Inside a farmer-led watershed group making a difference for Wisconsin water quality
Protecting our shared water resources starts long before it reaches our lakes and rivers. It starts on the farm. Through sustainable practices that build healthy soil and conserve water, farmers are part of the solution for protecting Wisconsin water quality.
What is a farmer-led watershed group?
Farmer-led watershed groups share the responsibility of protecting and enhancing water quality. These groups are made up of farmers from the same watershed who have voluntarily joined forces to advance conservation and protect the water sources in their community.
What is Peninsula Pride Farms?
Peninsula Pride Farms is a watershed group made up of farmers working together to improve water quality in Door and Kewaunee counties. The Peninsula Pride watershed empties into Lake Michigan. Farming near Lake Michigan brings its own unique challenges for farmers because it is a top priority to ensure the water is safe and clean for their community.
The group began in 2016 with fourteen area farmers who shared a common goal of building community trust. The farmers came together with a shared vision of clean, safe water and a thriving agricultural community together on the Door-Kewaunee Peninsula. The organization has grown to 70 area farmers in the last decade.
How do watershed groups benefit farmers?
One of the greatest benefits of farmer-led watershed groups is farmer-to-farmer collaboration. Farmers can learn from each other and find new ideas for conservation practices to implement on their own farm.
Peninsula Pride Farms hosts monthly “Conservation Conversations” to bring farmers together to discuss on-farm sustainability efforts. By learning from one another and holding each other accountable, farmers share responsibility for protecting the water that connects their farms and communities.
The farmers of Peninsula Pride Farms wanted to better understand how the practices they were implementing were making a difference. They worked with Farmers for Sustainable Food to create a sustainability project to collect data and quantify their environmental impact. The results of the project demonstrated positive changes and proved the group’s commitment to continuous improvement in their watershed.
The Peninsula Pride Farms Sustainability Project earned the group a “Collaborator of the Year” award from Field to Market for their outstanding partnerships in advancing sustainability. The group was also named the Lake Michigan Champion of Conservation in 2025.
Learn more about Peninsula Pride Farms
Peninsula Pride Farms hosts an annual summer picnic for the community featuring hands-on conservation demonstrations and behind-the-scenes looks at on-farm innovation. Farmers also showcase the work they are doing with field signs that raise awareness of the positive practices happening on the farm. It is a great opportunity for farmers to showcase their efforts to protect water quality and build trust with their neighbors.
Farmer-led watershed groups are making a difference across Wisconsin. Where water is shared, so is the responsibility to protect it. Groups like Peninsula Pride Farms are proving that farmer-led learning and innovation can create positive change and be part of the solution.
Photo credit: All photos courtesy of Kayla Mayer, Farmers for Sustainable Food