Fundraiser at the Home of Margaret Krome and Steve Ventura

MFAI is in the process of designing a simple yet appealing facility on their beautiful, certified organic and ecologically sensitive Pickerel Lake Road Farm near East Troy. This property is on an agricultural easement and has been given special status by both DNR and The Nature Conservancy. We are in the pre-release stage of a “Raise the Roof” capital campaign for this project and your early support is momentous! We can't wait to see you and tell you all about this exciting project. We'll have wine, Steve's home-brewed Kernza beer, The Cider Farm cider, and a big spread of savory and sweet treats.

Why should you care?

MFAI is an institution that supports agricultural resiliency through a wealth of programs. We’ve been supporting the regenerative community through research, policy advocacy, and education since 1984. This location is already the site of many trials with local farmers, the University of Wisconsin, and the MFAI research team on cover crops and alternative grains. The land supplies Kernza, a perennial wheat that holds promise for saving soil and water, to local breweries, bakers, and restaurants.

The building will be multifunctional to accommodate a number of uses:

-store tractors and other equipment for on-site field trials

-provide lab space for MFAI’s Research Program work on Kernza, alternative cover crops, vegetables, and more

-host educational events and field days for farmers, researchers, youth, and beginning growers

-anchor an interpretive landscape with kiosks and trails through woods, trial fields, protected moraines, and prairie restoration areas to portray the importance of agricultural stewardship in sensitive watersheds

How can you help?

Funds raised at this party will provide a foundation to draw up the architectural plans, pay for permits and engineering, and pave the way for a more public capital campaign. If you can't come, you can still give at THIS LINK.

If you can come, please do RSVP to help us plan for food and drink. You will choose your own price for tickets. Here are our suggestions:

$500 Super-Supporter

$250 Co-Host

$150 Co-Sponsor

All gifts are welcome and very appreciated!

To see the work that MFAI is currently doing through Research, Policy, and Education to support regenerative farms, farmers, and communities, visit the website HERE. For questions about the building project, contact Kriss Marion, Director of Development, at 608-646-4652 or kmarion@michaelfields.org. For more information about the fundraiser, contact Margaret directly at mkrome@michaelfields.org.