This summer has brought several staffing changes to the Rice SWCD. Jarett Spitzack has taken a job as the new Ditch Inspector for Rice County. Kourtney Spitzack has also taken a new position with the Le Sueur SWCD as their Outreach Specialist. We wish Jarett and Kourtney the best of luck in their new positions.
The Rice SWCD would also like to welcome Alan Kraus as our new Soil Health Specialist. Alan will be splitting his time with the Steele SWCD, working with producers and landowners in both counties to implement soil health conservation practices. Contact Alan with all your questions about cover crops, conservation tillage, and conservation program opportunities.
Alan earned an M.S. in Agricultural Economics and a B.S. in Dairy Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has 25 years of experience dairy farming in Central Wisconsin where he implemented managed grazing and no-till planting of corn and soybeans. As Chair of the Marathon County Environmental Resources Committee, Alan worked with numerous local, regional, and state organizations to advance community goals of agricultural profitability and environmental sustainability. Since 2017, Alan was the Conservation Program Manager for Clean River Partners where he organized and led numerous soil health outreach events as well as on-farm cover crop and water quality research projects. Alan and his wife Emily live in Northfield, MN.
