Andy Kiefer shares best practices and ideas with local farmers.

Andy Kiefer never wanted anything to do with agriculture as an adult. He grew up on a multi-generation dairy farm in Sherwood. All he knew was that it was a lot of work, and he didn’t really understand how any of it made a difference. “I thought ag was just kicking rocks!” Andy joked.

All in all, he would rather have been working with his hands as a mechanic. He was fascinated by the wind farms in Fond du Lac, and envisioned an adrenaline-filled career climbing to the top of the turbines to do maintenance and repair. He liked the idea of renewable energy, but was a bit ahead of his time. There wasn’t really a school program for that yet.

He wrote off agriculture. He wrote off renewable energy. But it all came together when his English professor made the class read Omnivore’s Dilemma. Suddenly Andy realized how farming and the environment are connected.

“I didn’t realize you could even farm that way,” Andy said. “It opened my eyes. I made a 180 and fell back in love with agriculture and what it can do. What it can do for our health and for the planet.”

Fresh out of school, Andy started working at the local co-op, telling everyone about what he had learned. “I wanted to become the cover crop guru,” he said, “but it was too new. People weren’t interested.”

Andy needed a way to share what he knew with others who were working in agriculture. When he became the Outagamie County agronomist eight years ago, he was introduced to Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance.

“Fox-Wolf helps make my job easier,” Andy confirmed. “You do an amazing job filling that piece of helping people understand what is happening in our food system. I enjoy working with you, and with Katie [Woodrow] and what she does to keep me on task with grants and help us get grants.”

The grants and resources that Fox-Wolf provides have helped Andy to encourage farmers to get started in conservation farming. “A farmer may really like the message,” he explained, “but the margins can be so thin. It takes a huge amount of courage to try something new.” A farm may be where you live, but it is also a small business. And for many of our local farmers, there is the added pressure of being a multi-generation farm.

To help farmers, Andy likes to talk about best practices like a dimmer switch. A regular light switch is either on or off. But a dimmer allows you to make gradual change. “People think conservation farming is do it or don’t,” Andy said. But there’s a lot you can do to be better and improving. Even little things start making a difference. Something is better than nothing.”

Over his eight years with Outagamie County, Andy has noticed those small things add up. Last year he was driving down a road where the fields used to be all brown in the fall. But only a few years after advocating for cover crops, just about every field was green. “It just kept going,” Andy said, “for 5-10 miles. It was amazing to see.”

He also appreciates the farmers who talk about their positive experiences. “There’s a 75-year-old farmer who just started doing no-till farming three years ago,” Andy shared. People assume he changed for money, but he did it because the practices work.

“He’d never get up in front of a stage to tell his story, but he will talk with other farmers. He doesn’t realize it, but he’s been a great ambassador and opened people’s eyes to different motivations other than money.”

Profile in Courage

Andy Kiefer shared the story of one farm where having the courage to try something new really paid off.

Ownership was transitioning from one generation to the next. The son really wanted to try some of the conservation farming practices. His dad was really opposed to it. After a lifetime of hard work, he had established a farm that was making money. Why would he want to change?

After several conversations, the dad agreed to try just 60 acres of a cover crop that would stay green on the field in the fall, but would die over the winter. And it turned out, it was a perfect year to try that. Everything went right, and the dad was pleased.

The following year, he committed to 200 acres. And instead of a crop that dies over the winter, he grew plants that would live through the winter. Despite the success of the first year, the next spring was a nightmare for rain. Farmers couldn’t get into the fields to kill off their cover crops. They couldn’t plant their primary crops when they wanted.

Everyone was nervous. But these farmers didn’t give up. It didn’t go how they planned, but they gave it 100%. In the end, it wasn’t the year for a bumper yield. But they did get a respectful enough harvest that now they are fully on board. Even after that challenging year, now 100% of their acres are planted this way.

Watershed Moments is a publication of Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, sharing the stories of how your donations have impacted lives in our community. Read our latest project updates, make a secure online donation, or become a member at www.fwwa.org