The statement strung together by the four words, “I’m quitting my job,” changed a man’s life trajectory from an east coast cardiologist to a rural Wisconsin farmer. A rainy November morning gives David Zimrin a break from his cows and time for a phone chat. I am excited to hear about his transition from medicine […]

Gray wolf populations have rebounded considerably throughout the United States after being protected from trapping, hunting, and poisoning by being listed on the federal Endangered Species list for more than 45 years. Wolves were hunted nearly to extinction in Wisconsin and the rest of the U.S. throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but populations are […]

Michael Fields is excited to announce a new project to help women farmers and landowners engage robustly in conservation management of their land.  The Natural Resources Conservation Service recently awarded the Institute and our partners a 3-year contract to work with cohorts of women farmers and landowners in four regions of Wisconsin.  Led by MFAI’s […]

  EAST TROY, Wis. — Analytics are a key measuring tool in professional sports today, but data-driven assessments aren’t limited to that industry. In Wisconsin, agricultural researchers are asking farmers for feedback about a popular conservation practice. Cover crops, commonly used in the early days of agriculture, have made a comeback as a way to […]

The website for southwest Wisconsin’s Uplands Watershed Group, for which MFAI serves as the fiscal agent and coordinator, recently featured a new video about small grains such as barley, oats, wheat, and rye.  No surprise that MFAI would make it a priority for our talented staffer, Donale Richards, to film and produce it.  For over […]

Glacierland RC&D is one of Wisconsin’s five RC&Ds. They are an independent, not-for-profit organizations that share a common goal: Encouraging economic development while protecting and conserving land, water, and related resources to assure the quality of the natural resource base for future generations. In partnership with the county conservation departments, Glacierland RC&D was selected to […]

You are invited to: Conversations with the Commissioners Share your perspective on the challenges, opportunities and future of rural Wisconsin. Why a Blue Ribbon Commission? Rural communities, tribal nations, businesses and farms are Wisconsin’s strong backbone. The entire state takes pride in the beauty of our countryside, in our rural industries and workforce, and in […]

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute is working with partners through our Cover Crops Research and Outreach Project (CCROP) collaboration to help farmers around the state generate farmer-generated research data around cover crops in the state.  Simple but reliable farm data can us help build a better knowledge base about the who, what, why, where, and when of cover […]

When USDA sought public comments on what course their research direction should take for the next few decades, MFAI’s Research Director, Nicole Tautges, and Policy Director, Margaret Krome, had some suggestions. In late July, Tautges and Krome submitted comments to USDA, based on the Institute’s more than thirty five-year history of conducting research and working […]

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) recently announced that the Wisconsin Farm Support Program is open for applications! The program was created under Governor Tony Evers in May of 2020 and provides $50 million of direct payments to support Wisconsin farmers undergoing financial challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first round […]

In late July, Michael Fields sent a letter to the Wisconsin Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change to express our years of experience and a range of actions that the Institute recommends the State take to both mitigate and help farmers adapt to the severe impacts of climate change on agriculture. Ranging from programs to […]

The USDA is asking for the public’s opinions and suggestions about how best to transform agriculture to both increase production and reduce its impact on the environment.  The agency specifically sought input on four priority areas, but comments on other areas are also encouraged. MFAI’s Policy Director was invited by three groups – the National Sustainable […]

The School for Urban Agriculture (SUA) is a collaborative effort of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS) and Farm and Industry Short Course (FISC), Rooted (formerly the Center for Resilient Cities and Community GroundWorks), and the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI). Back in 2018, MFAI was involved with SUA to assist […]

The staff and board of Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI) strongly condemn the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the countless other historic acts of violence, death and racism that have oppressed and held our Black and all communities of color in physical, emotional and spiritual bondage. MFAI stands in solidarity and […]

The Institute is delighted to introduce Alejandra Hernandez, who will begin July 1 as MFAI’s Conservation Policy Associate. Alejandra recently completed her Masters Degree in Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, with a specialty in Ecosystems and Landscape Conservation and Management (ELCM). Previously, Alejandra worked for several years in Milwaukee […]

Are you a farmer or rancher whose operation has been directly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic? The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program will provide direct relief to producers who have suffered losses during the 2020 marketing year due to COVID-19. About the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the Coronavirus Food Assistance […]

The Institute has been involved in efforts nationally to support farmers and local food systems through the Coronavirus funds.  But as this letter (below) to the editor of the New York Times points out, farmworkers are in a uniquely vulnerable position, while being crucial to the nation’s health and nutrition through COVID (and always).  MFAI […]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) encourages people and groups wanting to protect agricultural lands and grasslands to consider enrolling their property into conservation easements. The 2018 Farm Bill has provided USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) with technical and financial assistance to help private landowners, tribes, land trusts, and other groups protect these valuable […]

Farmers across the Midwest went to the mat with climate change this year, from a cold and wet spring that slowed or prevented planting, to severe storms that damaged fields and roads, to a soggy fall that impeded harvests, and a lot in between.  Michael Fields Agricultural Institute believes that government action is urgently needed to […]

Applications are due by 12:00 PM on Friday, February 28, 2020. The Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin (BLBW) program seeks to increase awareness and consumption of locally produced foods and related products and to increase the production and improve the distribution of foods and related products for local consumption. The Buy Local Buy Wisconsin Grant program […]

On January 8, Wisconsin State Representatives Todd Novak (R-Dodgeville) and Katrina Shankland (D-Stevens Point) introduced a bill whose measures derive from the testimony received as part of 14 hearings conducted in summer of 2019 as co-chairs of the Speaker’s Task Force on Water Quality. The bill proposes $200,000/year to support a pilot program similar to […]

Tell USDA to Finalize the 2015 Origin of Livestock Rule to Close Organic Dairy Loopholes and Maintain High Organic Integrity Michael Fields Agricultural Institute is asking all certified organic farmers to stand with U.S. certified organic dairy farmers and submit comments to the USDA in support of a strong final Origin of Livestock Rule (OOL). […]

MFAI’s Policy Director Margaret Krome attended the town hall meeting held by USDA Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue earlier this month at the World Dairy Expo in Madison. Among his comments, Perdue answered a question about the loss of small to medium-sized dairy farms in the state, prompting a national discussion about the farm crisis, […]

Dear Industrial Agriculture, It’s been a great experiment – a social, political, climatic, public health, and agricultural experiment, but I think it’s time for us to break up. A lot has changed, and I don’t think we’re a good fit for each other anymore. We had our “Get big or get out” moment in the […]

All farmers are eligible to contact Farm Center staff consultants through the Farm Center Helpline at 1-800-942-2474. All of the Farm Center’s services are free and confidential. The Wisconsin Farm Center works with farmers one-on-one to provide free and confidential services, including: • farm financial consulting • farm succession planning • farm business entry or […]