By Sharon Verbeten
In an age of climate change and an increasing focus on sustainability, farmers are leading the charge — at least that’s what Farmers for Sustainable Food is betting on.
The nonprofit, based in Green Bay, is taking a grassroots approach — connecting farmers to learn, network and collaborate to have an impact on conservation and sustainability.
“We’re empowering the farmers to be leaders,” says Lauren Brey, managing director of FSF. About her “motivated group” of 40 members representing more than 230 individual farmers, Brey says, “they’re going to be the best ambassadors with other farmers to continue to be willing to explore new practices on the farm.
“We all have to work together to meet these challenges,” she adds. “Farmers can’t do it alone; they need some support to manage their programs.”
That’s where FSF comes in, helping Wisconsin farmers connect with supply chain partners, manage environmental projects and coordinate learning opportunities.
Brey, who grew up on a farm and now runs a dairy farm in Sturgeon Bay with her husband, knows the challenges farmers face. “From that personal level,” she says, “our outlook is positive [but] you have to be willing to try new things, do something different.”
FSF, which collaborates with Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative and the Dairy Business Association, started in 2016 as the Dairy Strong Sustainability Alliance but changed its name last year to better reflect its advocacy to farmers of all crops and animals.
In 2021, its pilot program in southwestern Wisconsin received a national award from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. The focus of the pilot was both environmental and economic. Farmers used financial analysis tools to establish annual benchmarks and determined what conservation practices worked best to both reduce pollutants and benefit their farms.
Brey adds, “What’s extra special about it is we launched it in the middle of COVID. We were still able to execute a project because [the farmers] believed in it.”
Another group that believes in FSF is The Nature Conservancy of Wisconsin, with which FSF partnered in 2016. “Edge and the Dairy Business Association saw the need for supporting farmers in the sustainability space,” Brey says. “[They’re] a great partner to bring a different perspective.”
“We continue to find ways to complement each organization. We provide incentive funding and staffing time to work with farmer-led groups; we take a real interest in telling the [farmers’] stories through outreach and tracking their conservation outcomes,” says Steve Richter, director of agricultural strategies for The Nature Conservancy.
In addition to the issues of conservation, farmers face challenges related to technology, markets and pricing. How can they keep prices stable while production costs rise? Can they secure a market for their products?
That’s where the advocacy of FSF helps. “We all have to work together to meet these challenges and meet the requests of customers,” Brey says.
Technology, for example, is one area that may require a mentality shift for some in the agriculture community. “It’s just like any business,” Brey says. “If you don’t keep up with technology, you’re going to be irrelevant.”
Peer-to-peer learning is one tool FSF uses to help farmers embrace new ideas.
“Everyone is so unique, but they’re so willing to share,” Brey says. “That is really powerful.”
Overcoming the challenges of surviving in a global economy, coupled with the demands of maintaining sustainability for the health of the planet and local farms, is no small feat. But Brey and FSF members remain focused on the mission.
“I think a lot of people are excited about the future of agriculture.”
