The University of Wisconsin Division of Extension has released the Lower Fox Demonstration Farms Network (Fox Demo Farms) Impact Evaluation Report, which describes the role of the Fox Demo Farms in prompting farmers associated with the project, as well as farmers who are not directly associated with the project, to adopt conservation practices within the Lower Fox River watershed. Fox Demo Farms are a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) project funded through United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The report looks comprehensively at farmers' experiences with conservation practices and compiles recommendations from farmers and stakeholders to inform future priorities. The evaluation project was designed to better understand the project's impacts on the watershed and highlights transferable findings that can be used in other watersheds throughout the Great Lakes Basin.
Fox Demo Farms began in 2014 and was the first project of its kind in the Great Lakes Basin. The Fox Demo Farms’ objectives are to:
- Establish demonstration farms within the Lower Fox River Basin to test new and standard conservation systems in reducing phosphorus and sediment.
- Establish an efficient mechanism to share this technology and information with farmers, agribusiness, conservation agencies, and the public.
- Create opportunities for others to test their research and program ideas.
- Share information and lessons learned throughout the Great Lakes basin.