Fall Fest on the Prairie: Family Celebration of Local Farming and the Mukwonago River Watershed in East Troy on Saturday, October 17

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute welcomes the public to their Second Annual Fall Fest on The Prairie on Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 3:00 – 7:00 PM at N8833 Pickeral Lake Rd, East Troy, WI. This family-friendly celebration will offer kids’ activities, hayride tours, campfires, food, local farm vendors, and the opportunity to learn about prairie restoration and conservation in the wild heart of Wisconsin’s Southern Kettle Moraine. There will also be a Community Tool Swap. Find more information and RSVP at michaelfields.org. RSVPs aren’t necessary, but helpful for planning. 

Activities will include fall-themed selfie opportunities with a vintage 1954 Oliver Row Crop 77 tractor, a Kettle Moraine natural history hayride, facepainting, pumpkin decorating, local food, taste tests of alternative grains cookies, gourmet s’more bar, tool swap, and a silent auction in support of The Institute’s regenerative agriculture research. For the Tool Swap, people can bring seeds, cuttings, divisions, and anything else they might want to share.

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI) is an East Troy-based 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 regenerative farmers, food systems and communities in the Upper Midwest and beyond through a range of programs and initiatives.

In addition to celebrating the fall harvest season, this event will be an opportunity for attendees to learn about the special geology of the Kettle Moraine Region, the Mukwonago River Watershed, and agricultural efforts to protect it.  MFAI Research Director Dr. Nicole Tautges and Research Associate Dr. Jim Stute will lead several educational hayrides through the New Farm, which is nestled into a mosaic of forest, wetlands, savannas, rivers, lakes, and kettles. The hayrides will begin at 3:30 pm, 4:30 pm, and 5:30 pm.

The Mukwonago River is one of the cleanest streams in southeastern Wisconsin and provides important habitat for rare fish and mussels. The surrounding landscape is home to a wide array of native plants and wildlife, including sandhill cranes, tree frogs, mink, red fox, butterflies and dragonflies. MFAI’s organic fields help to steward this fragile environment in partnership with The Nature Conservancy. 

“The Mukwonago River is classified as an exceptional resource by the DNR because of its high water quality. It is home to several endangered and threatened species, and rare landforms such as calcareous fens,” says Dr. Stute, “The New Farm is divided across two subwatersheds, draining into Lulu Lake to the North and also Pickeral Lake then Lake Beulah. The waterway and buffers installed on the farm protect easterly flow, protecting Lake Beulah, which is a huge regional recreational draw. MFAI agricultural practices and research help to protect this major headwater.” 

Dr. Jim Stute is a certified crop advisor and independent researcher. Stute owns and operates a research farm in Walworth County, and is active in his regional producer-led watershed group. His research focuses on developing best practice recommendations to maximize financial returns and conservation benefits like phosphorus reduction in waterways.

Dr. Nicole Tautges is Research Director at Michael Fields Agricultural Institute. She earned her bachelor’s degree in agronomy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and her Ph.D. from Washington State University, where her research focused on soil fertility, weed management, and soil microbial management in semiarid organic wheat production systems. She later worked on Kernza research at the University of Minnesota and led research at the University of California, Davis, focused on soil microbial ecology and soil health in processing tomato systems.

Guests are encouraged to dress for the outdoors and bring family and friends for an evening of local food and fun. The event is free, but there will be opportunities to give, like a silent auction for local goods and experiences.