Derek Sippel is a fifth-generation farmer who milks 120 cows and farms 950 acres in St. Cloud, Wis. He knows there is no manual on how to use progressive farming practices, so having a group of people to talk to with similar goals and ideas is helpful to him.

Besides SRPF, he has also learned about conservation from Rick Clark, Gabe Brown and Steve Groff. They share a lot of information on regenerative agriculture on YouTube, social media and podcasts. He feels fortunate to have a lot of farmer-led groups in the area hosting field days and other events. Derek encourages someone who is just starting to explore conservation practices to attend those events and network with other farmers. He enjoys hearing advice and information right from other farmers.

Derek's farm has been planting cover crops and using a no-till drill for about eight years. With some areas on the farm with significant slope, erosion was why he started, but he soon found all the soil heath improvements that came with it. He knows it's important to have a sustainable farm to continue to produce the best quality food they can and for the next generation of farmers.