Crawford Stewardship Project is excited to announce the launch of a new project to help shape the future of agriculture here in the Driftless Area. This project will be pitched to the North Crawford School Board at the January 18, 2023 meeting being held at 6:00 P.M. at North Crawford Schools.
The goal of this project is to reduce school expenses for land maintenance (lawn mowing expenses) as well as introduce students, staff, and parents to the world of agriculture with real, hands-on experience. Participants in this project will take part in every step of the process of running a farm business.
“So, how are we supposed to do that?”
The answer is simple; start farming!
North Crawford Schools sits on roughly 60 acres of beautiful Driftless Area land. Approximately half of this land is left to be mowed each year, costing the school a substantial amount of money for fuel, labor, equipment, and equipment maintenance. Our solution is to graze sheep on the further reaches of the property to cut down on this substantial cost. The project could end there. However, the stones we throw are better aimed at two or more birds in our opinion.
The second bird in our crosshairs is utilizing the resource of grazing sheep to teach our participants about agriculture, business, soil health, ecology, and the other facets of farming. With the Ag Program at North Crawford making a recent return, this really is a golden opportunity to set North Crawford apart from other schools in our area.
“Cool, but WHO IS GOING TO PAY FOR IT?!”
Ahh, the age-old question of who is going to pay for it. With the cost savings of not having to mow the large acreage, the school would surely come out ahead on the balance sheet. However, the connections that Crawford Stewardship Project has made will make sure that this project will come with no cost to the school if they should decide that there is no room in the budget. Materials, animals, and labor will be provided via CSP donors and staff if the school is unable to provide funding.
While this project is not set in stone, it has been thoroughly worked through and is high on the priority list for us here at CSP.
Please reach out to our Community Engagement Coordinator, Joseph Childs, who is spearheading this project, with all of your concerns, questions, and comments. We hope to see a bunch of you at the school board meeting January 18, 2023 at 6:00 P.M.
We hope that you all had a happy and safe holiday season with your families.
Joseph Childs
608-485-2048
driftlesswatershed@gmail.com
