FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Maria Woldt, communications
Yahara Pride Farms
(608) 577-4345 | communications@yaharapridefarms.org
Yahara Pride Farms seeking farmers for cost-share participation
BROOKLYN, Wis (October 17, 2019) – Enrollment is now open for the Yahara Pride Farms (YPF) cost-share program. The deadline to enroll is Nov. 15 and is open to farmers in the Yahara Watershed which includes southern Columbia, Dane and northern Rock counties.
The program is designed to help minimize the risk associated with trying new conservation practices on the farm. One of the program goals is to provide farmers with value in hopes they continue or combine endorsed practices for even greater environmental impact. In particular, cover crops and low-disturbance manure injection have proven extremely effective in reducing phosphorus loss from farm fields while increasing soil health and crop yields.
“The cost-share program has been effective in encouraging farmers in the watershed to try new things to benefit water quality,” said Jeff Endres, YPF chairman. “These techniques have become best-management practices for the farmers who have tried them. We would love to see additional farmers participate for the first time.”
Enrollment is simple. Go to yaharapridefarms.org, complete the 2019 cost-share program form and return it by mail. YPF will follow up when forms are received to determine if any changes or adjustments are needed. A nutrient management plan must be submitted for any acres enrolled in the program and cost-share checks are distributed at the YPF March Watershed-Wide Conference, schedule for March 5, 2020.
YPF is committed to collecting and analyzing data from the cost-share program. This past July, YPF released the 2018 Phosphorus Report documenting that farmers in the program reduced phosphorus delivery to the Madison lakes and the Yahara River by 22,000 lbs. Since 2012, farmers in the program have documented a total phosphorus savings of nearly 68,000 lbs.
The 2019 YPF Cost-share program includes:
- Strip tillage – $15/acre for up to 100 acres (max. payment of $1,500/farm)
- Low disturbance manure injection – $20 per acre up to 100 acres (max. payment $2,000/farm)
- Cover crops– $60 per acre for up to 50 acres of over-wintering crops and/or $40 per acre for up to 50 acres of non-wintering crops
- Low disturbance deep tillage and cover crop planting– $55 per acre up to 50 acres
- Headland stacking and/or composting manure – for winter application only – $4/yd
- Composting manure – payment TBD
- Stacking of multiple cost-share practices – payment TBD
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Tweet about this: @YaharaPride accepting apps for cost-share – due Nov. 15. Apply at yaharapridefarms.org
About Yahara Pride Farms: Established in 2012, Yahara Pride Farms is a farmer-led 501c(3) non-profit organization that strives to preserve agricultural heritage while simultaneously encouraging farmers to engage in proactive environmental stewardship within the Yahara Watershed. Participating farms employ practices that result in the preservation and enhancement of soil and water resources for today, and for generations to come. In 2018, farmers in the program reduced phosphorus delivery to Madison lakes and the Yahara River by 22,000 lbs.