Advocating For Farmer-Led
Water Quality Initiatives.

The Little Plover River Watershed Enhancement Project is a multi-party effort convened by the Village of Plover and the WPVGA – with the goal of improving the health of the Little Plover River and the quality of life of the surrounding area. Restoring the health of the river requires an array of on-the-ground practices and voluntary landowner participation, and WPVGA is committed to utilizing protection, restoration and management practices to ensure the project’s long-term success.

The Wisconsin Wetlands Association, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, Portage County Land and Water Conservation Division, and Wisconsin DNR make up the core team of project advisors. Project components include: water conservation and management; wetland restoration and drainage management; and farming conservation practices that include cover crops and precision nutrient application. Since the project started in 2017, the Little Plover River has been consistently flowing above the minimum 4cfs (cubic feet per second) rate as set by the DNR as the public rights stage.

The Little Plover River Watershed Enhancement Project has been a resounding success and a shining example of how collaboration can produce positive results for all stakeholders.

This following video highlights a wetland restoration project within the Little Plover River Watershed:

Eight WPVGA-member farms in central Wisconsin are working together on a Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grant project to protect the watershed that includes the Little Plover River and a portion of the Wisconsin River. This group includes lead farm Plover River Farms, along with Feltz Family Farms, Firkus Farms, Gagas Farms, Hamerski Farms, Myron Soik & Sons, Okray Family Farms and Worzella & Sons. With matching funds from the WPVGA and working closely with UW Extension and the Wisconsin Wetlands Association, the group was successful in securing a fifth year of funding from the Wisconsin Dept. of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection following successful conservation work in 2024.

Conservation practices employed by the group include the extensive use of cover crops, prairie and pollinator plantings, and no-till/minimum till practices. There were also extensive wetlands restoration practices employed in this watershed.

An additional Producer-Led group received its third round of grant funding in 2024 in the Central Sands: Farmers of the Roche-A-Cri. This Producer-Led group has WPVGA members representing Coloma Farms, Signature Farms, Heartland Farms, Nathan Bula Farms, Sterling Farms and Flyte Family Farms.

The WPVGA is proud to announce two more Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grant groups that were approved in December of 2024 and will begin work in 2025. A group from Antigo led by James Spychalla of Kohm-Spychalla LLC includes WPVGA members: Guenthner Farms, Guenthner Potato Company, Hyland Lakes Spuds, J.W. Mattek & Sons, Kakes Farms, Schroeder Bros. Farms, Sunnydale Farms and Wild Seed Farms. Also, a group from the 14-mile watershed was approved, and this group includes WPVGA members Heartland Farms, Bula Land Company, K & A Farms (Kiley Stucker) and Woyak Farms.

WPVGA is proud to utilize the latest technologies and systems that are environmentally friendly and protect our clean waters.

WPVGA has an ongoing collaboration on a research project with the UW Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Department looking at newer, more accurate and advanced methods of measuring evapotranspiration (ET). This project is being led by Dr. Ankur Desai and uses the latest technology of an eddy covariance flux tower system to measure ET in an irrigated vegetable field as well as using another flux tower system to measure ET in a nearby forest. Research results are being shared with growers to assist them in their irrigation management and scheduling regimes. Three years of data show that the ET rates are higher (reflecting greater water use) in the pine forest than the irrigated vegetable field. The DNR also used information from the Desai lab to accomplish tasks related to the lakes study component of 2017 Wisconsin Act 10. An additional study will take place this summer using eddy covariance flux towers to calculate ET values in non-irrigated corn fields.

The WPVGA continues to collaborate with the University of Wisconsin and the DNR on a new initiative to recognize and reward water conservation. The Wisconsin Water Stewards Program establishes a baseline of water stewardship practices and assists growers in making continuous improvements in the area of water conservation. Growers have access to a broad range of expertise to help determine the best way to manage and conserve water resources on their individual farms. This has also become a component of the WPVGA’s high-bar sustainability program known as Healthy Grown.

We’ve also helped with funding software maintenance to keep the Wisconsin Irrigation Scheduling Program (WISP) and the Agricultural Weather Data Service operational. Work is being conducted at the UW Biological Systems Engineering Dept. The existing WISP software tracks a daily soil water balance to assist growers with irrigation water management.

The WPVGA is proud to bring together the people, organizations and expertise needed to foster the sustainable use of water resources. It is an example of collaboration involving state agencies, University of Wisconsin research scientists and the agriculture industry.

Central Sands Lakes Study

The WPVGA supports the concept of empowering farmers and community stakeholders to develop a cooperative plan to manage groundwater in the Central Sands region. WPVGA appreciates that the DNR has committed to identifying impacted resources and “envision[s] a flexible, economically reasonable and science-based approach” to Central Sands groundwater management.

A key point in the DNR’s study, "found that precipitation is the primary factor affecting lake level fluctuations." In an average year, the Central Sands gets over 32 inches of precipitation, and even the highest-use vegetable crop only uses about 22 inches of water. Accordingly, the vast majority of the time, agricultural irrigation will not have an adverse effect on lake levels.

All of the lakes in the study are currently at historically high water levels. Long Lake, which shows the most susceptibility to the effects of irrigation, is over four feet above the historical average and it would take several years of continually dry conditions before the lake level would fall back to even average levels.

Report from Wisconsin Institute for Sustainable Technology

In an interesting report, Paul Fowler, from the Wisconsin Institute for Sustainable Technology at UW-Stevens Point, studied the agricultural water use in central Wisconsin. He found that while use of water for agricultural purposes has increased over the last several decades, it may not be the cause of groundwater level fluctuation.

Read the full report here.

Wisconsin’s irrigated agriculture industry, which is a national leader in processed vegetables and ranks 3rd in potato production, is essential to the state’s economy. Specialty crop production in Wisconsin is valued at over $1 billion annually with an additional $5 billion value and 35,000 jobs estimated from economic activity associated with the food processing industry. That’s no small potatoes!

The Central Sands area is one of the most critical irrigated agricultural areas in the US and, since it is wholly dependent on groundwater, any disruption in the aquifer is of critical concern to the country’s food security. The WPVGA will continue to work diligently with all concerned parties to develop long-term, sustainable approaches to water use that will benefit everyone.