Lead farmer Heather Gayton of ZanBria Artisan Farms describes conservation efforts in the Little and Big Roche-A-Cri watersheds as part of the WPVGA Grower Conference held Feb. 4 in Stevens Point. Gayton said the Farmers of the Roche-A-Cri are dedicated to building a local body of knowledge regarding the state of our natural resources through watershed-scale and on-farm research. “We will embrace partnerships with local communities and strive to provide a welcoming educational environment to communicate soil and water management practices,” she said. “We commit to being stewards of our land and water and demonstrating to the public that farmers are conservation leaders.” The Farmers of the Roche-A-Cri Producer Led group includes WPVGA members Coloma Farms, Heartland Farms, Signature Farms, Sterling Farms, Nathan Bula Farms, and Flyte Family Farm. They also collaborate with local entities including the Petenwell and Castle Rock Stewards.
Collaborating Entity: Petenwell and Castle Rock Stewards
Coloma Farms, Heartland Farms, Signature Farms, Sterling Farms, Nathan Bula Farms, Flyte Family Farm and Horizon Cranberry Farms.
ZanBria Artisan Farms grows ginseng, hemp for CBD oil production, and a variety of vegetables in a high tunnel system. ZanBria Artisan Farms also has an orchard, a vineyard, and 17 acres of managed forest. ZanBria Artisan Farms strives to protect and increase habitat for native flora and fauna, reduce erosion, protect water resources, and improve soil health. Conservation practices implemented on ZanBria Artisan Farms include prescribed grazing, plantings of grasses and fruit trees for pollinators and wildlife, wildlife safe barriers, and field borders.
The Farmers of the Roche-A-Cri are dedicated to building a local body of knowledge regarding the state of our natural resources through watershed-scale and on-farm research. We will embrace partnerships with local communities and strive to provide a welcoming educational environment to communicate soil and water management practices. We commit to being stewards of our land and water, and demonstrating to the public that farmers are conservation leaders.
Develop and maintain surface and groundwater monitoring systems in coordination with local partners and agencies.
Signature Farms, members of Farmers of the Roche-A-Cri, will be planting a small research plot to study the effects of diversifying cover crops. The rotation of cover crops and duration on field will be used to evaluate the effects of pests, soil health, and other factors.
Heartland Farms will be planting a mixture of native plants in the dry edge of an irrigated field. The pollinator mix will be a perennial mix of forbes (flowers) and grasses. The native species of plants have stiff and deep, intricate root systems that contribute to soil and water quality. This plot of forbes and grasses will be used to demonstrate how native species contribute to soil and water quality improvement while providing habitat to pollinators and local wildlife.
Farmers of the Roche-A-Cri are a member of the North Central Region of Producer-Led Watershed Protection Groups. As of 2024, there are six groups in the region. The regional network provides an opportunity for growers and partners to collaborate on research, educational opportunities, and more.