A conversation and a little seed money are helping area farmers grow their conservation practices. Earlier this fall, Peninsula Pride Farms shared some results from the first four years of its five-year sustainability project, showcasing the efforts of 11 farms that manage over 34,000 acres of land and 40,000 head of dairy cattle. The farms used at least two conservation practices in their analyzed fields, with 91 percent mitigating the risk of excessive and an average rate of soil erosion for corn grain that was more than a third (0.97 tons per acre per year) of the state's benchmark of 3.5 tons per acre per year. The organization's cost-share program encouraged some of those conservation efforts, which allows farmers to have a little help implementing practices like cover crops, low-disturbance manure application, buffer strips, and split nitrogen application. Peninsula Pride Farms Board member and agronomist Nick Guilette says its series of Conservation Conversations throughout Door and Kewaunee counties and other interactions with farmers are a big reason some practices are catching on in the community.

The maximum amount you can receive from the cost-share programs is $1,500. To participate in the cost-share programs, you must complete the application and the organization's conservation practice survey by December 1st.