Michael Fields Agricultural Institute

The Institute's education & outreach programs include a number of activities through various programs. Currently, the education programs at Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, Inc. (mfai) include Wisconsin women in conservation (wiwic), midwest grain resources & immersion training (midwest grit), milwaukee urban ag network (muan) and the farmers of color soil health network. These programs are actively creating events in the educational space and engaging stakeholders in all of this programming. Our outreach efforts are strengthened by partnerships with other non-profits in the ag space, community organizations and our collaborative efforts with the universities in the midwest. Programming in the usda-nrcs funded wiwic program includes in-person events where women are connected with resources, both in the knowledge and financial realm, and other webinars where not only learning about being better stewards of the land is important but also building the networking spirit and a peer-to-peer learning. Spring and fall learning circles, and field days are conducted in different parts of Wisconsin in partnership with other nonprofits. Our education services for community organizations/farmers and landowners also include providing grant writing resources and help. Wiwic also periodically conducts demos on soil health as a tool for education. Conservation educators have an opportunity to connect every year through wiwic. They network and learn about resources available to them for professional growth and obtaining grants, through in-person events in different parts of the state, and through virtual meets. Through the wiwic program, more than 2900 women were served through events and monthly newsletters in 2023 in different parts of Wisconsin. Providing technical support, the program was able to produce more than 100 conservation plans for women landowners. Midwest grit (grains resource immersive training), another mfai education program is a peer to peer learning model that is grant-funded by usda beginning farmer and rancher development (bfrdp), enrolled 30 beginning farmers in a one-year educational program (for the second year) thats met at least twice monthly over zoom and included in-person field learning opportunities. The program included curriculum on food grade grain agronomy, equipment management, marketing, farm finance, and other topics. The program catalyzed adoption of small grains production among 10 producers in the program in its first year and has contributed to community building around development of a midwest regional garnished, enhancing local food production and marketing. Additional regional relationship building and partnerships have been developed through bfrdp programming, including non-profits such as renewing the countryside, the land connection, the land stewardship project, center for rural affairs, Michigan Agricultural advancement, agraria center for regenerative practice, and more, which strengthens regional farmer-networks and access to farmers support.milwaukee urban ag gardeners are benefited by our muan programming through which they learn about organizations that exist in the area for community building, and about nrcs and fsa (usda agencies) that can provide opportunities for cost share for the conservation practices they want to adopt. Both muan and farmers of color soil health network programming works in the bipoc space, reaching bipoc farmers, and providing them the much-needed access to educational tools and resources on soil health and sustainable agriculture. Other workshops mfai has conducted include apple grafting workshops and perennial grains cultivation. We also host the seed swap event every year as a way of connecting with our stakeholders, sharing seeds to get their gardens going and promote local Agricultural business. Field days are another way of outreach to the farmers of se Wisconsin where we showcase our research, and also provide opportunities to learn soil sampling, soil health and the use of farm equipment & implements. Since our research team works in collaboration with different universities and organizations in the midwest, the field day is the educational arm to showcase what we do in collaboration. We talk about local food and serve local food in all our events, thus providing another learning opportunity for participants about availability of local foods and how going local helps reduce the carbon footprint in the supply chain. All educational activities are considered as outreach to the community, students, gardeners, farmers, and other food related businesses.

Among mfai's public policy activities, we educated farmers and others about the farm bill policy process, giving four talks about the farm bill; coordinated uplands watershed group in sw wi, holding 2 in-person meetings and 2 field days on organic grain farm systems and pasture management. Conducted workshops on grant-writing and using federal & state programs; distributed our guide to federal programs supporting sustainable agriculture; provided free grants advising to more than 40 farmers and other potential grant applicants; convened a national group to assess societal benefits from soil health practices, helped guide the first full year of a five-year soil health collaborative project (now called the soil health alliance for research and engagement (share)); added a group to the midwest farmers of color soil health network supporting 6 bipoc-led groups that help beginning bipoc farmers use soil health practices in starting farming enterprises; continued our cover crops citizen science research collaboration in Wisconsin; launched the milwaukee urban agriculture network; monitored and supported successful wi startup of a program we had helped create to increase cover crops adoption; led funding campaign for federal grazing technical assistance program, worked with usda on its implementation and supported outreach on that program; participated in grassland project including coordinating a "learning hub" within sw wi with which we created programming to enlist lenders in grazing outreach and helped support programming to increase meat processing in sw Wisconsin; advanced farm bill provisions that support managed grazing, cover crops, racial equity, and improved conservation, cover crops, and credit policies; co-chaired conservation committee on governing body of federal coalition supporting sustainable agriculture policy; co-led steering committee for national coalition on soil heath policy; chaired nc-sare's hero awards program; collaborated to develop new structures to increase private & public funds supporting regenerative farming practices; developed possibilities for the wi dnr to use its clean water state revolving fund for nonpoint source pollution prevention; organized wi coalition of organizations supporting grazing; investigated various issues related to the societal benefits of soil health, including perennial systems and what non-usda federal agencies could do to contribute to soil health; presented results from focus group research conducted in 2022 identifying drivers and constraints to adoption of diverse perennial systems; advocated for a state bill to support farmers' transition to managed grazing systems; and supported work to advance property assessed clean energy (pace) funding's being applied to agroforestry and grazing practices in Wisconsin.

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute's research program consists of two full-time Agricultural scientists and one full-time technician, and operates with a mission of advancing Agricultural research and management practices for alternative crops; i.e., anything but corn and soybeans. Advancing knowledge and practice of other crops can contribute to the extension of crop rotations in the upper midwest region, meeting the goals of diversifying the Agricultural landscape, increasing productivity and soil health on working lands, fostering increased wildlife, insect, and microbial biodiversity on our working lands, and increasing the potential for ecosystem services provision to midwestern communities, such as enhanced water quality and soil conservation. Both grant-funded and farm enterprise activities that serve as innovation platforms and outreach/demonstration sites for midwestern farmers and community members, make up the program. In addition to the above research trials, the research program also features an organic flour enterprise where food-grade varieties of rye, wheat, and oats are planted on our research farm as training sites for farmers interested in food-grade small grain production. Growers are trained in all aspects of food grade grain production, including establishment, weed and fertility management, harvesting, post-harvest handling, and processing. Our harvested organic grains are used to demonstrate seed cleaning and milling processes, and to educate students and the community about how flour is produced, and the nutritional implications of different processing techniques. Mfai researchers also perform field service activities for area farmers with our equipment fleet, including tillage, planting, and harvesting, upon request.

The Institute's farming systems activities included virtual workshops, cover crop & small grains field days. Farm and research field days took place as part of the Institute's research and policy program work. Technological tools and solutions to enable production of healthy food with the least amount of chemicals and environmental impacts, while maximizing the quality of food products and rural livelihoods is key information mfai incorporates in discussions. Included in the research program is work for the ccrop project, where warm-season annual cover crop species and mixes were formally trialed on mfai research ground. Four cover crop species and several combinations of species were planted and evaluated for biomass production, forage quality, and soil health impacts, and compared with a no summer cover (summer fallow), in three reps over 2 years. The cover crop year was followed by wheat in rotation to assess carryover rotation effects of summer cover cropping. Field work and data collection has been completed, and results will be compiled into a grower outreach document and a peer-reviewed journal article. The research program also includes a kernza-cap funded project evaluating different fertilizer management strategies for kernza, a new perennial grain crop. The kernza work also includes a variety trials. Kernza was established in fall 2021, with 26 treatments total being evaluated in 8 replicates. This work is part of a nationwide collaboration with over 20 different institutions and will continue through 2026.