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Foxhead Regenerative Agriculture is represented by Shelly Rothman (she/her). 

Shelly is co-founder and executive director of Foxhead Regenerative Agriculture Project. FoxRAP is on a mission to regenerate the soil, farms, community, and ecosystems of the Upper Fox River watershed in eastern Wisconsin. After studying conservation biology at University of Wisconsin-Madison, she joined forces with agriculture while living in Namibia, her husband’s native land, where they managed 37,000 acres of semi-arid savanna and 600 grass-fed beef cattle. Shelly and her family returned to her beloved Great Lakes region via a year-long transatlantic journey on a trusty 37-foot sailboat named Seahorse. Her experience abroad, as well as starting over in the States, gave her a vivid education in the worldwide struggle for access to land. She lives on an agroforestry farm among hundreds of fruit and nut trees where she works on her personal goal to help us find joy by reconnecting to ourselves, each other, and the landscapes we call home.

Learn more about Foxhead Regenerative Agriculture

Foxhead Regenerative Agriculture is a participating Navigator organization in Protecting the Great Lakes Through a Farm Navigator Network project.

Great Lakes Farm Navigator Spotlight: Shelley Rothman

Name, Pronouns: Shelly Rothman

Organization: Foxhead Regenerative Agriculture Project – FoxRAP

Title: Executive Director

Where in the Great Lakes region do you work?

We are in eastern Wisconsin in the marvelous Lake Michigan watershed

What brought you to this work? What is your connection to agriculture or to the watershed?

I was born, raised, married, and currently live in the Great Lakes watersheds. The lakes are a part of my heart and soul.

While attending UW-Madison for a conservation biology degree, I was introduced to my future husband, a grass-fed beef farmer. So conservation and ag got married and now I work in regenerative agriculture. Regenerative ag is humanity’s past, and I believe, our future as well.

What is your area of expertise? In what ways do you typically work with farmers and farmland owners?

FoxRAP’s mission is to build equitable community, land access, and support for regenerative farmers to thrive. We work with current farmers and landowners to support and expand their regenerative practices. Also, we talk about land transitions, provide assistance with the process, and work together to create space and tools for beginning and underserved farmers, who face many challenges to access land these days. This involves educational resources, technical assistance, expanding local programs, and connections to larger networks of service providers.

How are you hoping to grow from your experience as a Great Lakes Farm Navigator?

Working in a rural area, resources are limited. I enjoy working with AFT to learn from the experience of a national organization, plus the Navigators I’ve met from other states, and sharing it all with our community. It’s also been so wonderful to connect with the other Wisconsin navigators. They’ve become colleagues and friends, and we regularly collaborate, such as organizing landowner and land access events together.

What is one piece of advice you have for farmers who are looking to transfer their farm to a new generation? Or do you have advice for farmers entering agriculture and seeking access to land?

For landowners: Start early, reach out for help, and try not to get overwhelmed. It’s a big, not simple process. You have many folks here ready to assist, and we are working to make available resources better all the time.

For landseekers: Same!