Our neighboring town of Ripon is home to South Woods, a 55-acre woodland preserved since 1902 - making it Wisconsin's oldest nature preserve - by a group of forward-thinking women who wanted to make a difference and save this special place from logging. The story is now also preserved in a beautiful short film. When … Continue reading Wonder, magic, diamonds: the treasures of (farm)land conservation
With climate extremes increasing in frequency and intensity, two mitigation methods regularly emerge - conversion to renewable energy and expanding regenerative agriculture. Both have their benefits. The problem is, they are increasingly competing for the same land. Wind and solar energy are now cheaper than fossil fuel. So project developers are eager to expand, and … Continue reading Renewable energy vs. regenerative agriculture: can we do both?
A topic near and dear to FoxRAP's heart. UW Extension published a helpful 3-part article series: Demystifying the future farmer and planning ahead for a successful farmland transition. Key takeaways from Part 1 - Making farmland transition options available to landowners: Our current producers are aging out and an expected 70% of farmland will change … Continue reading Successful farmland transitions that benefit both current and future farmers
Did you know Wisconsin is second in the nation for total number of organic farms? Only California has more. Yet, due to rising cost of land, new farmers struggle to get into the business and growth of existing farms is limited. Organic farms use more human-scale, sustainable growing methods which build healthier soils. In turn, … Continue reading Farmland access: key to flourishing organic food system in Wisconsin
Two articles came up in my newsfeed this week: One from The New York Times - Farmland Values Hit Record Highs, Pricing Out Farmers and from local news in Iowa - Record price for Iowa farmland now $30,000 an acre Let's pause to let that sink in. This record comes on the heels of the … Continue reading With farmland selling at record prices, next-generation farmers need our help
Here at FoxRAP, we've got 4 pillar objectives: Connect community Grow local food and farm products Preserve farms Protect natural resources Right now, we have a big project underway that, while ultimately checks each of those boxes, will be a huge step forward for farmland preservation in our area. One tool we'll be using to … Continue reading Agriculture Conservation Easements: a critical land preservation tool
Welcome to our new series, InspireBites. These are bite-size stories to inspire us as we work toward a better future for our community. No matter what your job is, you play a crucial role in that. Here's some inspiration to take with you this week. A new development on former farmland in Tennessee Credit: Brooks … Continue reading InspireBites: “We’re sacrificing the land that sustains us”
The decades-old champion of farmland preservation in our country, American Farmland Trust, recently published an article about land demand that, while pertinent to many, really hits home to our home, here in Green Lake, Wisconsin. Because of our treasured waters, Green Lake has a robust real estate trade, pushing per-acre-prices around the lake up to … Continue reading Keeping Green Lake acres green
Foxhead Regenerative Agriculture Project 