In this presentation Lexi (Schank) Wellman will share the story of the Tainter Creek Grazing project and how the watershed community came together to tackle phosphorus in their watershed, gaining a bounty of additional successes for both individual farmers and their community. Members of the Tainter Creek producer-led watershed council recognized a need for a conservation transformation on their agricultural lands and came together with support from Valley Stewardship Network, Wallace Center's Pasture Project, Vernon County Land & Water, UW-Madison, and others to co-create a conservation plan which would support local producers and have downstream benefits for the Tainter Creek community and beyond. This plan centered around an increase in well-managed grazing practices and was made possible by immense cooperation and dedication from the community. Now several years after the project officially ended, Lexi will share a comprehensive analysis of how the practices implemented in the Tainter Creek watershed impacted phosphorus in the water. Lexi will highlight success stories, share lessons learned, and leave plenty of room for the audience to input their own experiences as we continue to co-create positive change in the Tainter Creek watershed and beyond.
Lexi is an aspiring agroecologist working to transform agriculture to better support farmers and their communities. Lexi grew up on her family's 4th generation dairy farm in Arcadia, WI where her passion for agriculture was rooted and nurtured. She left the farm to pursue higher education, with the goal of finding solutions to her family's constant stress, the fishless river that passes through their property, and the disappearance of farms across Wisconsin. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in Environment & Resources at UW-Madison, exploring how a transition from row crops to managed grazing might be part of the solution to a better agricultural future.
The Conservation on Tap presentation takes place Tuesday, March 3, at 6:00 pm, at The Historic Fortney, 100 N. Main St., Viroqua, WI. Conservation on Tap is a FREE presentation series by experts on various aspects of Driftless area ecology and conservation. The goal of the series is to increase knowledge, connection to, and awareness of current conservation efforts and research.
For additional information, email us at
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