ALBANY — The annual meeting of the Farmers of the Sugar River will be held on Wednesday, February 19, at the Albany Lions Club, 402 Cincinnati Street, Albany. The Farmers of the Sugar River is a farmer-led watershed group, covering the Middle and Lower Sugar River reaches, that aims to teach other farmers how to implement conservation practices that save time and money while improving water quality in the Sugar River. The meeting is a chance for farmers to learn from each other and network with others. The public is also invited to attend to learn what farmers are doing to be more resilient to weather extremes.
The agenda for the day is meant to cover a variety of topics so that everyone can learn and take home some information to use. Kicking things off at 10 a.m. will be Mike Miller, a Stream Ecologist with the WIDNR, to give a presentation on neonicotinoids — what they are, where they’re found and their effect on a variety of critters in the environment. Following the background information on ‘neonics’, the group will hear from Nick Tinsley, a Technical Field Representative for Seed Treatment from BASF. He will share what industry is doing to find safer alternatives, how to handle treated seed and choices that farmers have on seed treatment. After lunch from the Albany Lions Club, a farmer panel on planting green will share their experiences and answer questions on this practice. Jake Kaderly will share details of his manure composting project. A presentation on why a watershed farmer farms the way he does will be given by Dan Truttmann. And to wrap up the day, Jordyn Sattler, UWEX Crops Educator, will share results on the Nitrogen Plots that several farmers participated in last year. The meeting is slated to conclude around 3:15 p.m.
If interested in attending, RSVP with Tonya Gratz at Tonya.Gratz@wi.nacdnet.net or 608-325-4195 extension 121 as soon as possible or for sure by Friday, Feb. 14 to make sure there’s enough food to feed everyone. There will be a $10 charge at the door to help offset food costs for the day. The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) has awarded the group a grant through the Producer-Led Watershed Protection program which helps fund educational events such as this.
