ABOUT THE KICKAPOO GRAZING INITIATIVE
The Kickapoo Grazing Initiative (KGI) began as a partnership of Trout Unlimited, Valley Stewardship Network, Vernon County Land and Water Conservation (Ben Wojahn), and UW-Extension:Crawford County (Vance Haugen) in June of 2012. In 2013 the Mississippi Valley Conservancy land trust based in La Crosse joined the outreach efforts. The Kickapoo Grazing Initiative (KGI) believes the grass-fed beef market provides a powerful incentive to implement more sustainable land management practices.
Now in its seventh year, the Kickapoo Grazing Initiative is an exciting public/private conservation partnership that focuses on promoting economic and environmental incentives for farmers and landowners to adopt managed grazing of Grass-fed Beef in the Kickapoo Valley in southwest Wisconsin. “Because of the benefits of increased soil organic matter, reduced runoff, and value-added healthy food production, the KGI believes that managed rotational grazing can help protect water quality while sustaining our small farmers in the area,” remarked Cynthia Olmstead, KGI Project Director. Not surprisingly , this promotion of a healthier food alternative has been welcomed by consumers and commercial food buyers as well—with help from local marketing initiatives like the Wisconsin Grass-Fed Beef Cooperative.
In 2017-18, KGI worked on a new project within the Kickapoo Boots on the Ground Collaboration with Southwest Badger RC&D and the Valley Stewardship Network. This collaboration was focused on promoting a wide variety of conservation practices that will conserve soil and reduce runoff on your land and in your watershed. This work was funded through the NRCS Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI) within the Kickapoo as well as general Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funding. Funding for this collaboration was through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (under number 54599) and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation.
In 2019, the Kickapoo Grazing Initiative will be working on outreach with the Great River Graziers through pasture walks and events with partner organizations. Assisting KGI are the University of Wisconsin Extension (Richland-Crawford Counties) and the NRCS-Crawford County. We work with the staff of the Natural Resource Conservation Service to promote the EQIP program to help offset the costs of implementing grazing management practices such as fencing and providing water sources.
Now in its seventh year, the Kickapoo Grazing Initiative is an exciting public/private conservation partnership that focuses on promoting economic and environmental incentives for farmers and landowners to adopt managed grazing of Grass-fed Beef in the Kickapoo Valley in southwest Wisconsin. “Because of the benefits of increased soil organic matter, reduced runoff, and value-added healthy food production, the KGI believes that managed rotational grazing can help protect water quality while sustaining our small farmers in the area,” remarked Cynthia Olmstead, KGI Project Director. Not surprisingly , this promotion of a healthier food alternative has been welcomed by consumers and commercial food buyers as well—with help from local marketing initiatives like the Wisconsin Grass-Fed Beef Cooperative.
In 2017-18, KGI worked on a new project within the Kickapoo Boots on the Ground Collaboration with Southwest Badger RC&D and the Valley Stewardship Network. This collaboration was focused on promoting a wide variety of conservation practices that will conserve soil and reduce runoff on your land and in your watershed. This work was funded through the NRCS Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI) within the Kickapoo as well as general Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funding. Funding for this collaboration was through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (under number 54599) and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation.
In 2019, the Kickapoo Grazing Initiative will be working on outreach with the Great River Graziers through pasture walks and events with partner organizations. Assisting KGI are the University of Wisconsin Extension (Richland-Crawford Counties) and the NRCS-Crawford County. We work with the staff of the Natural Resource Conservation Service to promote the EQIP program to help offset the costs of implementing grazing management practices such as fencing and providing water sources.
