In this edition:
- Meet the Board of Directors
- November’s Golden Surpirse
- Cover Crop Tool
- Soul of the Soil 2026 — Save the Date!
- Soil Carbon Benchmarking
- Plow & Pen
Meet the Board of Directors!
At the annual Fields of Sinsinawa member meeting in December, the membership decided to create a formal Board of Directors. Tony Peirick, Kathy Kaesebier, and Sheila Fitzgerald, who were original leaders on the Steering Committee, agreed to continue their service on the newly established Board. Subsequently, the Board appointed Nathan Koester to backfill a vacant position and then went on to appoint three more members—Steve Kossel, Brett Runde, and Jennifer Volenec—to fill out the docket. We’re excited to have them all on board!
Runde
Volenec
November’s Golden Surprise
On a crisp late-November day, visitors to the Mound were met with an unexpected splash of color. Along the northeast side of the property, where County Road Z meets Murphy Road, a lush green field—dotted with gorgeous golden sunflowers, delicate blue flax, and pale pink radish blooms—stood in stark contrast to the surrounding landscape, already fading into the muted browns and grays of early winter. This striking field was no ordinary planting. It was an eight-way cover crop mix, featuring oats, radish, flax, cowpea, sorghum, barley, phacelia, and, of course, sunflowers. In an area where cover crops are rarely used—and when they are, it’s typically cereal rye—this diverse mix was a remarkable sight.
Cover Crop Tool
At Fields of Sinsinawa events, Rick Bieber frequently uses his “Plant Interconnectivity 4 Soil Care” diagram—a simple yet powerful tool for selecting plant species in crop rotations or cover crop mixes.
The diagram consists of four quadrants, each representing a different plant category:
- Cool-Season Grass
- Warm-Season Grass
- Cool-Season Broadleaf
- Warm-Season Broadleaf
Dashed red-and-yellow lines connect adjacent quadrants (e.g., cool-season grasses and broadleaves, or cool- and warm-season grasses), while solid green arrows link opposite quadrants (e.g., cool-season grasses and warm-season broadleaves).
Think of these lines like traffic signals: green means “go,” while red and yellow signal caution.
“If you’re selecting plants connected by green arrows, you’re in good shape,” Rick explains. “They complement each other and support a more diverse underground ecosystem. But if they’re separated by red and yellow lines, you need to be careful—they can compete or cause imbalances.”
Rick also emphasizes the importance of species proportion in cover crop mixes.
“In natural systems, broadleaves tend to be more diverse, while grasses grow more densely. When mixing cover crops, we should aim for a higher volume of grasses and fewer broadleaves.”
Additionally, he advocates for lower seeding rates than what is typically recommended.
“If any single species exceeds one seed per square foot, the mix won’t effectively support soil biology,” he says.
This balance is crucial for maximizing cover crop benefits.
“To reduce reliance on ‘cides’ (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc.) and enhance nutrient cycling, we need a thriving, synergistic biological community underground,” he says.
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Soil Carbon Benchmarking
Did you know that most soils contain tens of thousands of pounds of carbon per acre, along with vital stores of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and all of the essential nutrients required for life?
The challenge is that these nutrients are often locked within the soil, making them largely inaccessible to plants. For decades, the conventional approach has been to apply large amounts of synthetic fertilizers to achieve desired yields. However, this practice disrupts the natural biological processes in the soil, weakening the symbiotic relationship between plants and the soil microbiome. Over time, this leads to a cycle of dependency on external inputs rather than biologically-driven nutrient availability.
At Fields of Sinsinawa, we believe that by restoring carbon balance and fostering biological activity, farmers can gradually reduce synthetic inputs while maintaining healthy yields. To better understand these vital soil interactions, we are launching our Carbon Benchmarking Program—and we are inviting area farmers to participate!
What is the Carbon Benchmarking Program?
Starting in 2025, we are partnering with farmers and producer-led groups across Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa to collect soil samples and land management data. This will help establish a benchmark for soil carbon levels and biological activity, providing a clearer picture of the current state of our soils. This multi-year project will involve several rounds of soil sampling to track changes over time.
What’s the Goal?
By contributing to this project, farmers will gain valuable insights into the functionality of their soil while helping to advance good soil care practices. All identifying data will remain confidential, and participants will receive their soil test results once analyzed.
How Can Farmers Participate?
We are looking for dedicated farmers and producer-led groups willing to:
✅ Follow the provided protocol to collect samples and send them to a designated laboratory
✅ Share farm management history with Fields of Sinsinawa
✅ Collaborate with Fields of Sinsinawa on future rounds of sampling and data collection. Fields of Sinsinawa will collect and track soil test results and share them with you while ensuring confidentiality.
Get Involved!
For more details or to sign up, please contact:
Julia Gerlach, Project Manager
juliagerlach442@gmail.com
414-394-9973
or
Rick Bieber, Soil Advisor
2tillornot2@westriv.com
605-848-2198
Plow & Pen
Writings and reflections on soil care, land stewardship, and farming
The following poem was written by Jerry Volenec, owner of Hardscrabble Farms in Montfort, WI, and husband of Board Member Jen Volenec. Jerry says it was written as a commentary on the “Get big or get out” mindset of modern agriculture. It was originally published in The New Yorker on August 10, 2020, in an article by Dan Kaufman in which Jerry’s operation was profiled.
Shovel
I was told to buy a shovel
So I bought a shovel
I was told to dig
So I dug
What is the hole for I asked
For your neighbor, he has passed
I was told to keep digging
So I put my shovel to the task
A hole for each neighbor
Until I was the last
Keep digging I was told
I looked around and asked
Who for?
For yourself I was told
You are needed no more
