Michael Fields Agricultural Institute Welcomes Public to Alternative Crops Field Day and Lunch Featuring Millet, Buckwheat, Mung Beans and Kernza

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute staff are delighted to invite the public to our Annual Alternative Crops Field Day on Wednesday, August 5, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The free event will be at MFAI’s NEW research farm at N8832 Pickeral Lake Road, East Troy.

As usual, our field day will feature tours of production fields and research plots. This year, we're trialing varietals of proso millet and buckwheat, along with Pennsylvania Dutch popcorn, mung beans, Kernza perennial grain, and agroforestry perennial plantings. We also have a variety of cover crops employed in different settings. Some of these plots are doing better than others, given the challenging precipitation situation this year, but we'll give you the unvarnished truth about the successes and failures at our non-irrigated demonstration farm. Of course there will be lots of opportunities for dialog and to learn from the experiences of fellow attendees.

Lunch will be very special! Dishes - made and served by staff - will showcase alternative crops including millet, buckwheat, Kernza and mung beans. The planned menu includes South Indian millet cakes and dosai, Hungarian buckwheat crepes, South Indian chutneys, local cheese and honey, seasonal vegetables, and a salad topped with sprouted mung beans.

"The MFAI New Farm is a beautiful property with views of the terminal moraine, glacial kettles, native forest and conservation pollinator strips. Nestled amongst these beautiful landscape features,” says Dr. Nicole Tautges, MFAI Research Director, who supervises the crop trials. Here she is in one of our Kernza fields.  “MFAI staff get to trial alternative crops and perform regenerative ag research that we’re excited to show to our guests, friends, and partners. We hope you are able to join us for this first year at New Farm!” 

New Farm is located in the Southern Kettle Moraine near The Nature Conservancy’s Pickerel Lake Fen Preserve. Pickerel Lake Fen is a protected State Natural Area and is one of the most biologically diverse fens in southeastern Wisconsin. Because water can travel through the surrounding landscape and enter sensitive groundwater systems, MFAI’s use of conservation practices - like prairie strips and cover crops - demonstrates how productive agriculture can help protect nearby wetlands and waterways.  

Education stations led by MFAI staff and collaborators will explore soil health, water quality, alternative crop production, marketing emerging crops, and experimenting with different cover crops. We will be highlighting some of our latest research findings and policy work, including our latest publication that maps Wisconsin's Meat Processing Deserts.

MFAI’s retail business, Fields Best Small Batch Grains, will offer flours, baking mixes, cookies, and brownies for purchase. 

“The MFAI Field Day has long been an annual tradition — a chance to bring farmers, partners, and community members together for practical, place-based learning,” says Ryan Martin, MFAI Executive Director. “This year is especially meaningful as we host a field day for the first time at New Farm, our recently launched crop trial site, where we’re excited to connect research, education, and policy in the field. We hope to see you there.” 

Following the field day, MFAI staff will serve chilled herbal mocktails and take interested guests on a Hay Wagon Ride to explore the forested glacial kettles and in-bloom prairie strips on the property. Then we're inviting guests to join us in beautiful East Troy for a Happy Hour at one of the local pubs.

The Annual Alternative Crops Field Day is free and open to the public. Advance registration is requested for meal planning. Event information and registration are at www.michaelfields.org/event-details/mfai-annual-alternative-crops-field-day.

RSVP