of organic vegetables for a 200 person CSA and larger accounts. Hear about the successes, challenges, and lessons learned in the first year of a new conservation planting.

Fall harvest
2021-08-03 17:00 - 18:30 | Online
Workshop participants will learn basic horticulture principles and practices associated with organic vegetable production while exploring how to harvest, wash, and pack vegetables for a variety of local market outlets. In this peak part of the season, we will be working with the New Entry Food Hub to explore aggregation and distribution of local produce, in addition to working in the field to harvest and maintain crops. Additional themes will focus on food safety and post-harvest handling.
Follow this link to learn more.

Non-Metallic Mine Reclamation: Permit Determinations
2021-08-04 10:00 - 11:00 | Online
On August 4 from 10:00-11:00 a.m., tune in to the final webinar in Non-Metallic Mine Reclamation webinar series, which will cover reclamation permitting and following topics:

Approval/Denial
Modifications–process and requirements
Conditions
Automatic and expedited permitting
Permit duration

Register by Monday, August 2 at https://conta.cc/3bjt3Jy

Wisconsin Vegetation Standards Training
2021-08-05 09:00 | Online
Establishing permanent vegetation benefits our soil, water, and wildlife resources. This course will review the main conservation practices that require the establishment of permanent vegetation. We will discuss species characteristics and other information needed to develop appropriate seed mixes. We will review information found on seed tags and how to calculate pure live seed and demonstrate the custom and standard seed mix calculators.
Register by August 3, 2021: https://conta.cc/3BiDIAy

Field Day: Turtle Creek Regenerative Farm
2021-08-06 09:00 - 12:00 | Turtle Creek Farm, Turtle Creek Gardens, N5105 Pinnow Rd, Delavan, WI
Join us for a farm day with organic farmer, Janet Gamble, at Turtle Creek Gardens! We will learn about organic farming, integration of livestock, and practices that make the farm diverse and abundant. Topics covered include integration of diverse species, waterways, native plantings, pollinator habitat, cover crops, annual flower plantings, tree lines, perennial hedgerows, swale to drain water off fields and the conservation practices behind them.

Nitrate Webinar Series
2021-08-06 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
Presented by the Wisconsin DNR, University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, this webinar series will touch on the science and economics around workable approaches for farmers shown to minimize nitrogen losses to groundwater.
The webinars will take place Aug. 6, Aug. 13, Aug. 20 and a fourth date to be determined. Each 60-minute webinar will take place over the lunch hour with time provided for a Q&A session.
More info here.

Waseda Farms Tour
2021-08-07 10:30 - 12:30 | WI
Waseda Farms is home to cattle grazing on more than 500 acres of beautiful perennial grass pastures in Baileys Harbor. The Certified Organic farm raises cattle, pigs and chickens and grows fruits, vegetables, and herbs in their 2-acre garden. Tour the historic organic farm on an exploratory tractor & wagon ride. Through improved farming practices that are better for people, animals, and the earth, Waseda Farms works to inspire better eating and better living. How do these practices benefit our earth? Join the family members of Waseda Farms on this interesting and inspiring tour to find out.
Info here.

Medicinal Herb Production
2021-08-07 12:00 - 16:00 | WI
The 2020 MOSES Organic Farmers of the Year, Jane Hawley Stevens and David Stevens, have been growing organic herbs on their 130-acre farm for the past 32 years and have developed a thriving business making herbal wellness products. Tour the farm and learn how they plant, grow, harvest, dry, and pack their medicinal herbs.
Info here.

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Identification Training
2021-08-07 13:00 - 15:00 | Rest Lake Park, Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin
Do you want to learn more about how you can help monitor for aquatic invasive species when you are out on the lakes and rivers? Join us for this free training. We will start on land, and learn to identify several species. We will then travel aboard a pontoon to test your new skills on the water. An array of tools and resources are available for loan. Meet at Rest Lake Park in Manitowish Waters. Registration required by 8/6. Free.
Info here.

Basic Wetland Delineation Training Workshop
2021-08-09 - 2021-08-10 | WI
This workshop introduces participants to the basics of wetland delineation fieldwork and the paperwork that needs to be filed. Lectures on vegetation, soils, hydrology and methodology prep participants for field work. Participants combine classroom instruction with field exercises taught by leading government experts in hydrology, vegetation, soils and wetland policy.
Info here.

WI Agri-Business Association Leadership Development Academy
2021-08-10 - 2021-08-12 | Madison College
As our current business leaders retire from the work force, many companies are finding that they need to “push” our emerging leaders up the corporate ladder much quicker than planned. While there is a lot of potential talent in these emerging leaders, there are certain skills that need to be developed. The WABA Leadership Development Academy has been designed specifically to help emerging leaders in developing these skills needed to make them better leaders.
This class is limited to only 22 people!
Here is an overview of topics covered:

Leadership Essentials & Personal Assessment
Effective Communication
Critical Thinking, Emotional Intelligence & Decision Making
Making Connections with Key Agriculture Leadership
Team building, Networking, & learning from each other
Managing Conflict & Difficult Situations
Interest Based Problem Solving
Leading Organizational Change & Transitions

Info here.

Smart Salting for WI Roads Workshop
2021-08-10 08:00 - 13:00 | Online
Training for winter maintenance professionals who remove snow, apply road salt or maintain snow removal equipment used on roads.
Learn how using the right amount of salt can save time, budget and our waters.
The training will include: best management practices to keep paved areas safe, benefits of using a liquid salt system, guidance on how to determine the right amount of salt to use, and case studies from local applicators.
Info here.

Managing Scarce Water Resources
2021-08-10 11:00 - 13:00 | Online
Part 1: Boosting Water Quality through Sound Agronomy
Part 2: Linking Water Use Efficiency with the Carbon Cycle and On-Farm Sustainability
Info here.

How to Start Your Own Pollinator Garden Webinar
2021-08-10 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
Bees, butterflies and birds – our hard-working pollinators – are on the decline. Without these vital creatures, our flowers, fruits and vegetable wouldn’t pollinate and grow. YOU CAN HELP! Growing pollinator-friendly gardens provides vital food sources and creates a sustainable environment for these and many other garden-friendly creatures. Join us for an informative, interactive workshop where we will learn everything we need to know to start and maintain a pollinator garden.
Info here.

Barrier Removal and Aquatic Organism Passage in Lake Systems
2021-08-10 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
Aquatic species need to move, oftentimes migrating between different ecosystems and locations throughout their lives. Lakes provide crucial habitat for many species but sometimes the connections between lakes and other systems are blocked – either by a physical barrier like a dam or undersize road culvert, or by an abiotic barrier like unsuitable water temperatures or poor water quality. This webinar will introduce how different barriers impact aquatic organisms and how barrier removal reconnects critical pathways to support resilient and self-sustaining populations, often benefitting the human communities connected to these systems. Case studies from the Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership will be showcased to demonstrate success of barrier removal projects within lake systems and the response in aquatic organism passage.

Info here.

Riparian Forest Buffer
2021-08-10 14:00 - 15:30 | Online
The Chesapeake Bay Program – On the lessons from implementing a watershed-wide riparian forest buffer program. The one-hour presentations will be followed by break-out discussions focused on challenges, strategies, and other issues germane to implementing riparian forest buffers in the following Ecological Provinces in the Midwest: Laurentian Mixed Forest / Midwest Broadleaf Forest / Prairie Parkland / Central Interior Broadleaf Forest.
Info here.

Soil Health Field Day
2021-08-10 16:30 - 20:00 | WI
What’s covered?

Roller crimping
Alternative forages
Drone seeding demo
Seeding equipment

Contact Lance Klessig to RSVP – (608) 780-2134. See flyer for more details.

Soil Health Institute's 6th Annual Meeting - Soil Health: Enriching Soil, Enhancing Life
2021-08-11 - 2021-08-12 | Online
Soil Health: Enriching Soil, Enhancing Life will be an online virtual meeting designed to connect the science of soil health with the information requested by farmers and the environmental benefits that follow.
Sessions:
– Farmers’ Experiences with Adopting Soil Health Systems
– Business Case for Regenerative Soil Health Systems
– Agricultural Input Impacts on Soil Health
– Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation through Soil Health
– Establishing Soil Health Interpretations for Farmers and Conservation Planners
– Understanding and Managing the Soil Microbiome
Info here.

Grazing on Conservation Lands
2021-08-11 | WI
Help take a forage cutting amid 40 head of beef cattle managing 60 acres of CRP mid-contract management. Help determine how much longer the cattle should be grazing before the stubble height threshold is achieved. The second site we will visit an organic farm who have been prescribed grazing cattle on their Fish and Wildlife Service Easement for three years. Hear about some hardships of grazing within the confines of easements and organic markets. We will utilize this site as another opportunity to refine our forage cutting skills.

Info here.

Smart Salting for Parking Lots and Sidewalks
2021-08-11 08:00 - 12:00 | Online

Basics of Pond Management
2021-08-11 11:00 - 12:00 | Online
This webinar will cover the basics of pond ecology and managing ponds for varied uses, irrigation and recreation – swimming or fishing. Algae/aquatic plants and their management and water quality will be presented.
Info here.

Effective Agricultural Practices for Nitrate in Groundwater
2021-08-11 13:00 - 14:30 | Online
Speakers from three states (Kansas, Nebraska, and Wisconsin) will share information about their efforts to work with agricultural partners to reduce nitrate in groundwater sources of drinking water.
Info here.

Advanced Wetland Delineation Training Workshop
2021-08-12 - 2021-08-13 | WI
The Advanced workshop provides more in-depth training in wetland delineation methodology and field experience. Successful completion of the Basic Wetland Delineation Training Workshop is a prerequisite for admission. This course may be taken multiple times.
Info here.

My Happy Place - Understanding Your Property
2021-08-12 09:00 - 11:00 | WI
Where is your happy place? If you had to describe it what would you say? Would you describe the trees and plants? Join us as we take you on a tour of one our happy places, Schmeeckle Reserve, where we’ll use the trees and plants to describe what our property is, could be, and should be. Through a combination of presentations, activities, and a short walking tour (roughly 0.5 miles) you will learn how to identify key characteristics of prairies, oak savannas, hardwoods, riparian zones, and mixed pine ecosystems.
The program will cover:

Identifying common ecosystems of central Wisconsin
Plants and trees indicative of prairies, oak savannas, hardwoods, riparian zones, and mixed pine ecosystems
How to use indicator species to understand your property’s history and possibilities
Resources available to help achieve your property management goals

Info here:

WI Pest Management Conservation System Training
2021-08-12 09:00 - 11:00 | Online
The course goal is to help you identify who is involved in developing the CPS 595 Implementation Requirement
Developing consensus between the client, the pesticide professional and NRCS.
Pest Management Component of the Conservation Plan
Pest Management Planning Worksheet with WIN-PST results
CPS 595 Implementation Requirement with pesticides selected by the producer and mitigation agreed upon by the Producer, NRCS, CCA/Ext. (if applicable)
Running WIN-PST
Demonstrate WIN-PST features
Interpreting WIN-PST reports
Attendees develop WIN-PST reports for class scenario4

Register by August 11. Find out more here.

Conservation Observance Day
2021-08-13 09:00 - 15:00 | Harmony Farm, S4210 County Rd O, Viroqua, Wisconsin, 54665
Come celebrate Conservation Observance Day on August 13 with 2020’s conservation farmers of the year, Kevin and Carolyn Parr of Harmony Farms. Learn more about successful farming and managed grazing operations in addition learning how producers are protecting our natural resources.
Topics and Speakers

Animal Health: Will Winter, Thousand Hills Beef
Cover Crops: Erin Silva, UW–Madison
Managed Grazing Economics: Jim Munsch, Munsch Consulting

Register here.
Questions? Call 608-637-5480 or email smcdowell@vernoncounty.org

2021 Lake Michigan Day
2021-08-13 10:00 - 12:00 | Online
Welcome to the 8th Annual Lake Michigan Day! It is the day we celebrate this precious freshwater resource and highlight the many ways people protect and restore our waters throughout the Great Lakes Basin. Each year, we honor and recognize the outstanding achievements of individuals, organizations, and businesses that go the extra step to restore and protect Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan basin, and thus our quality of life. We call them our “Champions of Conservation!”
We hope to inspire you to think about how you, too, can protect the incredible natural resources we are so blessed to have in this part of Wisconsin. You’ll never know the impact you can make until you try.
Info here.

Visible and invisible mending: An intersection of art and ecology
2021-08-13 10:30 - 11:30 | Online
Ecological restoration, the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem, is a process of mending. In mending, there is much promise –- for both lands and people. Nancy Aten’s work practicing ecological restoration, especially involving wetlands, interacts with her work as a monotype printmaker — especially around this idea of mending. Join this Wetland Coffee Break to learn more about Nancy’s work and how these domains interact for her.
Info here.

Pasture Walk on Grazing Annuals, Converting Cropland
2021-08-13 17:00 - 20:00 | WI
Topics Covered: Grazing diverse summer annual forage crops in a traditional corn/soybean rotation, converting cropland to pasture, planting peppers, watermelon, cucumbers, & squash into pasture, use of Arrowquip chute for cattle handling, use of the Kiwitech TriplePAC carrier for fencing
Info here.

Identifying Raptors in Fall Migration in Wisconsin
2021-08-14 10:00 - 14:00 | WI
The goal of this course is to learn to identify and monitor raptors during migration. We will especially focus on learning how to identify raptors in flight; that is how we are most likely to see them during their autumn migration. Many field guides are useful for identifying a perched raptor, but the birds when seen in flight can look quite different from images in standard bird field guides, and their appearance can be confusing at first.
Info here.
