During a recent luncheon at Fountain Prairie, the county’s WLWCA representative, Kurt Calkins, said the land wasn’t always a model for conservation. He said back in the late 80’s, when the Priskes bought the farm, soil loss was big concern.
After struggling to profitably grow corn, the Priskes started working more on caretaking of the land with tree planting and grassland/wetland restoration. They switched their focus to raising Scottish Highland Cattle and providing meat to both customers and restaurants.
“Because they (local chefs) promote us and support us, we are allowed to do the things we need to do which keeps us economically viable,” said John.
The Priskes also installed a wind turbine on the property which produces surplus power to give back to the grid.
