Egg Harbor, Wis. (December 29, 2021) – Soil Health and the Benefits of Regenerative Agriculture will be the topic of a Climate Change Coalition of Door County panel discussion at 7 pm Thursday, January 13 at the Kress Pavilion in Egg Harbor.
Four area farmers will speak about their efforts to farm sustainably. They include:
Lauren Brey focusing on rotational grazing. Brey is a fourth-generation dairy farmer in Sturgeon Bay and co-owner of Brey Cycle Farm, which has increasingly deployed cover crops, no-till farming and other conservation techniques to improve soil health and water quality. She is managing director of Farmers for Sustainable Foods, which supports farmer-led solutions to environmental challenges.
Lee Kinnard of Kinnard Farms, speaking about manure and carbon sequestration. Kinnard Farms is a large family-owned dairy and crop farm in Kewaunee County that has adopted various sustainable practices to protect and enhance soil and water resources. Kinnard is vice president of Peninsula Pride Farms, a farmers’ collaboration in Kewaunee and southern Door counties, and serves on the board of Farmers for Sustainable Food.
Mike Polich, a fourth-generation dairy farmer, discussing organic farming. After his father sold his herd, Polich and his wife Katie purchased the farm, bought 50 cows and started transitioning the land and animals to organic methods. Since then his family’s farm has grown to more than 200 head of cattle and 1,000 acres of cropland, all certified organic.
Chris Schuh of Door Karma Farms, explaining composting techniques. Door Karma Farms produces certified organic beef, lamb, chicken, pork and vegetables, all antibiotic-, pesticide- and hormone-free. The operation incorporates many climate-friendly practices; in addition to composting, Schuh uses solar well pumps, buffer strips, fallow zones and wildlife restoration zones.
Moderating the discussion will be Jamie Patton, PhD, senior outreach specialist with UW-Madison’s Nutrient and Pest Management Program. She provides education and technical expertise to farmers, organizations, and agencies to improve soil health with a goal of achieving food sovereignty, farm profitability and resiliency, and ground and surface water quality.
Patton will open the session with an introduction to soils and the connection between soil health and carbon sequestration. She’ll then engage the panelists in a discussion, followed by a Q&A with the audience.
All attendees are asked to wear masks. The program is free and open to the public. Donations to support the Climate Change Coalition’s work are gratefully received. The event will also be livestreamed; registration is required and can be completed here: https://www.climatechangedoorcounty.com/upcoming-events.
Program sponsors are the Door County Master Gardeners, Door-Kewaunee Demonstration Farms Network, the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership, The Nature Conservancy, Peninsula Pride Farms, the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship of Door County, and the University of Wisconsin Extension Service.
The Climate Change Coalition of Door County is a non-partisan organization that through education, outreach and civil dialogue increases public understanding of climate change and its many detrimental impacts at home and around the world. Your donation for the Climate Change Coalition to our fiscal agent, Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership, is tax-deductible as allowed by law. Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership is a 501(c)(3) organization.