For generations, the Hoesly family farmed rich bottomland along the Wisconsin and Kickapoo rivers in southwest Wisconsin, growing corn and soybeans on nearly 2,000 acres of floodplain. But as floods grew more frequent and severe, and a 2016 state tax change made it harder to claim agricultural exemptions on frequently inundated land, the family found themselves fighting to keep the farm viable. A decade later, instead of doubling down on drainage and levees, they have chosen a different path: working with conservation groups and the state to permanently protect the land as floodplain forest and wildlife habitat. As reported by The Daily Cardinal, the deal marks one of the largest private conservation agreements in recent Wisconsin history and a quiet admission that some land is better left to the river.A family tied to the floodplainThe Hoesly family’s roots in the region go back more than a century. Their ancestors homesteaded on the fertile river bottoms, drawn by the deep soils and reliable moisture that made the land ideal for row crops. Over time, the farm grew to include close to 2,000 acres spread across multiple parcels along the Wisconsin and Kickapoo rivers, near the town of Wauzeka.For decades, the family managed the land like many Midwestern farmers: clearing brush, maintaining drainage ditches, building up levees and planting corn and soybeans in the short windows between floods. When the rivers stayed in their banks, the bottomland produced bumper crops. When they didn’t, the family absorbed the losses and replanted.When floods became the normIn the 2000s and 2010s, the pattern began to shift. Heavy rain events grew more frequent, and the rivers rose higher and more often. Fields that once flooded every few years were underwater every other spring, sometimes multiple times in a single growing season. Crops drowned, equipment got stuck, and the cost of repairing levees and ditches climbed.The Hoeslys, like many farmers in the region, found themselves in a cycle of damage and repair that was increasingly hard to justify economically. Insurance payouts and federal disaster assistance helped, but they did not cover the full cost of lost yields, delayed planting and damaged infrastructure.The 2016 tax change that tipped the scalesIn 2016, Wisconsin adjusted how it applied agricultural property tax exemptions to floodplain land. Under the new rules, it became harder to classify frequently flooded acres as “agricultural” for tax purposes if they could not be reliably cropped year after year. For the Hoeslys, who already struggled with unpredictable harvests, the change meant higher property taxes on land that was increasingly unprofitable to farm, as per the report.The family pushed back, arguing that they were still actively managing the land for agriculture and that the tax shift punished farmers for climate-driven flooding they could not control. But the assessments stood, and the financial pressure mounted. By the early 2020s, the Hoeslys were facing a stark choice: invest even more in flood control infrastructure on land that might never be reliably dry, or reconsider the long-term future of the farm.A different vision for the bottomlandAs the family weighed their options, they began talking with conservation organisations, state agencies and neighbouring landowners about alternative uses for the floodplain. The conversations centred on a few key ideas: Much of the land had historically been floodplain forest and wetland before it was cleared for farming; restoring native vegetation could reduce flood risks downstream by allowing water to spread out and slow down; and protected floodplain habitat would benefit fish, waterfowl, deer and other wildlife, while also creating opportunities for hunting, fishing and recreation.For a farming family, this was a significant shift in mindset. But the Hoeslys began to see conservation not as a surrender, but as a way to honour the land’s natural character while securing its future.The conservation dealAfter several years of negotiations, the Hoesly family agreed to place nearly 2,000 acres of floodplain into permanent protection through a combination of conservation easements and land donations. Key partners in the deal include: The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which will manage much of the land as part of the state’s natural areas and wildlife management system; nonprofit conservation groups, such as the Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Trust and local land trusts, which helped structure the easements and raise funds; and federal programs that provided matching funds for habitat restoration and floodplain protection.Under the agreement, most of the land will no longer be farmed. Instead, it will be restored to floodplain forest, wetlands and grasslands, with drainage ditches and levees removed or breached to allow the rivers to reconnect with their historic floodplain.What the restoration will look likeOver the coming years, crews will begin the work of transforming the former farmland: Planting native trees such as silver maple, cottonwood, willow and oak to re-establish floodplain forest; restoring wetland areas by reshaping low spots and allowing them to fill with water naturally; removing or modifying levees and ditches so the river can spread out during high flows instead of being confined to a narrow channel; and establishing native grasses and forbs in higher areas to provide habitat for pollinators, grassland birds and other wildlife.The goal is not to create a pristine wilderness, but a working floodplain that benefits both people and nature. The land will be open for public hunting, fishing, birdwatching and hiking, while also serving as a natural buffer that reduces flood peaks for downstream communities.Why this matters for Wisconsin’s riversThe Hoesly floodplain is just one piece of a larger puzzle along the Wisconsin and Kickapoo rivers. Decades of levees, channelisation and drainage have disconnected many rivers from their natural floodplains, speeding up water flow and increasing flood risks downstream. By restoring nearly 2,000 acres of bottomland, the project provides more space for floodwaters to spread out, reducing pressure on levees and towns downstream. It also improves water quality by allowing sediments and nutrients to settle out in the floodplain instead of flowing directly into the river. And, creates critical habitat for species that depend on large, connected floodplain forests and wetlands.For state agencies and conservation groups, the deal is a model for how private landowners, government and nonprofits can work together to address both flooding and habitat loss.A family’s legacy redefinedFor the Hoesly family, the conservation agreement is both an ending and a beginning. It marks the end of an era in which the bottomland was primarily a corn and soybean farm, managed against the river. But it also establishes a new legacy: one in which the family is credited with protecting one of the largest remaining floodplain complexes in the region.Family members have said that the decision was not easy, but that it felt right given the realities of climate change, flooding and the changing economics of farming. They see the protected land as a gift to future generations—both their own descendants and the broader public who will be able to enjoy the restored landscape.A sign of things to come?As climate change drives more extreme weather across the Midwest, similar stories are likely to play out in other flood-prone farming regions. The Hoesly deal shows that permanent conservation can be a viable alternative to endless investment in flood control on land that is increasingly unsuited to intensive agriculture.For now, the fields along the Wisconsin and Kickapoo rivers are being replanted not with corn, but with trees, grasses and the promise of a river allowed to behave like a river again. And a farming family that once fought to keep the water off their land is now helping to welcome it back.
