This edition of Fishers & Farmers - Neighbor to Neighbor takes us to Jo Daviess County Illinois where the Apple/Plum Watershed is.  The Apple/Plum Watershed encompasses 950,000 acres including parts of southwest Wisconsin, northeast Iowa, and northwest Illinois.  All of that geography drains to the Mississippi River. With karst topography and wooded blufflands in the Galena area near the Mississippi, tourists and recreational land owners flock.

Jo Daviess County Soil & Water Health Coalition was established in early 2017. The idea was floated first by Galena, IL resident Beth Baranski, who had an interest in local land and water issues. In August 2016 she participated in the first Fishers & Farmers Partnership workshop, where she met farmers and watershed coordinators who were bringing neighbors together to find productive local solutions for farms and streams.  She joins Pam Jahnke to discuss where the program's taken her.

Along with Beth Baranski, Greg Thoren, a lifelong resident of Jo Daviess County and farmer for 45 years - conversations turned into in-field learning.

Thoren started his farming career with conventional cropping systems, began using some no till on hay ground in the 1970s, and now farms 2200 acres using no till, cover crops, and non GMO practices on all land. His main goal is to keep land covered and reduce soil erosion. He is now building daily livestock grazing into the system with 100 head of cattle, which he plans to increase for more regenerative results. He is
excited about his many, many experiments and the learning that comes with them.

Fishers & Farmers - Neighbor to Neighbor is brought to you in part by the support of Saddle Butte Ag.