Since the founding of the multigenerational dairy farm in Waterloo, Wis., in 1980, they’ve adopted sustainable farming practices, added a cheese factory to increase the value of their milk, and operate a manure digester that generates enough electricity to power their operation and 300 neighboring homes, making them a carbon-negative company.

When Marion Calmer bought his first farm back in the 1980s, a quote attributed to British mathematician Lord Kelvin was top of mind: “We can’t improve on things we don’t measure or research.”

While there are many benefits to long-term no-till and cover cropping, unfortunately, it is also a very stable environment for slugs and voles.