Noll's Dairy Farm in Wisconsin: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Noll's Dairy Farm above the Mississippi River near Alma, Buffalo County, Wisconsin, received the 2023 Wisconsin Leopold Conservation Award. Mark, Curtis and Scott Noll farm about 400 acres of contoured cropland alongside 450 acres of forest, oak savanna and prairie.
| Location | Alma, Buffalo County, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Founded | Erosion control began in 1969 |
| Sectors | dairy; crops; forestry; prairie restoration |
| Scale | About 400 cropland acres and 450 acres of forest, savanna and prairie |
| Why it is elite | 2023 Wisconsin Leopold Conservation Award |
| Ownership | Family operation of Mark, Curtis and Scott Noll |
| Official website | Drovers award article (not an official site) |
History of Noll's Dairy Farm
Drovers reports the family began installing erosion controls in 1969 and grew interested in restoring rare goat prairies in the 1990s. Their timber plan dates to 1997.
In 2014 they enrolled 735 acres in a Wisconsin DNR deer management program. The award was announced November 16, 2023 with 10,000 dollars and a crystal award.
What Noll's Dairy Farm Grows and Raises
Contour strip cropping divides the farm into 119 fields, combined with no-till and cover crops including winter rye, turnips and tillage radishes. More than 20 earthen dams and erosion structures have been built since 1969.
Manure is stored before spreading, timber is harvested selectively, and prescribed burns restored bluff prairie and oak savannas. The family hosts a hunter education course and tours for schools and conservation groups. The article gives no herd size.
How Noll's Dairy Farm Makes Money
Dairy and crops
Corn, soybeans and hay support the dairy on steep ground.
Timber
Selective harvest under a management plan adds forest income.
Land and hunting programs
DNR deer management enrollment and hunter education connect the land to the community.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Noll's Dairy Farm
On steep ground, contour strips, dams and no-till keep soil in place for the long term.
Treating timber and prairie as managed assets diversifies a dairy.
Farming 119 contoured fields above the Mississippi sounds like farm satire but is serious craft. At farm.FM we keep our farm humor affectionate, with ranch humor reserved for goat prairies that have no goats. Our farm jokes stay on the level, unlike the terrain.
The outlet behind those laughs, farm.FM, is the nation's first satirical farm site, complete with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers. A farm.FM humorist's archive shows what a week of it looks like.
How to Contact Noll's Dairy Farm
Website: https://www.drovers.com/news/industry/nolls-dairy-receives-wisconsin-leopold-conservation-award
Contact details: no official operation website was found in my sources, so the link below is the best public page about the operation, November 2026. Confirm any visit or business inquiry through the operation or its local association before traveling.
Noll's Dairy Farm Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Drovers award article - Practices and acreage
- The Farm WI finalist profile - Finalist feature
- Leopold Conservation Award - Sand County Foundation award program
- USDA NRCS - Conservation programs and technical help
- USDA Census of Agriculture - Official farm statistics
Noll's Dairy Farm FAQ
Where is Noll's Dairy Farm?
Near Alma in Buffalo County, Wisconsin.
What award did it win?
The 2023 Wisconsin Leopold Conservation Award.
How many acres?
About 400 cropland acres and 450 acres of other land.
How can I contact it?
No official site was found; use the Sand County Foundation award page.
Noll's Dairy Farm shows how generations of conservation can sit alongside a working dairy. For the wider picture, read the Wisconsin farms guide.