BROOKLYN, Wis. — Yahara Pride Farms, in collaboration with the Farmers for the Upper Sugar River, Dane County Land & Water Resources Department, The Nature Conservancy, UW-Madison Extension and Yahara WINs provided an educational exhibit at the Dane County Breakfast on the Farm held June 8th at Klondike Farms in Brooklyn.
The “Farmers for water quality tent” was an opportunity for farmers and other conservation experts to explain the agricultural practices that benefit water quality currently taking place in Dane County and answer questions from the public.
One of Yahara Pride Farms’ goals is to build relationships with members of the community and help them understand what conservation practices impact water quality in the Yahara watershed. Since Breakfast on the Farm is a big event with large public attendance, Yahara Pride Farms created a fun activity for kids and families to make connections between farming and gardening.
For the second year, Yahara Pride Farms coordinated a seed planting activity where attendees could plant their own seed to take home. Volunteers from the various organizations sprinkled composted manure on top of the freshly planted seed and explained the benefits of fertilizing a plant with compost. The activity was a huge success again this year with more than 500 plants taken home to families across Dane county and the surrounding areas.
“The compost we used in our plant activity is the direct result of a community partnership that turns cow manure and biosolids into valuable fertilizer,” said Martye Griffin, director of ecosystem services for Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District and a Yahara Pride Farms board member.
“We want the public to know that we are in this together. We live here too – and want to share the message that we can have clean water, thriving farms and desirable communities,” said Jeff Endres, a dairy farmer from Waunakee and president of Yahara Pride Farms.
###
Farmers For Water Quality – Yahara Pride Farms in collaboration with Farmers for the Upper Sugar River, Dane County Land & Water Resources Department, The Nature Conservancy, UW-Madison Extension, and Yahara WINs provided an educational exhibit at this years Dane County Breakfast on the Farm.
Filling pots with soil– Yahara Pride Farms provided a seed planting station where attendees could plant their own seed and take it home with them.
Volunteers help educate attendees about the benefits of compost– More than 500 attendees planted seeds in the Farmers for Water Quality tent.
