Our funding will support the purchase of two pieces of agricultural equipment for the SHED (Soil Health Education and Demonstration) facility in Outagamie County.

The Esch No-Till Drill will enable farmers to establish vegetation with minimal soil disturbance, including cover crops, prairies, and pollinator habitat. The Maschio Compagna Power Seeder will allow farmers to renovate pastures and re-establish productive forage on compacted or degraded land.

Outagamie currently owns one aging no-till drill that supports an average of just 100 acres of pollinator habitat per year, while neighboring Waupaca County, which owns a comparable Esch drill, averages over 1,000 acres of soil health practices annually.

Installing perennial cover on agricultural soil through cover crops, pastures, and prairie plantings is a key strategy for reducing nutrient runoff and improving water quality in the Fox River watershed.