Milwaukee Women's Urban Ag Network: Putting Conservation Into Practice

Wisconsin Women in Conservation (WiWiC) is hosting an Urban Agriculture workshop on Tuesday, April 16th, from 1-3:30pm at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. The event is for all urban growers, regardless of experience or the amount of land being cultivated. Participants will learn about soil health and water conservation practices they can use to improve their outcomes, and learn about new opportunities to design and fund those practices. The event is free and snacks will be provided. Pre-registration is preferred, for planning purposes, at wiwic.org. 

“I am excited to connect with Milwaukee growers, share about resources that are available to them, and let folks know that there are indeed conservation practices that they can implement, regardless of how big or small the land that they are working with is!” says Noemy Serrano, who is a Regional Coordinator with WiWiC and leads the WiWiC Milwaukee Urban Ag Network. 

Participants will meet representatives from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), who will explain new federal farm programs that can benefit small scale, innovative and urban growers. You do not need to own land to participate in these programs. 

“April is such a wonderful time to gather at an event like this and spend time taking our winter dreams for the gardens and land we tend into plans,” says Bridget Siler, a soil conservationist with NRCS, who lives in Milwaukee and will present at the workshop. 

Participants will also hear from Kaitlin Schott, who is the state’s Urban Agriculture and Specialty Crops Conservationist with NRCS.  She is herself an avid backyard gardener, and grows fruits, vegetables, perennials and native plants. 

The goal of the workshop is to make women growers aware of practices and infrastructure innovations to improve soil quality, crop resilience, water conservation and success in gardens and crops, regardless of size. The NRCS can offer a variety of supports, including technical design assistance and cost share funding for high tunnels, raised beds, irrigation, cover crops, pollinator plantings and other practices. 

Event Details:

• Event is free to attend but registration is required and space is limited.
• Light snacks and beverages will be provided.
• Women, all who identify as such, are welcome to attend – from  landowners to farmers to conservationist enthusiasts – whatever your background, from beginners to experts!
• Our WiWiC events follow a Learning Circle model, with ample time and a safe space for story sharing, networking and collaborative learning. We all have something to both share and learn together
• Photos will be taken at this event and used for educational purposes and to promote future events only by WiWiC and the partner groups.  If you do not wish to have your picture taken, let the on-site WiWiC host know.
• WiWiC is a family-friendly space and you are welcome to bring your children.