In keeping with the historic use of the property as a farm, approximately 112.4 acres of CSA land is leased for use as sustainable agricultural fields. “Sustainable Agriculture” means an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long-term, (a) satisfy human food and fiber needs; (b) enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agriculture economy depends; (c) make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls; (d) sustain the economic viability of farm operations; and (e) enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole. [7 US Code §3103(19)] Such production practices include, by way of example, implementing Best Management Practices through programs of the Natural Resource Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that minimize chemical inputs, minimize soil erosion and manage nutrient applications, reduce or eliminate soil tillage and use of fossil fuels, build soil health, maintain perennial vegetative cover through cover crops and rotational grazing, and protect water quality through buffer strips.
These methods promote stewardship of the soil and water resources, including protecting the streams by reducing soil erosion and enhancing surface and ground water quality of the Lake Winnebago watershed and the Lake Michigan basin.
On August 3, 2022, a kestrel nesting box was erected near the edge of the largest farm field and another was erected in the prairie on the escarpment, in response to a request from Danny Erickson of the Cedar Grove Ornithological Research Station. American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) are a widespread raptor in North America, but recent trends show a population decline prompting many studies on this decline. A shortage of suitable nesting habitat may be a contributing factor to decline, so many nest box monitoring programs across North America have been created. Kestrels are cavity-nesters that readily adapt to human-made nest boxes, making observing Kestrel reproduction relatively simple. Kestrels are highly tolerant to nesting site disturbance, handling, and individual capture and marking by researchers. In late June 2023, a breeding pair who took residence in the box on the ledge were successful in hatching four nestlings. On July 7, 2023, less than one year after the boxes were installed, sisters, associates, staff, and Glacial Lakes Conservancy volunteers, and head researcher Danny Erickson came together to place bands on the ankles of the nestlings.