SWOF Referral Partner Spotlight: Central Wisconsin Ag Services
In each Tune Up Newsletter, we profile one team member, partner, or other Soil and Water Outcomes Fund (SWOF) affiliate to better understand their contribution to the program. In this edition, we’re spotlighting one of SWOF’s referral partners, Central Wisconsin Ag Services.
Central Wisconsin Ag Services (CWAS), based in Alma Center, Wisconsin, just southeast of Eau Claire, is dedicated to supporting farmers across the state. Specializing in on-farm dairy services, dairy farm consulting, large herd vertical integration, and animal health products, CWAS has built a strong reputation for expertise and quality service. We recently spoke with Luke Peterson, head agronomist at CWAS, to explore how their partnership with the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund (SWOF) is enhancing sustainability efforts and creating tangible benefits for their farmer clients.
Luke Peterson
Please tell us a bit more about you and how you learned about SWOF.
I'm Luke Peterson, the head agronomist at CWAS. Our team is diverse, with several veterinarians and a smaller agronomy team, including myself and Noah Shank. On the agronomy side, we primarily focus on agronomic consulting and seed sales for farmers across the state.
Our introduction to SWOF came through our COO, John Borzillo. He came across the program and saw the potential. After a productive meeting with Joe [SWOF Field Team Lead] and Dan [SWOF Co-Managing Director], our interest grew, and we've been excited about the opportunities ever since.
What made you want to get involved with SWOF as a referral partner?
For John and me, the biggest part is the focus on regenerative agriculture. We’ve consistently seen better yields from those that use less passes of tillage than from those that excessively disturb or overwork the soil. We’re also big supporters of soil biology. When we can help improve nutrient uptake, root development, and soil aggregates for water retention, naturally with soil microbes and without all that excessive tillage, that’s awesome. It’s great for soil fertility and overall plant growth.
And since we work with so many dairy farmers at CWAS, encouraging cover crops is also great for guys that are looking for feed, specifically rye, early on in the spring. That’s a big deal for the dairies in the area.
How do you think SWOF enhances your relationship with your customers?
Cover cropping is very new in the area. Working with SWOF gives us an easy way to bring up that topic with our customers. We have several veterinarians on staff, including my boss, John. That’s a big part of what we do at CWAS, and it’s great to mention with a lot of our dairy customers. Many would like to put in covers as forage for grazing, but there is a cost associated with that. It’s great to offer this as a solution.
That ties into our small grain seed sales and gives our customers the option to build that in with the program for a cover crop. More importantly, by incentivizing these conservation practices, SWOF brings another revenue to the farm that wasn't there before. It’s not just about selling seed, it’s about being able to bring more value to our farmers. Working with SWOF is a great way to do that. And there is a lot of interest, so it’s been good to work with your team.
If you want to begin or expand a conservation practice, such as reduced tillage, implementing a cover crop, or adding a crop rotation, please hurry to request a payment estimate. By enrolling your acres with the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund, you’ll receive agronomic support and earn financial incentives for the environmental outcomes of your on-farm conservation efforts. We are nearing the end of its 2024 enrollment season that opened to new farmer participants this past March. Farmers and landowners, please contact us today!
Want to join our network of community referral partners? More information can be found here.
And if you’re in the Alma Center, Wisconsin area, we encourage you to give Luke and his team at Central Wisconsin Ag Services a call.