At a Glance
- Location: Durand, Pepin County
- Farming enterprises: Holstein cows, heifers and calves, crops
- Size of farm: 3,000 owned acres, 700 rented acres, 2,000 Holstein cows, 1,500 heifers, 250 calves
2025 Wisconsin Master Agriculturist Don Weiss grew up on the farm he and his family operate near Durand in Pepin County, Wis. He is the fifth generation of his family to do so.
The farm dates back to 1881, when Don’s great-great-grandparents John and Mary Weiss immigrated from Austria and purchased 80 acres. In 1891, they bought another 80 acres as part of the original 160-acre farm. John’s son Anton bought his own farm a quarter-mile away, so when John retired in 1918, he sold his farm to his grandson John W. Weiss — Don’s grandfather...
...The Weisses are also conservation-minded. In 2021, Don was named Pepin County Conservation Farmer of the Year. He has been enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program for more than 20 years, and they have planted cover crops on their farm for the past 25 years. Don is a founding member and serves on the board of directors for the Bear Creek Farmer-Led Watershed.
He also allowed the University of Wisconsin Discovery Farms to install a lysimeter project on the farm. This ongoing research is part of a nitrate mitigation project monitored through on-farm practices. “Through Discovery Farms, we have put in eight collection sites for lysimeters,” Don explains. “We want to help find out which farming practices help slow the leaching of nitrogen in the soil.”...
...more
Ken Notes: Far a large farm, they seem to be environmentally conscious...
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- - Volume: 25 - WEEK: 11 Date: 3/10/2025 9:16:11 AM -