Adamski Family Receives Wisconsin Leopold Conservation Award
November 14, 2024
The Adamski family of Seymour has been selected as the 2024 Wisconsin Leopold Conservation Award® recipient.
The $10,000 award honors farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat on working land.
Rick Adamski and Valerie Dantoin, who own and operate Full Circle Farm, were revealed as the award recipient at the November 14 meeting of the Wisconsin Board of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection in Madison. A video celebrating the Shawano County farm family’s conservation success will be premiered during the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Meeting on December 8.
Sand County Foundation and national sponsor American Farmland Trust present Leopold Conservation Awards to private landowners in 28 states. In Wisconsin the award is presented with Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation and Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.
Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes landowners who inspire others to consider conservation opportunities on their land. In his influential 1949 book, A Sand County Almanac, Leopold called for “a land ethic,” an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage.
Earlier this year, Wisconsin landowners were encouraged to apply, or be nominated, for the award. Nominations were reviewed by an independent panel of agricultural and conservation leaders from Wisconsin.
“We bank our wealth in the soil and the nutrients stored there,” Valerie Dantoin says of her family’s approach to farming.
Their 240-acre Shawano County farm is covered with a green, protective blanket year-round thanks to the managed grazing system that she and husband Rick Adamski have established.
Soil tests routinely show their pastures’ organic matter is two percent higher than neighboring tilled corn and soybean fields. It is estimated that every one percent increase in organic matter helps hold 20,000 gallons more water per acre, which helps withstand deluges and droughts.
In addition to improving soil’s organic matter levels and ability to infiltrate water, permanently covered pastures also help sequester carbon. Rick and Valerie have followed the guidelines for biodiversity, soil, and water conservation to maintain their farm’s organic certification since the 1990s.
“If we could not farm in an environmentally friendly way, we wouldn’t farm at all,” Valerie said.
That sentiment means making sure their cattle herd size matches the carrying capacity of their land. Since retiring from milking dairy cows in 2014, they rotationally graze a herd of 100 beef cattle. For 25 years they have composted all their cattle’s winter manure.
At Rick and Valerie’s aptly named Full Circle Farm, their son Andrew and his partner Heather Toman are helping usher in its next life stage, a return to a diversified farm. They manage about 60 pigs and a flock of laying hens on pasture, raise 10 acres of vegetables, and have established a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) business.
Full Circle Farm feeds about 1,000 people weekly through its 150 CSA shares and sales at farmers markets. Andrew experiments with bio-char and vertical tillage on vegetable crops as part of his master’s degree study on soil health.
Rick and Valerie have founded two farm cooperatives focused on fair prices for sustainably produced food and ensuring that other conservation-minded farms have access to mid-sized markets.
Full Circle Farm regularly hosts field days, including events targeted to female landowners who want to learn about establishing pollinator habitat and riparian buffers. Valerie co-founded the Wisconsin Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship program and is a conservation coach for Wisconsin Women in Conservation. She previously led GrassWorks, a statewide organization that promotes grazing’s conservation benefits. Rick served as president of Wisconsin Farmers Union and has been a consultant for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
The Adamski family has planted several hundred shrubs, and oak and cedar trees. Riparian buffers along a waterway were expanded to 30 feet. Fence lines and hedgerows border Full Circle Farm’s 25 fields. These areas and a farm pond provide habitat and migration corridors for badger, fox, pheasants, green heron, Sandhill cranes, and Hungarian partridge.
“It is ethical to leave a corner of the farm as wetlands for frogs and migrating waterfowl,” Valerie recently wrote regarding her land ethic.
“The ethical thing to do is to care for the land, soil, and water as if our children’s children are the ones who will farm after we are gone,” she continued. “It is ethical to enjoy the sunset and see the fruits of your labors, to revel in the richness of the land all around you, and to never once wonder what it’s worth.”
ACCOLADES
“We are honored to partner with Sand County Foundation and the Leopold Conservation Awards, which support the importance of sustainable agriculture in Wisconsin and celebrate the award winners recognized for their dedication to environmental improvement,” said Chad Vincent, CEO of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.
“Wisconsin farmers are on the frontlines of progress when it comes to preserving the future of agriculture. Wisconsin Farm Bureau is proud to elevate sustainability stories that are advancing Wisconsin agriculture,” said Wisconsin Farm Bureau President Brad Olson. “We appreciate Full Circle Farm’s well-founded conservation approach, and we congratulate them on their efforts.”
“These award recipients are examples of how Aldo Leopold’s land ethic is alive and well today,” said Kevin McAleese, Sand County Foundation President and CEO. “Their dedication to conservation is both an inspiration to their peers as well as a reminder to all how important thoughtful agriculture is to clean water, healthy soil, and wildlife habitat.”
“As the national sponsor for Sand County Foundation’s Leopold Conservation Award, American Farmland Trust celebrates the hard work and dedication of the award recipients,” said John Piotti, AFT President and CEO. “At AFT we believe that exemplary conservation involves the land itself, the practices employed on the land, and the people who steward it. This award recognizes the integral role of all three.”
"Rick and Valerie are successful farmers, community leaders, and stewards of Wisconsin’s land and water,” said Randy Romanski, Wisconsin Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. “The Adamski family exemplify how to practice conservation, operate a successful business, and educate others on lessons learned in the field and on the farm. Thank you to Rick, Valerie, and their family for their work to ensure markets for farms, practice stewardship, and provide learning opportunities to farmers of all backgrounds.”
Among the many outstanding Wisconsin landowners nominated for the award were finalists: Bartling’s Manitowish Cranberry Co. of Manitowish Waters in Vilas County, Glacial Lake Cranberries of Wisconsin Rapids in Wood County, and Joe Hovel of Conover in Vilas County.
The Leopold Conservation Award in Wisconsin is made possible thanks to the generous contributions from American Farmland Trust, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Sand County Foundation, Culver’s, Compeer Financial, McDonald’s, The Nature Conservancy, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Wisconsin Corn Growers Association, Wisconsin Corn Promotion Board, Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Association, and Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association.
To view all past recipients of the Wisconsin Leopold Conservation Award, visit: www.SandCountyFoundation.org/Wisconsin.
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SAND COUNTY FOUNDATION inspires and empowers private landowners to ethically manage natural resources so future generations have clean and abundant water, healthy soil to support agriculture and forestry, plentiful habitat for wildlife and opportunities for outdoor recreation. www.sandcountyfoundation.org