FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Maria Woldt, communications
Yahara Pride Farms
(608) 577-4345 | communications@yaharapridefarms.org
Kiwanis Club of Downtown Madison honors Yahara Pride Farms
with Conservation and Environment Award
MADISON, Wis. (April 10, 2018) — Yahara Pride Farms was recently honored with the Conservation and Environment award from the Kiwanis Club of Downtown Madison, the farmer-led conservation group announced today. Board members Jeff Endres and Scott Maier, both dairy farmers from Waunakee, accepted the award on behalf of Yahara Pride Farms.
The Kiwanis Club of Downtown Madison is a service club with a membership of around 80 men and women. The group was founded in 1917 as one of the first Kiwanis Clubs in the State of Wisconsin. They are one of approximately 8,000 Kiwanis Clubs worldwide.
Since 1987, the Agriculture, Conservation and Environment (ACE) committee has coordinated the selection and presentation of the club’s Conservation and Environment Award to an individual, organization, governmental body or company that has made significant contributions to improvement in conservation and/or the environment in the greater Madison area. In the past, the club has recognized recycling programs, beautification programs, developers of natural areas, restoration programs and environmental education
This year, the club chose to recognize Yahara Pride Farms for its unique efforts to manage and reduce nutrient transport from agricultural lands to the Yahara River watershed through education, demonstrations and land management practices.
At the award luncheon, held April 9 in Madison, Endres and Maier gave a presentation highlighting Yahara Pride Farms’ activities, accomplishments and projects.
“The Yahara Watershed is one of the most populated and agriculturally productive watersheds in Wisconsin”, Maier said. “That means there are lots of houses sitting on some of the best farm land in the state.”
One of Yahara Pride Farms’ goals is to earn the trust and respect of farmers, private citizens and government by engaging them in projects and educational programs that demonstrate how the agricultural community is committed to doing its fair share in making improvements in the watershed.
Last year, Yahara Pride Farms released its first-ever annual report and data set that documents how the group has significantly reduced Phosphorus leaving farm fields in the Yahara Watershed since 2012.
“Successful farms and desirable communities can coexist and thrive together,” Endres said. “Everyone who lives in the Yahara Watershed is responsible for the water quality here. As farmers, we know we have a role to play.”
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 2016, farmers in the program reduced phosphorus delivery to Madison lakes and the Yahara River by 11,000 lbs. For more information, visit yaharapridefarms.org.
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Editor’s Note: [Photos] Yahara Pride Farms was recently honored with the Conservation and Environment award from the Kiwanis Club of Downtown Madison. Click on the links for high resolutions images.
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Jeff Endres, YPF chairman, said getting more farmers involved, and more acres enrolled in YPF conservation programs is their goal for 2018.
Scott Maier, YPF Treasurer, said the Yahara Watershed is one of the most populated and agriculturally productive watersheds in Wisconsin.
Jeff Endres and Scott Maier from Yahara Pride Farms accepted the Conservation and Environment award from the Kiwanis Club of Downtown Madison.
