Farming & Wetlands
Many farmers try to drain wetlands and utilize them for cropping or pasture, but on the Milewski Farm we understand the importance of wetlands and seek to maintain and restore wetlands to increase the quality of current fields in production, pastures and our water quality. With the South Fork of the Eau Claire River running through the Milewski Farm we know how important water management is and we seek to apply best practices to our work with it.
Wetlands and Quality Farming
South Fork of the Eau Claire River
In maintaining the naturally occurring wetlands on the east side of the river, the Milewski's have experimented with how to drain fields without drain tiling or soil erosion. A Farm Service Map from the 1920's showed how the Milewski's from that time period used notches in the fields to drain them. Putting in a notch instead of a drain tile takes more time and a constant survey of the field characteristics. Notches also mean that field runoff will flow into the fields and so incremental steps toward a more natural approach to nutrient management is still in progress.
The South Fork of the Eau Claire River runs through the heart of the Milewski Farm. Over decades the family has transformed this waterway into an ecological wonder that is studied worldwide by scientists, ecologists and farmers.. The polluted water was cleaned through natural means and the pasture land adjacent to it has been transformed into high quality grazing for heifers. The river itself is home to a multitude of wildlife that is protected from hunting and trapping and a fish farm is on the horizon for this section of the river.