Demonstration farm networks are a longstanding USDA mechanism designed to support storytelling and public outreach about best practices in agriculture. These programs identify local cohorts of exemplary growers in various agricultural regions around the U.S. Enrolled growers collaborate with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), university extension services, peer growers, and other farmer-supporting agencies to showcase the latest in innovative agricultural practices. Through collaborative storytelling, public tours and field days, and on-farm research, demonstration farm networks raise the visibility of practices championed by USDA-NRCS aimed at improving farm profits, or conservation outcomes, and regional food security.

Why We Started an Urban Demonstration Farm Network

The Milwaukee Urban Demonstration (MUD) Farm Network is a uniquely Milwaukee-flavored spin on the familiar USDA demonstration farm genre. Wisconsin’s eight existing demonstration farm networks relate the latest production and stewardship innovations by farmers in more rural parts of the State. Learning from the success of these rural demonstration farm networks, the Community Food Systems Program of UW-Extension is partnering with USDA-NRCS to support urban agriculture in the greater Milwaukee area. Our network showcases and promotes the work of food and specialty crop farmers in urban and peri-urban areas of Southeastern Wisconsin.

MUD Farm Network features six Milwaukee area urban growers at the leading edge of production and conservation practices in the Lake Michigan watershed. Each farm in this program is unique in scale, mission, and production techniques, but one thing unites all growers in the network: a desire to share their innovative work in small-scale agriculture with fellow farmers and the public. MUD creates a vehicle for growers to share their stories, further implement stewardship practices, and generate useful data about soil, water, wildlife interactions, and crop production. An additional facet of this project is creating channels for smaller urban and peri-urban farm businesses to guide UW Extension, USDA-NRCS, and other farmer-serving agencies in how to better serve this rapidly growing segment of the agricultural sector.

About Our Team

The small team of Extension professionals supporting MUD works out of the UW Extension Milwaukee County office in West Allis, WI. The core team consists of a Project Coordinator, Grower Liaison, and Principal Investigator. With a team this small, we rely heavily on the talents of collaborators from other nongovernmental Extension and academic programs, which play key roles in managing data, studying wildlife interactions, and evaluating program efficacy. Through a dense network of collaborations with extension colleagues, federal partners, enrolled growers, outside experts, and the public, this team aims to elevate and advance conversations about the latest and best innovations in urban farming.