Foxhead Regenerative Agriculture

Great Lakes Farm Navigator Spotlight

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!

Glacierland Resource Conservation and Development Council

Great Lakes Farm Navigator Spotlight

Name, Pronouns: Kirsten Jurcek, she/her

Organization: Glacierland RC&D

Title: Resource Conservationist

1.       Where in the Great Lakes region do you work?

I work in Eastern Wisconsin.

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

Upon graduating college many years ago, I worked as a hydrogeologist cleaning up contaminated water from industrial sources.  Once the “pipes were plugged” it became obvious that contaminants were coming from agricultural sources. Wanting to do my part to clean up water, I became a farmer and started practicing rotational grazing; keeping the ground covered & a living root in the ground year round, thereby protecting water quality.

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

I worked closely with my local NRCS office to establish and maintain conservation practices on our family farm so I’m very familiar with programs available to farmers and how to effectively implement them. I’m a Technical Service Provider (TSP) to NRCS and write grazing plans for farmers which may make them eligible for NRCS EQIP Cost share to implement rotational grazing on their farms.

We worked closely with the Drumlin Area Land Trust for several years  to place a conservation easement on our farm. I enjoy sharing that experience and welcome heartfelt family conversations with others.

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

As a Great Lakes Farm Navigator I get to participate in many wonderful discussions with others that have much experience creating positive change on the landscape. I always learn from the AFT resources and discussions.

4.       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?

Positive change takes time. A well thought out plan with input from everyone involved is important. Patience and acceptance of others' ideas, experience and knowledge is crucial. Meeting with other people who’ve been through a similar process can be very helpful. 

Golden Sands Resource Conservation and Development Council

Great Lakes Farm Navigator Spotlight

Name, Pronouns: Brooke Patrick, She/Her

Organization: Golden Sands RC&D

Title: Grazing Specialist

1.       Where in the Great Lakes region do you work?

I work in the central sands region of WI.

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

I started working as a grazing specialist with Golden Sands RC&D about 2 years ago, but agriculture has always been a part of my life. I grew up in Shawano County on a dairy farm and went to school at UW-River Falls and got my Bachelor of Science in Animal Science. From there I worked in multiple different sectors of the ag industry.

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

The main area of expertise I work in now is managed grazing. I help farmers/ landowners learn how to implement managed grazing on their land, find resources and learn about land conservation.

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

I already have learned so much over the last year especially about land succession and transfer and I think I can incorporate that nicely into what I already do as I work with a lot of beginning farmers.

5.       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 farmers that are looking to transition out of farming that do not have a family member interested in taking it over I would highly suggest finding/hiring someone you can mentor for a couple years that would then be interested in taking over. That way you know your farm is going into safe hands and to someone with the same goals as you.

For beginning farmers looking for land the best way to get your name out there is to start helping on some farms or introduce yourself to a lot of different farmers and go to events or get togethers where there are a lot of farmers. The other thing I would suggest is having a lot of patience and understanding, it is hard for an older farmer who may have had that land in their family for generations to feel comfortable with the idea of selling it or transitioning it to someone outside the family.

Renewing the Countryside