Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have expanded their working lands initiative in Wisconsin with the hiring of Josh Bendorf as a Precision Ag and Conservation Specialist (PACS) based in southeast Wisconsin. Bendorf is Wisconsin’s second PACS serving alongside Scott Stipetich, who covers the state’s northern region. He will provide ag profitability analyses for farmers with the goals of increasing farm profitability and sustainability by implementing conservation practices on less profitable crop acres. This position was made possible through a partnership with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, Clean Lakes Alliance, and American Society of Agronomy.
In his main role, Bendorf will collaborate with ag producers to conduct business planning on Wisconsin farms by using precision agriculture technology – targeting return-on-investment (ROI) at a sub-field scale – to define areas where alternative farming and/or conservation practices are more profitable for producers than traditional row crops. This will help to diversify farm income, create more sustainable farm enterprises, and provide benefits to soil, water, and wildlife over the long-term. By working directly with farmers and focusing on their ROI, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever will help lift, acre-by-acre, the long-held misconception that farm profitability and environmental quality are competitive.
Bendorf will be based at the USDA Area Office in Juneau, WI. For more information regarding precision agriculture & conservation, contact Josh Bendorf at jbendorf@pheasantsforever.org, or by phone at (608) 574-7558. Follow him on Twitter at @joshbendorf95.
Article was submitted by Pheasants Forever, Inc. and Quail Forever
