Discovery Farms

Discovery Farms® is a farmer-led research and outreach program within UW-Madison Division of Extension.

Steering Committee

Discovery Farms is governed by a Steering Committee. The committee, chaired by a farmer, includes representatives from Wisconsin farm, agribusiness, and environmental organizations. Most of the Steering Committee members are farmers. In addition, there is a group of non-voting advisors representing various public agencies and the University system. The Discovery Farms Steering Committee has four main duties:

Provide oversight, direction, and guidance to Discovery Farms
Assist in identifying topics and project possibilities, including project and cooperator selection
Provide regional assistance to Discovery Farms cooperators
Help share Discovery Farms information to the membership of many statewide and local organizations

Duties of the Steering Committee do not stop at the board meeting door. Farmer leadership is a crucial component of Discovery Farms and the Steering Committee, as well as farmer cooperators, are encouraged to stay involved year-round.

Members

Christina Anderson

Water Protection Program Manager
WI Land + Water
Madison

Chuck Bolte

Wisconsin Association of Professional Agricultural Consultants

Joe Bragger

Farmer
Wisconsin Soybean Growers
Independence

Tom Bressner

Agribusiness
Wisconsin Agri-Business Association
Madison

Nathan Brickl

Farmer
Wisconsin Pork Association
Spring Green

Andy Dierks

Farmer
WI Potato & Vegetable Growers Association
Coloma

Steve Duwe

Farmer
Wisconsin Corn Growers Association
Lake Mills

Ryan Gerlich

Assistant State Conservationist
Natural Resources Conservation Service

Ken Hafstad

Agribusiness
Wisconsin Poultry and Egg Association
Barron

Jake Hoewisch

Professional Dairy Producers

Shelly Mayer

Professional Dairy Producers

Robert Nigh

Farmer
Wisconsin Farm Bureau
Viroqua

Amy Penterman

Dairy Business Association

Terry Quam

Chairman, Farmer
Wisconsin’s Cattlemen’s Association
Lodi

Lisa Ramatowski

Direct Channel Marketing
Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin

Michael Slattery

Farmer
Wisconsin Farmers Union

Dan Smith

Cooperative Liaison
Cooperative Network
Madison

Mike Tiboris

Clear Water Farms Director
River Alliance of Wisconsin

Jeffrey Voltz

Department of Natural Resources
Madison

Sarah Walling

Water and Agriculture Program Director
Clean Wisconsin

Mark Witecha

Soil and Watershed Management Section Manager
Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection

Kay Zwald

Vice Chairman, Farmer
Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin
Hammond