Wisconsin Farms & Ranches Earn Audubon Bird-Friendly Land Certification

WISCONSIN (August 19, 2026) — At a dangerous time for America’s grasslands and the birds that depend upon them, the Nationwide Audubon Society is proud to acknowledge seven Wisconsin farms and ranches newly licensed as Audubon Licensed Chook-Pleasant Land. Earned by Audubon’s Conservation Ranching program, the newly licensed operations are Bouressa Household Farm close to New London; Prairie Pastured Beef close to Rudolph; the Kerstiens Household Farm close to Stitzer; the Kieckhoefer Household Farm close to New Richmond; Willow Creek Ranch close to Coon Valley; Riemer Household Farm close to Brodhead; and Sedge Wooden Farms in Cornell. 

Audubon Conservation Ranching is a science-based certification program that works with farmers and ranchers to handle the steep decline of North America’s grassland birds whereas supporting wholesome, productive agricultural operations. By means of Audubon Licensed Chook-Pleasant Land, producers develop and implement a Habitat Administration Plan tailor-made to their land and operation and full an unbiased third-party audit. Administration facilities on rotational grazing—utilizing livestock to create a mosaic of habitat that gives habitat for various fowl species—together with practices comparable to bird-friendly haying, woody vegetation administration, prescribed fireplace, wetland and oak savanna restoration, and safety of streams and different delicate areas.

Since 1970, grassland birds have skilled the steepest inhabitants decline of any terrestrial fowl group in North America, pushed largely by habitat loss and degradation. Immediately, 157 Audubon Licensed Chook-Pleasant farms and ranches are managing 4.5 million acres throughout the USA to offer high-quality habitat for grassland birds and different wildlife whereas sustaining productive working lands.

Certification additionally carries the conservation story past the farm gate. Every operation can now use the Audubon Licensed Chook-Pleasant Land certification seal on qualifying beef merchandise and to advertise its enterprise, giving shoppers a visual connection between the meals they buy and the grasslands the place it was raised. At a time when analysis reveals many Individuals have a restricted understanding of and connection to grasslands, the seal can function connective tissue between shoppers and conservation—serving to folks acknowledge that decisions within the market can help farmers and ranchers who’re managing habitat for birds and biodiversity. 

The milestone marks the fruits of labor that started with Audubon’s 2024 formal launch of this system in Wisconsin.   “Certification acknowledges what these farmers and ranchers are conducting on the bottom, but it surely’s additionally the start of a long-term partnership,” mentioned Ashly Steinke, Audubon Grassland Ecologist in Wisconsin. “Each one among these farms is totally different, and that’s the energy of working immediately with producers to search out ways in which good grazing administration can create the number of habitat grassland birds want. I see those self same connections alone Sedge Wooden Farms in Cornell, which my household manages as Audubon Licensed Chook-Pleasant Land and I exploit as an illustration website for this system. Wholesome grasslands can help birds, cattle, and the individuals who make their dwelling from the land.” 

Audubon Licensed Chook-Pleasant Land certification is earned following an unbiased third-party audit and requires farms and ranches to satisfy requirements for habitat administration, environmental sustainability, and animal well being and welfare. By means of Audubon Conservation Ranching, producers work with Audubon ecologists to develop and regularly adapt administration methods knowledgeable by fowl and habitat monitoring. 

The newly licensed Wisconsin operations show how these rules will be utilized throughout the state’s numerous working landscapes: 

Bouressa Household Farm — New London 

Rachel Bouressa returned to her household’s former dairy farm and transitioned the operation right into a grass-based cattle ranch. Immediately, the 365-acre farm helps a cow-calf and grass-finishing operation whereas offering habitat for species together with Jap Meadowlark, Bobolink, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Dickcissel. Along with rotational grazing, Bouressa is working to reconnect grasslands fragmented by tree rows and restore beforehand drained wetlands, including habitat variety throughout the farm. 

Kerstiens Household Farm — Stitzer 

Casey Kerstiens manages his household farm in Wisconsin’s Driftless Space, the place a everlasting stream winds by the pastures and an oak savanna stays on the property. His grazing method is especially nicely suited to grassland birds: cattle use the house pasture for spring calving earlier than being moved to different pastures, permitting the grass to get well for the rest of the rising season and creating a mixture of shorter and taller vegetation for species together with Upland Sandpiper, Bobolink, and Grasshopper Sparrow. The farm can be working to handle jap pink cedar and multiflora rose, defend its riparian areas, and use prescribed fireplace to enhance habitat and forage. 

Prairie Pastured Beef — Rudolph 

Carl Flaig manages roughly 500 acres inside Wisconsin’s Central Wisconsin Grassland Conservation Space, one of many state’s most essential landscapes for grassland birds. The property traditionally supported Higher Prairie-Rooster leks, and an lively lek stays immediately throughout a county highway from the farm’s pastures. Flaig additionally makes use of cattle to handle adjoining Wisconsin Division of Pure Assets grasslands for Higher Prairie-Rooster habitat. His administration emphasizes sustaining a assorted grassland construction, controlling woody encroachment, and utilizing grazing to help species together with Higher Prairie-Rooster, Brief-eared Owl, Upland Sandpiper, Bobolink, and Grasshopper Sparrow. 

Kieckhoefer Household Farm — New Richmond 

Fourth-generation rancher David Kieckhoefer manages 385 acres in Wisconsin’s Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Space, the place his grasslands complement a broader community of publicly managed wetland and grassland habitat. Audubon fowl surveys have already documented excessive numbers of a number of precedence grassland species on the ranch. Kieckhoefer is constructing on that basis by rotational grazing, bird-friendly haying, woody vegetation administration, and alternatives to revive oak savanna and set up native warm-season grasses. 

Willow Creek Ranch — Coon Valley 

Rod Ofte manages the 168-acre Willow Creek Ranch within the Driftless Space’s historic Coon Creek Watershed. A chilly-water stream supporting brook and brown trout winds by the property, whereas its panorama transitions from open grassland to remnant oak savanna and hardwood forest. Ofte makes use of rotational grazing to create assorted vegetation construction for birds comparable to Bobolink, Jap Meadowlark, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Savannah Sparrow, whereas mechanical elimination and prescribed fireplace are getting used to revive oak savanna habitat for Pink-headed Woodpecker. 

Riemer Household Farm — Brodhead 

Bryce and Jen Riemer and their household handle 160 acres of pasture alongside roughly 300 acres of natural crops in southern Wisconsin. Their grass-finished cattle operation makes use of rotational grazing to create each shorter and taller vegetation wanted by species comparable to Upland Sandpiper, Bobolink, and Grasshopper Sparrow. The farm additionally participates in a nutrient-reduction program with the Metropolis of Brodhead, the place practices together with delayed hay and pasture chopping complement its bird-friendly administration.

The Audubon Conservation Ranching program in Wisconsin is supported by companions together with the Driftless Space Land Conservancy, Golden Sands Useful resource Conservation & Growth, GrassWorks/Grassland 2.0, Nationwide Fish and Wildlife Basis, Pure Assets Conservation Service, Pure Assets Basis of Wisconsin, Sand County Basis, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wisconsin Division of Pure Assets, and others. 

About Audubon Conservation Ranching 

Audubon Conservation Ranching companions with ranchers to maintain wholesome grasslands, ample birdlife, and resilient rural communities. By means of our bird-friendly land certification and science-based method, we empower land stewards to reinforce habitat, enhance soil well being and water high quality, and strengthen the connection between conservation and ranching. By buying merchandise from Audubon Licensed Chook-Pleasant Land, shoppers grow to be conservationists, serving to defend America’s grasslands and the birds, wildlife, and those who depend upon them. For extra data, go to www.audubon.org/ranching.