Farmers for Sustainable Food (FSF) is helping farmers advance their sustainability efforts through data-driven initiatives and providing them with the tools, resources, and information needed to make well-informed decisions for their individual farms.

For nearly 10 years, FSF has been supporting a growing community of farmer-led watershed conservation groups across Wisconsin and Minnesota. By fostering connections, sharing knowledge, and collaborating, these groups continue to significantly impact the local environment and community.

These efforts are documented through an annual survey administered by FSF. The survey captures conservation practices within these farmer-led groups and demonstrates ongoing improvements to soil and water quality.

What the survey said

In 2024, 257 farmers from seven different farmer-led groups participated in an annual conservation practice survey. This group encompassed 278,329 acres and 378,313 head of livestock.

The sustainable practices measured and recorded in the survey included soil sampling, nutrient management planning, cover cropping, reduced tillage, no-tillage, low disturbance manure application, variable rate fertilizer application, split nitrogen application, nitrogen stabilizer, and planting green.

Results of the survey show potential environmental improvements due to sustainable farming practices. The following conservation efforts provide valuable benefits to climate health, soil health, and water quality throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota:

• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 30,839 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, which is comparable to the emissions produced by 7,342 cars in a year.

• Prevention of sediment loss from farm fields of 368,948 tons, equivalent to 36,894 dump trucks worth of soil.

• Reduction of phosphorus runoff by 518,898 pounds of phosphorus, potentially preventing 259.5 million pounds of algae growth in local water bodies.

The farmer-led groups participating in the survey included Calumet County Ag Stewardship Alliance, Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil Healthy Water, Driftless Area Ag Alliance, Lafayette Ag Stewardship Alliance, Peninsula Pride Farms, Sheboygan River Progressive Farmers, and Western Wisconsin Conservation Council. Data was analyzed by Houston Engineering Inc.

FSF Sustainability Program

Many farmers participating in these farmer-led groups, as well as others in various states, are expanding their efforts through FSF’s Sustainability Program. This program is part of an initiative that builds off a nationally recognized model, FSF’s Framework for Farm-Level Sustainability Projects. It helps farmers determine what conservation practices are most effective for their farms and provides tools to document the environmental and financial effects. Partial funding for the program comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities award.

“Having the ability to see the impact my farming practices are making on a yearly basis helps me make better decisions,” said Paul Cornette, a dairy farmer and FSF board president. “Through the FSF Sustainability Program, I have been able to track my metrics as well as compare them to the group to see where I can improve or may be ahead of the curve.”

In 2024, the first year of the FSF Sustainability Program, it consisted of five projects, with 53 farms in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota participating in data collection and analysis regarding their 2023 crop-year information. In total, the program encompassed 100,193 acres of cropland and 71,686 head of cattle.

Farmers enrolled in the FSF Sustainability Program receive individual reports showing key metrics for their farms. The aggregated results demonstrate the broad, positive environmental impact of sustainable farming practices.

The data captured from those enrolled in the first year of the project showed that the farms reduced 49,161 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) per year from the implementation of cropland best management practices, or, on average, 0.49 tons of CO2e per acre per year. This is equivalent to powering 6,602 U.S. homes for one year or removing 11,467 U.S. passenger vehicles from the road. In comparison, the reduction on the farms is comparable to the amount of CO2e that nearly 49,311 acres of forestland remove each year.

“These farms are making a difference, and when we aggregate the results, we show the important impact they are making,” said Lauren Brey, FSF managing director. “The actionable data and outcomes farmers receive through this program continue to help them improve and make informed management decisions for their own farms.”