Annual Soil Health Workshop with Tom Cotter

Dig deep into on-farm soil health! Come learn from soil health experts, join in round table discussion, and network with others while enjoying a locally sourced lunch.

This workshop will feature keynote speaker Tom Cotter of Cotter Farm in southern Minnesota, Randy Zogbaum of Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, and Craig Ficinec of the Sand County Foundation. Attendees will hear Tom Cotter's story and how diversity and cover crops work on his operation, learn state producer led findings from the past year from Randy Zogbaum, hear about a new producer led funding opportunity from Sand County Foundation, and more!

Hosted in partnership by the Sauk County Land Resources and Environment and area producer-led watershed protection groups, including the Sauk Soil & Water Improvement Group, the Producers of Baraboo-Redstone, the Lake Wisconsin Farmer Watershed Council, and the Farmers of the Lemonweir Valley.

Everybody has a story to tell. Keynote speaker, Tom Cotter, a fourth‑generation farmer from southern Minnesota, shares his story of turning a century of full tillage into living‑roots agriculture. After he and his dad saw drastic differences four feet down with cover crops in the late 1990s, Tom added diverse cover‑crop “cocktails” after canning crops that are also grazed. As the First certified Clean Water Farm in Mower County, he raises crops and grass‑fed beef and shares practical lessons nationwide: observe, adapt, and improve.