Ozaukee County Demonstration Farm Network
Demo Farms
The four farms participating in the network are:
Lake Breeze Farms demo fields are located south of Hwy P between I-43 and Hwy LL.
Lake Breeze Farms
Lake Breeze Farms is run by Brian and Roger Karrels, a father-and-son team. They operate a 2,000-acre cash grain farm in the Town of Port Washington.
They use cover crops to improve soil health and have recently begun using no-till and plan to do so with corn this upcoming year.
They have also been experimenting with frost seeding their wheat fields with clover. These folks are an excellent demonstration of what a transition from conventional to no-till looks like for a farmer considering the switch.
Redline Dairy Farm, LLC
Redline Dairy Farm is operated by Matt Winker and his wife, Sarah. Matt serves as the vice-chairman of the Milwaukee River Watershed Clean Farm Families.
The couple, along with their two daughters, previously milked 125 Holsteins and grew alfalfa, corn and soybeans. Recently, the family has decided to transition from milking cows to sheep farming. They are excited for this transition and to demonstrate what is all involved in the transition to rotational grazing for sheep. These changes include planting more pasture and the installation of grazing paddocks.
Winker continues to show area farmers how he plants his crops by no-till methods on his farm, which is a concern due to the proximity of the county to Lake Michigan.
Redline Dairy Farm, LLC demo field is located south of CTH-A and east of KK Rd.
Melichar Broad Acres demo field is located west of Willow Ln and is split by KK Rd.
Melichar Broad Acres
Adam operates a family-owned dairy farm also in the town Port Washington.
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Milking over 1,400 cows, and running over 1500 acres of mostly corn and alfalfa, Adam realizes the importance of caring for the soil and eliminating as much runoff as possible.
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They are interested in demonstrating interseeding of cover crops, along with no-till and low disturbance manure application.
The most recent project will involve installing a U-drain system to collect leachate from the stacked feed on the pad and any contact water. When feed is not creating leachate, the U-drain system may be closed to allow clean water to bypass the leachate pond. This system will reduce the amount of rainwater from getting into the leachate storage pond.
Joe and Amy Lapinski Farms
The newest participant to the Ozaukee County Demonstration Farm Network is Joe and Amy Lapinski Farms.
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Their demonstration fields will be highlighting no-till planting of corn and soybeans. They have also been experimenting with frost seeding their wheat fields with clover.
Joe and Amy Lapinski Farms demo fields are located north of Sandy Beach Rd between I-43 and Lake Church Rd.
