MAIDEN ROCK — Conservation Observance Day will be held Friday, June 20, from 9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. at Daleiden Farms, W3534 110th Ave., Maiden Rock.
Join hundreds of people from around the state to recognize the conservation accomplishments of Wisconsin’s landowners and highlight how conservation and production agriculture compliment each other.
The 2007 Conservation Farmers of the Year, Daleiden Farms, will be recognized. Tucked away among the Mississippi’s hills and valleys, the Daleidens have taken multiple conservation steps to help preserve the land they farm. Ed Daleiden and his wife, Dawn, along with their four children, have been cash cropping in Wisconsin for over 30 years and run about 1,600 acres with two-thirds corn and one-third soybeans, of which 1,300 acres are farmed on the contour.
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Daleiden Farms worked closely with the Pierce County Land Conservation Department to install flood and grade stabilization structures. Daleiden has added over 7,000 feet of grass waterways and has an annual nutrient management plan for all cropland acres. They have also opted for no-till cropping rather than conservation tillage. Daleiden is an advocate for no-till and has helped growers in his area start the process.
There will be two separate tours beginning at 9:45 a.m., followed by speaker presentations, lunch and then the two tours will be conducted a second time. The Pierce County Land Conservation Department and Committee, the Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Association (WLWCA) and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) will co-sponsor the annual statewide event.
Speakers will include USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist Pat Leavenworth; Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Secretary Rod Nilsestuen; Wisconsin Association of Land Conservation Employees President Kurt Calkins; UW-Extension Interim Dean and Director Richard Klemme, WLWCA Executive Director Julian Zelazny and local elected officials.
The Conservation Farmer of the Year award is a part of the WLWCA’s information and education program. Entries are submitted through local land conservation departments and winners are recognized at the WLWCA annual meeting in December.
