Annual survey highlights 2025 conservation progress
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Farmers in the Upper Midwest are expanding their sustainable farming efforts, according to Farmers for Sustainable Food’s recent member conservation survey. The survey results, released today, showcase the conservation practices utilized by farmers across Wisconsin and Minnesota, demonstrating continued advancement and positive environmental impacts.
This is the eighth consecutive year of documenting conservation practices with farmer-led groups, highlighting the farmers’ dedication to ongoing improvement and improving soil and water quality.
In 2025, 211 farmers from six different farmer-led groups supported by Farmers for Sustainable Food participated in the annual survey, encompassing 255,670 acres and 411,972 head of livestock.
Farmers involved in the groups are passionate about implementing sustainability initiatives and continuing to improve year after year.
“I believe sustainable farming is important. My dad taught me to always leave the ground better than you found it,” said Calumet Count Ag Stewardship Alliance member Lauren Danes of Danes Fairylane Farm. “Healthy soil is often what makes or breaks a crop, and improving the soil helps keep the environment that it supports thriving. You always want to make sure you’re taking care of it the best you can.”
“My parents did such a great job of taking care of this land where I grew up, and I want to do the
same thing for the next generation,” said Jeff Lueck, member of the Western Wisconsin Conservation Council. “We are truly stewards of the land, caring for it now, but maintaining it for future generations to come.”
The sustainable practices measured and recorded in the survey include 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 show potential environmental improvements due to sustainable farming practices. These conservation efforts provide valuable benefits to climate , soil health and water quality throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota:
- Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 28,918 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, equivalent to the emissions produced by 6,885 cars in a year.
- Prevention of sediment loss from farm fields of 255,444 tons, equivalent to 25,544 dump trucks worth of soil.
- Reduction of phosphorus runoff by 349,328 pounds of phosphorus, potentially preventing 174 million pounds of algae growth in local water bodies.
Data was analyzed by Houston Engineering, Inc. and Farmers for Sustainable Food.
“Farmers are making significant progress in sustainable agriculture, and this survey indicates that their efforts are creating positive results,” stated Jamie Fisher, managing director of FSF. “We are proud to collaborate with farmer-led groups that are making a meaningful impact on both the environment and their communities.”
The farmer-led groups participating in the survey include Calumet County Ag Stewardship Alliance, Driftless Area Ag Alliance, Lafayette Ag Stewardship Alliance, Peninsula Pride Farms, Sheboygan River Progressive Farmers and Western Wisconsin Conservation Council.
For more information about the farmer-led conservation groups supported by FSF, visit farmersforsustainablefood.com.
Images:
Farmers for Sustainable Food logo
About Farmers for Sustainable Food:
Farmers for Sustainable Food is a collaborative, industry-supported effort to promote and support farmer-led solutions to today’s environmental challenges. The nonprofit organization, established in 2016, empowers farmers to develop and implement practical, innovative solutions for environmental, economic and social good. More information: www.FarmersForSustainableFood.com.
