Matt and his wife, Sarah, own Redline Dairy in the Town of Belgium in Ozaukee County. They milk 100 cows and farm 450 acre. Wanting to cut down significantly on expenses, Matt switched to no-till planting in 2013 and started dabbling with cover crops in 2015 with all acres having cover crops in 2018 and beyond. Soil erosion, fertilizer and chemical inputs have been reduced drastically. “It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been profitable.”
Andy Holschbach, Director of the Ozaukee County Land & Water Management Department served 36 years working with agricultural producers promoting implementation of soil and water conservation practices. Andy has lifelong connections to farming as he grew up on a dairy farm in Manitowoc County. Andy believes strongly in Farmer-led watershed protection groups and appreciates their ability to promote soil health and improve water quality. “Soils are alive, and once people know that they treat it differently.”