Marathon County Looks to Sustain Ag Resources With Agricultural Enterprise Area

Monday, April 11th, 2022 -- 8:01 AM

Since the designation of the Heart of America’s Dairyland agricultural enterprise area in 2011, farmers, community members, and local governments have worked together to preserve their local agriculture industry and the rich farmland, soil, and water resources that make it possible.

The Heart of America’s Dairyland AEA now spans 224,906 acres over two counties, making it the largest AEA in the state.  Marathon County aims to sustain the area’s agriculture resources by encouraging increased participation in the Farmland Preservation Program in the AEA.

To achieve this goal, the county is partnering with landowners in the AEA through an incentive program that launched in 2021. New participants who are interested in signing a FP agreement within the AEA may be eligible to receive a $500 incentive payment.

New participants whose farmland is located in a town within the AEA with FP zoning may also be eligible to receive a $500 incentive payment to participate in the FP program.

In addition to these efforts, members of the county’s farming community created a producer-led watershed group named the Eau Pleine Partnership for Integrated Conservation. The Eau Pleine Watershed encompasses most of the AEA boundary within Marathon County.

This group encourages and promotes conservation practices such as no-till farming, managed grazing, and cover crops and aims to integrate resilience into the natural resources, community, and economy of the Eau Pleine Watershed.

With shared goals for conserving farmland, Marathon County hopes to collaborate with groups like EPPIC to grow and expand the farmland preservation program in the county and reach more producers.

To find out if your land is located in the Heart of America’s Dairyland AEA in Marathon County or sign a farmland preservation agreement, contact Marathon County Conservation Technician Amanda Kasperek at (715) 261-6031 or [email protected].

To learn more about the Heart of America’s Dairyland AEA in Clark County, contact the Clark County Land Conservation Department.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.