Donate

Ride to Farm is a fundraiser for the Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers. For 14 years, the school has helped new farmers get the information and experience they need to succeed. The program provides classroom instruction, on-farm internships, mentoring and business plan development. About 270 students have attended the school and more than 75% of its graduates are farming.

The program emphasizes low-capital, grass-based dairy farming. Using managed grazing, grass-based dairy farms can be environmentally sound while providing a good life for farm families. The School is sponsored by the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems and the Farm and Industry Short Course, both within the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UW-Madison.

Riders are encouraged to raise a minimum of $1 per mile ridden. Here is how you can support our riders:

Donate online! Click on this link to the UW-Madison Foundation website. All you need to do is type in the amount of your donation, provide the personal and payment information they ask for, and submit your contribution. (Please don’t change the gift designation.) If you are making a donation for a specific rider, please let them know you’ve contributed.

If you prefer to mail your contribution, please make your check out to UW Foundation-WSBDF Fund and send it to:

The UW Foundation
Attn: Jodi Wickham, WSBDF Fund
1848 University Ave., PO Box 8860
Madison, WI 53708-8860

Again, if you are making a donation for a specific rider, please let them know you’ve contributed.

Want to help out without pedaling 200 miles? You can collect pledges for our riders. The ride brochure includes a pledge form. Donations and forms may be given directly to a ride participant or mailed as a check or money order to the UW Foundation at the above address by July 31.

Gifts received will be used in a variety of ways, including:

  • Long-term support for the school through its endowment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Tuition scholarships
  • Internship expenses
  • Scholarships for student travel to conferences
  • Honoraria for farmers who help teach this course

Want to learn more about the Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers? Here are links to more information:

If you have questions about donating to the School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers, please contact school director Dick Cates, Jodi Wickham or Carol Chapa.

Thank you for supporting Ride to Farm and the School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers!