Learning Along Life at Dancing Tree Orchard

Join Wisconsin Women in Conservation for a day of learning, conversation, and connection at Dancing Tree Orchard, where host Sarah Ditton is stewarding 20 acres with a focus on growing food while supporting biodiversity and abundant wildlife.

Dancing Tree Orchard is a wonderful place for anyone beginning conservation work on their own land to learn firsthand about setting goals and establishing new conservation practices like prairie plantings and integrating edible fruit and nut trees. Most of Sarah's property is a diverse, forb-heavy prairie now in its third growing season. Within the prairie, five acres are planted as a young orchard featuring chestnuts, apples, pears, peaches, cherries, and plums. This orchard and prairie are in their early stages. It's unkempt and a bit wild, but the fireflies and butterflies seem to like that just fine!

As is tradition at WiWiC events, we will gather for Learning Circle introductions to kick off our time together. After our Learning Circle introductions, we'll head out for a walk around the property to explore the young prairie and orchard and talk about Sarah's approach to conservation on the farm. Sarah's main crop is chestnuts, with an array of fruit trees in between. She is focused on a very high diversity of chestnut varieties planted in what she calls a "triad" system to allow for final spacing but also selection. She is excited to share what she has learned about soil microbiomes, inoculating trees from diverse sources, plant-soil relationships, establishing a prairie understory in an orchard, planting from seed, growing Chinese chestnuts in unusual conditions, and prairie restoration that accepts the presence of some "invasive" species. We will conclude our time together with a potluck meal and plenty of time to ask questions, share stories, and get to know other women interested in conservation. Please bring a potluck dish or dessert to share. WiWiC will provide paper goods, cutlery, and drinks. Please also bring a water bottle and a camp chair.

Sarah’s farm borders 100 acres of Hook Lake Bog National Area, one of Dane County's finest wetland landscapes. Attendees are encouraged to continue their exploration of the area with a visit to Hook Lake Bog after the event.

Most WiWiC events are free. To help support the cost of this and other events, please consider giving HERE.   Your generosity keeps WiWiC events accessible for all women who want to learn how to heal and protect the land.

WiWiC Host:

Sarah Ditton, Owner/Operator, Dancing Tree Orchard Sarah's formal education is in microbiology and sustainable food systems, but she says her real learning has come from working with plants and soil and connecting with others doing the same.

WiWiC Facilitators:

Christine Johnson, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute Farmer Education Coordinator and WiWiC Regional Coordinator

Dr. Esther S. Durairaj, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute Education Director and WiWiC Project Lead

For more information about this event, please contact Christine at cjohnson@michaelfields.org ; (262) 642-3303 ext. 107

What To Expect:

• To network with other local women around shared dreams, challenges, and experiences with conservation.

• To learn about the WiWiC project and opportunities that exist for women landowners to implement conservation practices

• To explore a young prairie and orchard and hear about the process of beginning conservation work on a new farm.

• To learn about chestnut and fruit tree production, soil microbiomes, prairie restoration, plant-soil relationships, and growing food while supporting biodiversity.

• To spend time outdoors on a beautiful property with full sun, uneven ground, and uncertain weather - please dress accordingly. We recommend long pants, closed-toe walking shoes, sunscreen, a sunhat, and bug spray.

• There is a bathroom in the house, a barn available for cover, parking in the driveway/extra lawn, and no mowed paths on the field walk.

  
  

Event Details:

• Event is free to attend but registration is required and space is limited.

• Our WiWiC events follow a Learning Circle model, with ample time and a safe space for story sharing, networking and collaborative learning. We all have something to both share and learn together.

• Dress for the weather. We recommend long pants, closed-toe walking shoes, sunscreen, a sunhat, and bug spray. Ticks and other insects are present on the property.

• Please bring a potluck dish or dessert to share, a reusable water bottle and a camp chair.

• WiWiC is a family-friendly space and you are welcome to bring your children. 

  
  

Photos are taken at WiWiC events to help amplify the work being done by Wisconsin's women land stewards, and to help promote future events. Your registration grants consent for your photo to be taken and used for these purposes. 

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About Wisconsin Women in Conservation

WiWiC is a state-wide collaborative effort led by the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in partnership with state and federal conservation agencies, local organizations, and other farm advocacy groups. WiWiC brings together Wisconsin's women landowners, farmers, farm workers, urban growers, and conservation professionals to connect and share about conservation practices, resources, and funding opportunities.

About Michael Fields Agricultural Institute

MFAI is a non-profit organization that has been cultivating resiliency through research, education, and policy work since 1984. With a broad coalition of public and private partners, The Institute supports farmers, food systems and communities in the Upper Midwest and beyond through a range of programs and initiatives. We believe agriculture can sustain both human and ecosystem health, while advancing food security, independence, and justice. Follow along on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news and events.