Celebrate Family, Local Farms, and Conservation at Fall Fest on the Prairie - October 17, 2026
Gather your family and friends for an autumn afternoon at New Farm, our research farm in the Kettle Moraine! Michael Fields Agricultural Institute welcomes the community to its second annual Fall Fest on the Prairie on Saturday, October 17, from 3:00 to 7:00 PM at New Farm, N8832 Pickeral Lake Rd, East Troy, WI. This free, family-friendly celebration will feature kids’ activities, natural history hayrides through prairie strips and research fields, a Tool Exchange, campfire, local food and farm vendors, and opportunities to learn about prairie restoration and conservation in the wild heart of Wisconsin’s Southern Kettle Moraine.
Activities will include:
Fall-themed photo opportunities
Kettle Moraine natural history hayrides
Face painting and pumpkin decorating
Local food and farm vendors
Alternative-grain cookie tastings
A gourmet s’mores bar
A Tool Exchange
A silent auction supporting MFAI’s regenerative agriculture research
For the Tool Swap, guests are invited to bring tools, seeds, cuttings, plant divisions, and other useful items they would like to share.
In addition to celebrating the fall harvest season, Fall Fest offers an opportunity to learn about the remarkable geology of the Kettle Moraine region. MFAI Research Director Dr. Nicole Tautges and Research Associate Dr. Jim Stute will lead educational hayrides through the New Farm at 3:30, 4:30, and 5:30 PM.
Nestled into a mosaic of forest, wetlands, savannas, rivers and lakes, the Mukwonago River Watershed is a natural treasure in the southern Kettle Moraine. The surrounding landscape is home to a wide array of native plants and wildlife, including sandhill cranes, tree frogs, mink, red fox, butterflies and dragonflies. MFAI’s organic fields help to steward this fragile environment in partnership with The Nature Conservancy. “The Mukwonago River is classified as an exceptional resource by the DNR because of its high water quality. It is home to several endangered and threatened species, and rare landforms such as calcareous fens,” says Dr. Stute, MFAI’s former Research Director. “The new farm is divided across two subwatersheds, draining into Lulu Lake to the North and also Pickeral Lake then Lake Beulah. The waterway and buffers installed on the farm protect easterly flow, protecting Lake Beulah, which is a huge regional recreational draw. MFAI agricultural practices and research help to protect this major headwater."
Join us on the Prairie!
Guests are encouraged to dress for the outdoors and bring their family and friends for an afternoon of local food, fall fun, and learning on the land.
Admission is free, but guests will have opportunities to support MFAI’s work through a silent auction featuring local goods and experiences.
You don't need to RSVP to attend, but it would help us plan for food and s'mores.
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