Weeding workshops: Building weed management skills and networks with diverse farmers

UW-Madison Extension staff worked with organizational partners and farmers at Fondy Farm to coach growers in the use of mechanized cultivation tools. SARE funds were used to purchase a tool library that was made available to Fondy farmers throughout the 2023 growing season with several opportunities for small group demonstration and workshops allowing growers to utilize the tools and learn the benefits that each tool might offer to increase efficiency of farm operations. A small group of 4-6 farmers worked with the tools through the summer. A late summer 2023 field day trained 18 additional farmers and service providers in mechanized tillage approaches.

Two mechanical weed control field days were held during the fall of 2024. Topics covered during the field days included the theory behind weed management including the weed seed bank, timing, depth, and type of tillage/cultivation. There were also hands-on demonstrations on how the tools operate, what they can be used for, and how to modify them based on field conditions and task. The first field day took place at Rodrigo Cala's farm in Western WI and included 11 farmer attendees. Material was presented in both Spanish and English with simultaneous interpretation. As part of the event, Rodrigo shared the framework of mechanical weed control tools as an investment in the longevity of a farm and how he determines the return on investment for a piece of equipment. The next event occurred in Waukesha County at Gwenyn Hill Farm as part of an apprentice field day serving beginning growers from both the FairShare Apprenticeship program and other growers from around the greater Milwaukee area. This event had 20 farmer or farm worker attendees.

In the spring of 2025, tools were transferred to Fondy Farm and became part of a tool rental library available for both farmers and technical assistance (TA) providers. UW Madison Extension and Fondy Farm hosted a tool library launch field day on May 1^st 2025. The first half of the day covered the scenarios in which each tool should be utilized, the safe use of each tool, and the modifications that can be made to each tool based on field conditions and field layout. In the afternoon attendees had the chance to complete their equipment best practice and safety training that is required to be able to rent a piece of equipment. Growers who expressed interest in purchasing some of their own tools also received support in searching for used tools as well as key factors to consider when buying used.

Both TA providers and farmers will be able to rent equipment. Rentals will be free for farmers while TA providers will be charged a small fee for rentals. Rental fees will support ongoing tool maintenance. In order to rent equipment from the library, users must successfully pass a skills test (Fondy Tool Library Skills Test). To support safe usage, the project also developed a User Checklist for Rental of Power Ox.

To support on-going tool use and management, the project has drafted a user agreement based on examples of tool agreement forms and waivers being used for tool libraries related to maker spaces and public libraries around the country (Draft Tool Library Agreement Form). During the 2025 season, Fondy farm was undergoing a lot of changes including modifications to field access and acreage as well as a staffing shortage. As a result, a formal rental agreement protocol and agreement form remain in draft form and have not been finalized.

There were several takeaways from the first season of the tool library at Fondy Farm. First, even with several field days on weed control and tool demonstrations, farmers still required significant one-to-one support to operate the tools and learn how they could be effectively incorporated into their farming systems. The most effective approach was to set up the equipment and use it in a farmers’ field alongside them. Once they saw it worked well in their fields and how much time it saved, then they were willing to try it themselves and in different situations. Farm staff also parked and displayed the tools in the middle of the farm where farmers would drive by and gather for breaks. This led to more growers asking to try the tools compared to when they were out of sight in the storage shed. Despite the many benefits these tools can provide, change can be a big barrier and an idea really needs to be championed to stick. The 2025 season was largely focused on getting Fondy growers to use the equipment. The 2026 season will be a focus on expanding tool use to the greater Milwaukee area farming community in part through social media posts and taking the tools to other farm clusters. It is anticipated that word-of mouth recommendations from early adopters will gradually lead to increased adoption of these tools within the grower community.

To further support this community of growers in increasing their knowledge of sustainable management practices, strengthening their farmer networks, and building stronger connections with Extension, remaining grant funds were used to support continued learning about weed control approaches through grower attendance to two field days in the fall of 2025 as well as the Emerging Farmers Conference in November 2025. Support included interpretation, mileage reimbursement, and conference registration. Fall field days featured farm tours of two farms in northeastern Wisconsin and one farm in central WI to show how these farms are successfully implementing sustainable weed management practices. Tours allowed attendees to see how other farms are implementing different tools and practices and helped these growers build relationships with experienced farmers with whom they might not have otherwise connected. Two UW Madison Extension staff attended the events alongside the growers to strengthen awareness of technical assistance resources as well as continue to build trust between Extension and underserved growers.

Evaluations from the 2024 field days indicated that all participants increased their knowledge around mechanical weed control either somewhat (33%) or a great deal (67%). Participants indicated that they will change aspects of their farming practices somewhat (63%) and a great deal (37%) of the time based on information they learned during these field days. After the tool library launch, two farmers at Fondy farm indicated that they plan to buy their own equipment with one grower especially interested in purchasing a used walk behind tractor. Some common themes around changes to practices included thinking of weed control as part of a larger cultural system of production and managing the germination zone as a way to draw down the weed seedbank without bringing up deeper weed seeds.