I just handed in my annual report to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This report compiles all of the data that we gather on a daily, weekly and quarterly basis and puts it all together so the DNR can see what we’re doing to care for our land and for the local environment.
Every day, we care for our animals and our land.
Putting the report together is time consuming, but it’s important to show what we do every day to preserve water quality, keep a clean and sanitary dairy and care for our land.
We keep daily logs of all kinds of information on our farm, from what we are planting and harvesting to what we’re feeding our animals to how we’re controlling run off when it rains. Even if we didn’t need to share this information with the DNR, we’d be doing it anyway, because all of this information helps us make the best decisions on how to care for our land.
Having a good relationship with the DNR means there’s a basis of trust that we are doing everything we can for the environment. If there’s a problem, we can be mutually supportive and work it through. It’s a win-win situation for everybody.
