Protection of the Norman J. Fehring Farm
Posted in Categories Land Protection
On February 22, 2023, the Cedar Lakes Conservation Foundation (CLCF) closed on an agricultural land easement on 133 acres of the Norman J. Fehring Family farm located just south of Pleasant Valley Road in the Town of Polk.
CLCF partnered with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) to bring this transaction to fruition through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The RCPP program helps local farmers keep farmland in production. As part of this program, CLCF aims to permanently protect prime farmland in its mission area.
The Norman J. Fehring Family farm has been in the Fehring Family since the mid-1800s. You may have seen the cattle that are often on the hill north of the farmhouse and barn as you start up the hill on Pleasant Valley Road towards Hillside Road. Ron Fehring lives on the farm and raises cattle for grass-fed beef and has just over 90 acres in hay and row crops. In addition, a highlight of the property is Cedar Creek, which runs directly through the western portion of the property.
The Fehring agricultural land easement is the first easement transaction to close as part of CLCF’s and MMSD’s partnership to protect farmland through the RCPP program in the Milwaukee River watershed.
CLCF is incredibly grateful to Ron Fehring and his sisters for protecting this truly unique property.
The protection of this property results in nearly 400 acres of protected land in the valley and on the ridge of Hillside Road.
