FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2019
For more information, contact:
Maria Woldt, communications
Lafayette Ag Stewardship Alliance
Phone: (608) 577-4345 | [email protected]
LASA to host field day Aug. 15
Platteville, Wis.— The Lafayette Ag Stewardship Alliance is excited to announce its third annual field day scheduled for Aug. 15 at UW Platteville’s Pioneer Farm in Platteville, Wis. Featured practices are tailored to farms in Lafayette County but are applicable to farms across the state with similar conservation goals.
The Lafayette Ag Stewardship Alliance (LASA), founded in 2017, LASA has grown to include 24 member-farms whose land covers 40,000 acres with more than 14,000 cows. In 2018, LASA members completed a survey of 14 practices including cover crops, no till, reduced tillage and nutrient stewardship. Using estimates from the USDA’s Conservation Effects Assessment Project, the group documented an estimated reduction of 42,648 pounds of phosphorous and 13,285 pounds of nitrogen.
At a time when the struggling farm economy dominates the narrative, the group is motivated to explore conservation practices and how farmers can affect water quality and their bottom line. LASA is focused on protecting and improving the water quality and other natural resources in Lafayette County in southwestern Wisconsin.
More than 100 farmers, agribusiness professionals and community members are expected to attend this free educational event. The public is invited.
“This field day is a chance to showcase the partnership between the University, Extension and farmers in southwest Wisconsin.” said Jim Winn, chairman of LASA. “We’ll feature content from research trials currently underway on LASA-member farms, and the ongoing water testing in Lafayette and surrounding counties.”
Farmers from Lafayette County are encouraged to attend; however, farmers from neighboring counties are also welcome. This event is supported by Bard Materials, Professional Dairy Producers Foundation, the Soil Health Partnership, UW-Madison Division of Extension – Lafayette County and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Go to lafayetteagstewardship.org for the complete schedule.
Details:
Thursday, Aug. 15 | Hosted by UW Platteville Pioneer Farm | 29200 College Farm Rd, Platteville, WI 53818
Field Day Agenda
11:30 A.M. Registration + Lunch (education pavilion, catered by the General Store)
12:30 P.M. Attendees head to wagons for transport to stations. Stations are 25 minutes each, each station presents four times. Attendees rotate through stations.
Station # 1 – Soil Pit and table top rainfall simulator
Presenters: Josh Kamps, UW Extension for Lafayette Co Ag Agent, Jim Isermann, Soil Health Partnership
Station #2 – LASA membership station:
Presenters: Jim Winn, Steve Carpenter, other LASA board members
Station #3 – UW Platteville rainfall simulator demo and discussion of on-farm trial results
Presenters: Dennis Busch, Dennis’ students, Mike Berget, Jim Digangi
Station #4 – Ground water 101: Ground water quality monitoring infrastructure
Presenters: Kevin Masarik, UW Stevens Point
2:30 P.M. Field Day Concludes
RSVPs are appreciated. Please register at lafayetteagstewardship.org
Tweet about this: @LafayetteAg will host annual field day on Aug. 15 at @uwplatteville Pioneer Farm. Register at lafayetteagstewardship.org/events
About Lafayette Ag Stewardship Alliance: Established in 2017, Lafayette Ag Stewardship Alliance is a farmer-led 501c (3) non-profit organization with a vision of a community where farmers and friends of agriculture work together to protect and improve our water quality and environment. The group is composed of 24 member-farms representing nearly 40,000 acres and more than 14,000 cows in Lafayette County. In 2018, LASA members documented an estimated reduction of 42,648 pounds of phosphorous and 13,285 pounds of nitrogen. To learn more, go to lafayetteagstewardship.org.
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Editor’s Note: [Photos]
Soil pit – Lafayette Ag Stewardship Alliance will host its annual field day on Aug. 15. The event will feature a soil pit (among other topics) that will allow farmers to see how water moves through the soil, the impact of cover crops, compaction and overall soil health.
Strip tillage – Reduced tillage is an ongoing topic for LASA and a practice shown to reduce the amount of Phosphorus leaving farm fields during rain events. Shown here is a Kuhn Krause strip till machine at LASA’s 2018 field day at Berget Family Farms in Gratiot.
Additional photos, high resolution or .eps logos are available by request
[Sidebar]
If you go:
What: Lafayette Ag Stewardship Alliance field day
When: Thurs. Aug. 15
Where: UW Platteville Pioneer Farm, 29200 College Farm Rd, Platteville, WI 53818
Details: Lunch will be in the educational pavilion, stations will be in the field. Transportation between fields will be provided if conditions warrant. Field day will proceed rain or shine. Restrooms available. Water provided. Consider sunscreen, bug spray or rain gear.
Admission is free
Agenda:
11:30 A.M. Buffet lunch catered by The General Store
12:30 P.M. Attendees split into four groups and proceed through four designated stations:
- Soil pit and soil health discussions
- LASA member updates
- Assessing management impacts on surface run-off: Rainfall simulator demo and on-farm trial results
- Ground water 101: Monitoring and infrastructure
2:30 P.M. Field Day Concludes
RSVPs are appreciated. Please register at lafayetteagstewardship.org