Need for TechNical Service ProviderS likely To Grow
WhO We ARe
Marbleseed is a nonprofit committed to supporting the Midwest’s organic and sustainable farmers through farmer-led events and educational resources that help
The Organic Broadcaster is a quarterly magazine published by Marbleseed. Opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Inclusion of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of a product. Content may be reprinted with permission.
More sun, more food, more warmth, more work. Summer is abundance in all things.
Six years ago, we left our small, diversified livestock farm and downsized hard.
Our local food restaurant, with its small margins and amazing farmers made it impossible to continue to do both enterprises and we chose the restaurant, the business where more folks depended on me for their livelihood.
We brought some milking goats and their kids with us, the remaining small flock of heritage layers, and plans to farm communally for the rest. Eventually the goats were harvested and the layers aged out. For the past several years we have just had four of those goat kids we are keeping as pets. And each year we talked about adding chickens.
This is the year we finally made it happen. As much as I loved our rainbow eggs from those heritage chickens, I wanted to go back to the very first flock of layers we ever had. They were commercial, organic, run-of-themill red hens from an organic egg operation. They were our ‘learning birds’. This year I reached out to Prairie Bluff Farm and Steve, the farmer that used to supply my restaurant. For $3.00 a bird, I drove out to his farm and took home 8, raggedy, molting girls, already laying and retiring from commercial egg-laying.
Despite the new digs more permanent than their tractor home, and an obnoxious corgi, they are laying an egg a day! They are calm and happy to be handled. And the daily occurrence of egg laying still sets them off with loud pronouncements. I thank them every day and provide them with kitchen scraps and conversation.
Now I am menu planning around eggs, baking more, giving dozens away. I am also reflecting on the gifting of good food, and not just the overabundance of summer squash that is surely in my future. Summer is the time when all that we have is always enough. I am grateful that we can grow food and provide for our family, neighbors, and ourselves. We form our own seven household CSA, a far cry from the scale we used to farm.
Collectively we are in a time of self-definition and determination. Who will get to “count” as a farmer going forward? The USDA recently released their Farmers First agenda, rightly claiming that small family farms make up 86% of all the farms that feed, fuel, and clothe us. Yet other narratives and policies coming out of congress as the summer began, including substituting a budget bill for a Farm Bill, show a continuation of huge disparities in
support for the largest commodity farms, run by absent landowners and corporations.
It will be important to tell our stories of providing sustenance for our communities, no matter how small. Our stories are all we have in the face of frozen payments for infrastructure, and lack of access to critical USDA programs that make small farms viable. Through the Local Food Purchase Assistance and Farm to School programs we have seen the power of human scale farms feeding their neighbors healthy, culturally relevant food. We know the vibrancy and resilience of rural and urban spaces that can provide this.
Those of us with our hands in soil, growing food, tending livestock are more critical than ever. Luke Zahm, chef and activist, spoke at our Marbleseed fundraising dinner in April about how powerful it is that we can grow our own food in the Midwest. He talked about large metro areas like Houston and Phoenix, that would run out of food in under five days if the 500-mile-long supply chains were cut. Luke was passionate about our ability to provide sustenance and our voices. Marbleseed may have more frequent asks for your experiences. We will be inviting elected officials to our field days and and events this summer. It is difficult to discount and discredit people whose stories you know. We ARE farmers.
Lori Stern, M.A. Ed
The PuSh aNd Pull
oN TraNSiTioNiNG iN aNd ouT of farmiNG
Photo Credit: Good Neighbor Farm, Ann Arbor, Mich.
i came iNTo farmiNG wiTh a kiNd of revereNce. my heroeS were The oNeS who Never SToPPed...
By Caroline Wright
Yesterday I was planting tomatoes when the audiobook I was listening to ended. My hands were dirty, moving fast, keeping pace with the ticking heat of late May. I didn’t bother picking something new to listen to—I just let the app autoplay samples from suggested books. Ten selections or so drifted by, mostly unnoticed, until a line from All About Love by Bell Hooks, quoting Jack Kornfield in her opening lines, stopped me mid-row:
“It is possible to speak with our heart directly. Most ancient cultures know this. We can actually converse with our heart as if it were a good friend. In modern life we have become so busy with our daily affairs and thoughts that we have forgotten this essential art of taking time to converse with our heart. When we ask it about our current path, we must look at the values we have chosen to live by. Where do we put our time, our strength, our creativity, our love? We must look at our life without sentimentality, exaggeration, or idealism. Does what we are choosing reflect what we most deeply value?”
I paused and dusted off my hands so I could reach into my pocket to rewind the quotation. I listened again. And then again. It struck a deep, resounding chord. A chord I have been working to notice, to reintegrate into my being – this compilation of who we are: mind, body, will, spirit, and soul.
I have a complicated relationship with farming.
After nearly a decade of working in organic agriculture, I reached a point where I knew something had to give. I was listening to something deeper. My body was tight with a pain I couldn’t name. My mind was fogged from pushing through too many seasons. Farming was supposed to connect me to place, ecosystem, community, and self—but I realized I had become disconnected from the very body doing the work. I decided to take a step back and apply for off-farm jobs. I took a position with the Real Organic Project as the Midwest Regional Coordinator for their no-cost add-on certification program.
The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement, working to unite and sustain integrity in Organics –which has been built upon the foundation of crops grown in healthy soils and livestock raised on well managed pasture. As economic and political forces erode the meaning of the term ‘Certified Organic’, Real
Organic Project connects and extends the community of farmers and eaters who care about farming practices that feed living soils, create biodiversity, and build healthy ecosystems and communities.
Working with the Real Organic Project has been a refreshing change of pace. Last growing season I visited and inspected 50 farms across the Midwest. I met inspiring farmers, witnessed their struggles and adaptations, learned about the history and current undergoings of the organic movement, and concluded the growing season feeling edified and connected to the organic farming community.
And yet, here I am—planting tomatoes once again. I now work three days a week supporting organic farmers at Real Organic Project, and two days a week in the field. My mornings still smell like wet earth and transplants. My evenings still ache with the beautiful exhaustion of being on my feet all day. But I am no longer a “full-time farmer”. My sense of identity is shifting in a strange way. I have been circling around this question: If I stop farming, am I still a farmer?
the Myth Of the tIReless fARMeR
I came into farming with a kind of reverence. My heroes were the ones who never stopped—the growers who showed up early, stayed late, did their own accounting, fixed the irrigation, mentored interns, packed their own CSA boxes, and still managed to bring tomatoes to market that glowed with the labor of love. I wanted to be like them. I absorbed that the approach was to give your all and then give a little more.
Nobody explicitly told me to burn myself out, but the model was there. And I flocked to it like a bug around a porch light on a summer night. I used to believe that rest was something you earned. That if I just pushed hard enough through May, the flush of June, the endless ripening of July through September, into the culmination of fall, that I could somehow arrive at rest in December. But the seasons don’t work like that—and neither do we.
The tension is, when the work is beautiful and meaningful, when the labor is tied to your sense of identity and worth, it becomes nearly impossible to stop. Boundaries blur. I disassociated from my body in the name of “it has to get done.” I learned to override my needs. I stopped asking my heart if this was still working—and even if I did ask, I didn’t make time to listen.
At the Midwest Vegetable Growers Network meeting at the OEFFA conference this past February—the kind where people wear sweaters instead of sweat and actually finish their coffee—someone said aloud what I was quietly carrying: “I’m learning that I can’t care for the land if I don’t care for myself.” I felt that like a bruise. I realized how far I had stretched myself— how little permission I had given myself to pause throughout my last decade in organic farming.
aS a womaN iN aGriculTure, The TeNSioN of aPPeariNG STroNG iS coNSTaNT. i admired The male farmerS who ShaPed much of The laNdScaPe. buT wheN you’re a womaN iN a field ThaT iS hiSTorically male, There iS a PreSSure To maTch a cerTaiN PhySicaliTy, To PuSh
juST aS hard, To Never admiT you Need a break.
the BuRnOut & BReAkDOWn
I started farming in 2015 in the hills of Wheeling, West Virginia, working with an agricultural non-profit focused on food access and education. My early heroes were brilliant and tireless. They taught me a lot. But they were also sacrificing much in their wider lives.
In 2021, my partner and I started an organic vegetable farm together—a business born of shared dreams, scraped-together capital, and the full-throttle momentum of the energy of our 20s. Our lives braided together tightly. Too tightly, maybe. In those first two seasons, we worked constantly. Without the money to hire labor, we did most of it ourselves.
Midwest farming has its own sharp edges. When your product is perishable and the work is weatherdependent, there’s no such thing as waiting until Monday. I loved the intensity. I still do. But intensity without recovery is a slow erosion.
As a woman in agriculture, the tension of appearing strong is constant. I admired the male farmers who shaped much of the landscape. But when you’re a woman in a field that is historically male, there is a pressure to match a certain physicality, to push just as hard, to never admit you need a break.
In the fall of 2024, a new farm opportunity emerged— to transition into a well-established farm business— carrying the hope of being able to make a good living farming. My partner and I decided to go for it. In January 2025, we moved. The pull of farming reeled me back in—and I let it. But I did so differently. I scaled back my hours at Real Organic Project and committed to parttime farm work. I entered this new season with both eyes open, a heart that had learned to speak, and an intention to listen.
ReAl fARMeR CARe
Apace with my own story, I have had a growing curiosity in conversations surrounding farmer mental health and well-being—how can we make this farming thing work?
I reached out to Clara Coleman to have a conversation around her motivation to start Real Farmer Care. I have never met Clara, but when I spoke with her, it felt like I was talking to a friend. She, too, had given herself fully to small-scale farming. She had worked the long days, made a go of it with a partner, started a farm in Colorado, and later returned to her family’s land in Maine seeking stability and hope for a sustainable life in agriculture. But the economics didn’t hold, and neither did the cost to her well-being.
“No matter how hard I tried, I was just always on the verge of burnout,” Clara told me. “If I was feeling this— and I had land, infrastructure, and all the tools—then I knew other farmers must be feeling it too.”
Her voice carried both compassion and conviction. Clara isn’t just someone who stepped away from farming; she is someone who is trying to transform the conditions that make stepping away necessary. In 2020, she launched Real Farmer Care with a bold question: “What does care and support look like to you?”
Real Farmer Care isn’t a prescriptive program, it is a radical invitation. Clara’s approach is simple: trust farmers to define their own needs. It might mean a massage. It might mean therapy. It might mean a day away with family, or permission to pay for bodywork after a back strain that never quite healed.
Farmers apply, describe what they need, and receive a $100 stipend. Since 2020, over 500 farmers across 45 states have received support. This provides a small brace for farmers and is a key outset to this conversation of acknowledging further supports that are needed, as well as raising awareness. Every recipient recommends recipients, creating a peer-to-peer web of care.
Clara dreams bigger. She imagines a world where farmers have access to culturally relevant mental health care, to therapists who understand crop failure and livestock loss. She envisions expanded programs—full scholarships for therapy, acupuncture, community retreats—based on feedback from farmers themselves.
“Self-care is essential care,” she said. “It’s maintenance. It’s the care that keeps you from ending up on the Farm Aid hotline.”
She names the elephants in the room: burnout, succession, land theft, generational wealth disparities, and the myth of the independent farmer. “Most of the farmers held up as success stories rarely talk about the invisible labor that made their farms work,” she told me. “There was always someone behind the scenes, making meals, and caring for the children and the home.”
This kind of truth-telling matters. Because it makes room for something else to grow: a culture of farming that includes rest, interdependence, and honesty.
the DeePeR ROOts
There’s something particularly ironic about how farming, a practice so rooted in life and sustenance, can, at times, erode the very lives of the people doing it. That contradiction sits heavy in both Clara’s story, my own, and with many other farmers.
Clara spoke of always being on the brink of burnout. What made it sharper was the silence around it. The pressure to uphold the myth. I’ve felt that same silence. The instinct to prove myself. The pressure to carry the physical load of the farm and the invisible labor too. I’ve done it all while pretending I wasn’t exhausted. What Clara and I both found—through similar ruptures—is that the story needs to change.
“Whether or not I’m farming full-time doesn’t change the fact that I am a farmer,” Clara said. “But I had to step away in order to live a full and healthy life.”
Her words echo in me. I haven’t let go of farming completely—maybe I never will. But I have stepped back enough to acknowledge how difficult this profession is, and how much more alive I feel when I let myself tell the truth: that care is not a luxury—it is the soil from which anything enduring must grow.
the futuRe We’Re BuIlDInG
The quote from Jack Kornfield, the one I heard in the tomato rows, continues to echo in my mind: “We must look at our life without sentimentality, exaggeration, or idealism. Does what we are choosing reflect what we most deeply value?”
Farming has taught me many things. But perhaps its hardest lesson has been this: devotion without care becomes depletion. The future of farming will not be sustained by myth. Not by the story of the tireless
farmer, nor the bootstrap dream. It will be sustained by something more honest: interdependence, rest, boundary, creativity, care.
I see the seeds of this shift in my own life. I see them in Clara’s work. I see them in the whispered admissions that sound like: “I’m tired and need a break,” or “I want to be well.” This is where something new begins. In the asking, in the listening, in the quiet radical act of saying: I am still a farmer, even if I choose to step back.
And so, I plant tomatoes now—this time with both hands in the soil and a heart in conversation with my broader life and community. I don’t know what next season will bring. But now I have integrated a newfound realization: that it is okay to love farming and to step back, that our worth is not in hours worked or projects gained, that taking care of ourselves is not an escape from the work— it is the work. This is the future of farming I want to grow.
This work is funded by: North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education
Caroline Wright has worked for seven years in farming and food justice initiatives, including co-founding a small organic vegetable farm with her partner in Ann Arbor, Mich. in 2021. She has been working with Real Organic Project as the Midwest Regional Inspector since May 2024.
urbaN aGriculTure’S NexT chaPTer
By Sara Mooney
When we think of agriculture, most of us in the Upper Midwest picture green pastures, red barns, black and white cows, and hillsides covered in rows and rows of corn and beans. Our minds default to a pastoral, decidedly rural, setting. Generations of American youth, rural and urban alike have been singing about Old MacDonald’s farm without much consideration to the vast amounts of food being grown in our urban centers – let alone seeing or participating in it.
While only a fraction of the food consumed in the United States is produced in urban areas, that fraction is
growing. According to some estimates, urban agriculture has grown by 30% in the last thirty years. Americans are becoming more familiar with the concept of “food deserts” that limit access to fresh, unprocessed food in urban areas. The prevalence of food deserts, concern over pesticide contamination and frequent food safety recalls, coupled with pandemic-related price hikes and shortages are just a few of the myriad social factors that fuel renewed interest in urban food production.
The US government promoted urban agriculture as a way to support the tremendous population growth in America’s urban centers during the early twentieth century. As farms became mechanized during the
ThrouGh her buSiNeSS,
The melaNiN
urbaN GardeNer,
briTTNey iNSPireS oTherS To Grow Their owN food...
industrial revolution of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, subsistence farming was largely replaced with commercial farming and moved away from population centers to the countryside. Trains and trucks were able to bring food greater distances from remote farms to the cities as greenspaces became increasingly scarce.
Big cities like Detroit have been at the forefront of urban food initiatives for over 120 years. In response to an economic crisis in the 1890s, Detroit mayor Hazen Pingree opened unused and empty lots to allow public gardening. “Pingree’s potato patches,” as they came to be known, allotted up to a half-acre of land per family and, at the height of the program, served over 1500 families. The program was alleged to have coerced some people to participate to maintain other social benefits but nevertheless inspired other communities to initiate similar efforts in cities around the country. Through two world wars, “victory gardens” were promoted as a way to support the country’s war efforts and lessen the impact of food rationing. In the 1960s and 70’s community gardens growth was spurred by the back-to-the-land and environmental movements.
Today’s urban agriculture movement is as varied as each city it serves. In Madison, Wisconsin, Rooted, an organization sprouted from a neighborhood effort to save 26 acres of garden and greenspace informally shared and beloved in its neighborhood. Today, Rooted is making a difference to kids, community, and emerging farmers alike. By managing a network of collaborative community gardens around the city, a farm that supplies low to no-cost food to community centers, and community-based educational and social events, Rooted has become a county-wide asset that preserve the ties between people, food and the land.
At Badger Rock Neighborhood Center, where Badger Rock Middle School and Rooted offices are co-located, a year-round garden is tended by students as a part of a popular and highly regarded garden and culinary elective. “The kids are growing everything they’re cooking,” says, Co-Executive Director, Ginny Hughes, adding, “this program has been around long enough for an adult student to come back and say, ‘this program changed my life.’”
Rooted partners with NRCS to share educational programming devoted to conservation practices to enhance the urban garden. At four of their community gardens, NRCS has funded raised beds and hoophouses
and regularly leads workshops and educational events to highlight conservation practices that enhance urban growing spaces. These educational events and workshops at the Rooted sites highlight the accessibility and effectiveness of NRCS practices in urban spaces. NRCS supplies cover crop seed which is distributed via Rooted to its community growers across Dane county. By supporting soil health, increasing fertility, suppressing weeds, improving water quality and attracting beneficial insects, these cover crops are adding resiliency to the growers’ spaces and to the greater community.
In Columbia, Missouri, this commitment to community drives another multi-faceted urban agriculture initiative. The Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture (CCUA) operates out of Columbia’s Agriculture Park and the Mark and Carol Stevenson Veterans Urban Farm. With a full slate of programming and a strong emphasis on encouraging people to garden at home, CCUA endeavors to use food as a tool to improve people’s lives. The Farm Your Yard Field Day is celebrating its third year in 2025. Executive Director Billy Polanksy says that what CCUA’s agriculture park in the heart of town serves as a billboard for urban growing. “People think, ‘if that can be done in a park, I can do that in my back yard.’” Polansky finds conservation minded practices a natural fit with small space and urban growing. Conservation is vitally important when every square foot of growing space is precious. When working with a small piece of earth Polansky notes that urban growers are often initially motivated by environment and for high quality, organically grown food. The CCUA partners with NRCS to promote and support conservation efforts and sustainable practices in gardens around Columbia, Missouri.
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Brittney Hutcherson has employed NRCS conservation practices at Melanin Urban Gardens in her roughly quarter acre yard. Brittney Hutcherson’s gardening story started with a single flowerpot in childhood — a humble beginning that laid the foundation for what would become a thriving, community-rooted urban farm. After years of tending flowers, Brittney shifted her focus to vegetables in 2015, launching her journey with a small container garden. That passion grew as she expanded her efforts and transformed her entire yard into a lush, productive space filled with both heirloom and traditional vegetables. Working with NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Brittney installed a high tunnel and raised beds in 2024 to augment her thoughtful growing
practices. This milestone not only solidified her status as a professional urban grower but also unlocked resources she never imagined would be within reach. With NRCS support, she’s been able to enhance her farm infrastructure, adopt conservation practices, and expand her impact within her community. Brittney’s commitment to food justice, community education, and sustainability has been unwavering. On July 17th, Brittney hosted a field day with the Midwest Agriculture Network, a partnership with NRCS to introduce NRCS conservation practices
In cities across the country, with NRCS assistance, urban farmers can resolve the on-farm resource issues unique to urban settings. Producers implement practices and activities in their conservation plan that can lead to cleaner water and air, healthier soil and better wildlife habitat, all while improving their agricultural operations.
In 2024, Brittney’s dedication to growing led her to apply for and receive EQIP funding through NRCS. This milestone not only solidified her status as a professional urban grower but also unlocked resources she never imagined would be within reach. With NRCS support, she’s been able to enhance her farm infrastructure, adopt conservation practices, and expand her impact within her community.
Through her business, The Melanin Urban Gardener, Brittney inspires others to grow their own food, educates communities about sustainable gardening practices, and champions equitable access to fresh produce in urban settings. Her journey is a testament to how a love for gardening can blossom into a powerful tool for community empowerment and urban agriculture innovation. Melanin Urban Gardens was host for a July 17th field day with the goal of introducing more urban growers to conservation practices supported by NRCS. Marbleseed was pleased to be a part of the event. Helping growers access NRCS technical assistance
Urban agriculture in America, supported by communities and our federal and local governments alike, is helping to shape our cities and towns into healthier and more engaging places. New generations of urban farmers have greater access to and opportunity through programs offered by Rooted and CCUA. For more information on working with NRCS to enhance community growing efforts or supporting conservation practices on your urban farm, contact the MAC Network or your local NRCS office.
Sara Mooney is Marbleseed’s Conservation Outreach Specialist working on behalf of the Midwest Agriculture network in Wisconsin in partnership with the NRCS.
This work is supported by a Cooperative Agreement with USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
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commuNiTy orchardiNG iN The midweST
By Tay Fatke
Driving through my Milwaukee neighborhood, I would notice plantings of apple, cherry and plum trees on corner lots, city parks and other open spaces. I was intrigued to see these pockets of fruit trees and wondered who was taking care of these sites. Eventually, I saw a post in the Milwaukee Food Council’s newsletter for The Milwaukee Orchard Keepers- a group who care for urban orchards in the city. The post shared that they welcome volunteers of any skill level to join their efforts in maintaining these micro-orchards. I attended their February season kick-off event where we pruned apple trees in McGovern Park and was immediately impressed with the important work this dedicated group was doing.
Jan Carroll, a retired nurse and longtime Milwaukee resident, organizes the Milwaukee Orchard Keepers and helps oversee their 25 micro-orchard sites across the city. Jan volunteered at Growing Power when it was still up and running on Milwaukee’s Northwest side. The well-known nursery Stark Brothers donated a wealth of fruit trees to Growing Power who would then find a home for these trees in parks, vacant lots and working with the community. The Milwaukee Orchard Keepers group, otherwise known as “The Apple Tamers” receive a weekly email from Jan determining the work to be done
on Sunday including what site to go to and work to be done. For example, on June 1st the tasks were to spray clay at the Nigella Community Orchard and Garden, train branches at the Buffum Street location and also do some spraying at the Dawn To Dusk orchard. During the week, Jan works with the neighborhood orchard caretakers who are often church goers to care for their neighborhood orchards. When it’s time for harvest, each site has a different approach to sharing this wealth. Some sites harvest and donate to their church and food pantries; some keep the fruit for their neighbors, and some welcome everyone to come through and pick what they would like. It’s been a pleasure to get to know the Apple Tamers, be a part of this important work, and look to see if there are others across the Midwest doing this work.
I wanted to learn more about others doing this work around the Midwest and conducted some online research. I found City Orchards Chicago 501c3 entity that establishes micro-orchards in urban environments. I talked with Jeanne Calabrese and Michael Thompson who first met each other doing work for the Slow Food Movement in the early 2000’s and now run City Orchards Chicago. Michael had a landscaping business
and is a beekeeper and a director for the Chicago Honey Co-op. Jeanne has a background in design and her interest in sustainable agriculture led her to the Stateline Farm Beginnings course and eventually her interest in micro orcharding.
City Orchards Chicago grew out of a need for land access while at the same time dealing with lots of vacant land across the city. The organization mostly focuses on the west side of Chicago where both Jeanne and Michael live. “We have these relationships with various partner organizations who were interested in including fruit trees into their growing spaces” says Jeanne. She continues “Our sites do not resemble a traditional orchard- some are growing 2-3 trees. It is a patchwork. All together they make up our West side Orchard.” The organization manages 15 micro-orchards with some plots a bit larger, having 6 to 20 trees. Similar to the Milwaukee Orchard Keepers, City Orchards Chicago relies on stakeholders to help with orchard tasks. An urban land trust in Chicago called NeighborSpace preserves and sustains gardens on behalf of dedicated community groups. They have been helpful in finding and protecting these sites to grow the amount of micro-orchards in Chicago. Accessibility is key to the success of the group, so all the sites are easily accessible by public transport.
In doing this work, Michael and Jeanne have focused on diverse and native plantings in the micro-orchards. They are growing elderberry, currants, Asian pears, cherries, pawpaws and more! Differing from the “Apple Tamers” in Milwaukee, City Orchards Chicago does not focus on growing apples due to the difficulty in growing them organically in the Midwest. They are conscious of selecting the right cultivars and the wants and needs of the community. Jeanne mentioned, “the urban environment is in need of more trees. We are of the opinion that if you are planting a tree, make it a productive one.” Michael also brought up the importance of the environment when selecting what to plant so while they may not plant apples, they may plant hawthorns or serviceberries.
When it comes to harvesting, it all depends on the location. Stakeholders at the various sites will determine what happens with the harvestable fruit. For example, the Garfield Park Neighborhood Market is a newer farmers market and Michael and Jeanne have planted fruit trees in the neighborhood to support that farmers market. Michael has been a vendor at farmers markets for some time and credits the networking that occurs there between farmers on how he learns and then experiments at the micro-orchards. Micheal and Jeanne are excited to keep up this work and are eager to bring in younger people who are interested in micro-orcharding across the city.
From my time spent living and studying in Green Bay, Wisconsin I became familiar with New Leaf Foods- a 501(c)3 with a mission to support the health and wellbeing of the people of Greater Green Bay by promoting
healthy food access and education and by cooperating throughout Northeast Wisconsin to build a thriving local food system in a clean environment. I connected with Kim Diaz, VP of New Leaf Foods and one of the main organizers behind their Community Orchards project.
The Community Orchards project, starting in 2022, is an evolution of the previous Garden Blitz project with an emphasis on permaculture. Over the life of the project, Garden Blitz donated and installed 945 raised garden beds across the Green Bay area and mentored 151 new gardeners. Similar to City Orchards Chicago, New Leaf saw more demand for perennial agriculture and made the switch to focus on installing micro-orchards across the Green Bay area. “We have two programs” Kim says “The Community Orchards project and Bountiful Branches, where we sell trees, bushes and perennial food plants to the community. People are buying and growing in their yards through Bountiful Branches, but we also are putting micro-orchards in at local school, parks and for the first time this year at a low-income housing site through the Community Orchards project.”
The evolution from focusing on raised beds for annual produce to planting micro-orchards started with one school. New Leaf had previously installed raised beds at 19 different schools, so Kim reached out to the school district and asked to start with one school that planted a micro-orchard and pollinator garden. Now, New Leaf has 18 micro-orchards with most of them located at schools. “An important part is that we plant what the school wants, and the biggest thing is that the groundskeeper at the school is on board and enthusiastic about the project” Kim mentioned. She’s encouraged by the growth in cooperation she has seen in three years from groundskeepers at the schools and parks. Every micro-orchard is different, some schools wanted grapes and asparagus while some wanted apples and cherries. For the first time in 2025, a micro-orchard located at a school expanded and planted more trees. Between Bountiful Branches and the Community Orchards project, New Leaf is greatly increasing the production of diverse fruits in Northeast Wisconsin, and I am excited to keep following their journey.
My awe in seeing a group of plum trees on an abandoned lot in Milwaukee led me to meeting so many wonderful people doing incredible work in making their communities a bit more beautiful, productive and engaging. I am hopeful to see more community orchards pop up in urban and under-utilized areas as time goes on. I am encouraged to see the volunteers coming out and having a stake in these projects. I dream of an event where we can have organic orchardists visit these community orchards and then have the community orchardists visit the organic orchards. There’s a need for more fruit trees, bushes, and brambles everywhere. Let’s work together to make it happen.
Tay Fatke is Marbleseed’s Farmer Education Manager
By Annalisa Hultberg & Ariel Pressman
Why DO I neeD A PACksheD At All On My fARM?
You’ve worked hard to seed, weed, water and fertilize the produce all summer. Do you have a clean, safe designated spot to wash and pack the produce? Packsheds provide an organized and accessible space for washing, cooling, packing and grading produce on vegetable farms. Packsheds also serve as a central space for storing harvest supplies like knives, rubber bands, produce bins and wax boxes.
When we say packshed you may be thinking of a fully-enclosed building like a pole shed with a poured concrete floor, floor drains, and doors. Some farms do have these buildings with their postharvest equipment inside. But not all farmers have the ability to have a packshed that is enclosed. In this article we will walk through some of the most important characteristics
of packsheds and low-cost ways you can improve the quality and safety of your produce no matter the scale. As your farm grows you can invest in your packshed and make gradual improvements.
BuIlDInG A lOW-COst, nOnPeRMAnent PACksheD
In this article we will focus on packshed designs that do not involve permanent buildings or infrastructure (e.g. pouring a concrete floor). The goal is to help farmers build a packshed that is efficient and food safe as well as affordable and temporary, in case it is erected on rented land.
the stRuCtuRe
The packshed structure can be anything that provides cover, which serves to keep the people and produce cool. Two of the most common non-permanent structures used by farmers are market tents and carports.
MARket tents
The least expensive non-permanent packshed structure is a market tent. Market tents can be used in a pinch, but are not recommended for the following reasons:
Market tents are not built to resist wind and rain throughout the growing season. Even the best tents deteriorate quickly when set up for an extended period. Some farmers work around this by putting up a tent while produce is being washed and packed, then taking the tent down.
Most market tents are built for an 8x8 ft or 8x10 ft market stall - which is barely enough room for one person to wash and pack produce.
CARPORts
These structures are large (commonly 10’ x 20’), stable, and relatively easy to construct and repair. Carports with steel roofs and temporary garages make excellent packshed structures; however, these structures cost more and require
Photo Credit: Annalisa Hultberg & Ariel Pressman
a higher level of construction knowledge. Fabric sided carports are easier to erect and are less expensive.
Most carports come standard with light duty fabric coverings that will likely only last for 1-2 years. If you can afford it, we strongly recommend upgrading to heavier duty fabric coverings that are designed to last 5+ years.
If you’re considering a carport structure, keep in mind the following:
• Carports are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. Ensure the carport you choose can accommodate all of the equipment you plan to keep in your packshed while providing plenty of room for farm staff to maneuver.
• If you plan to leave the carport up over winter, be sure it is rated to withstand significant snow load. Otherwise, plan to remove the fabric covering over the winter and then reinstall it in the spring.
• If you’re in a windy area, make sure the carport has proper wind bracing and/or ground stakes. These items are meant to make your structure more sturdy and are often sold as accessories.
This carport has two stations for washing that are divided by a set of shelves. Lay flat connected to the wash tanks drain water away from the packing area. Spray hoses are affixed to the structure with zip ties and dangle over the spray tables.
the flOOR
Building a floor with good drainage limits the amount of dirt and mud in your wash and pack area. Floors also provide a stable area to place tables, shelves, and equipment.
• Landscape fabric
There are many different ways to build a nonpermanent floor for a packshed. No matter what option you choose, start by laying down a thick, commercial
grade landscaping fabric. This will prevent weeds from growing and prevent dirt and mud from entering the area. Use water-permeable landscaping fabric when possible. This allows excess water to permeate the ground instead of pooling on the floor.
• Plastic pallets
One common way to build a floor for a non-permanent packshed is to use plastic pallets. Be sure to use reinforced plastic pallets with a solid top (You know they are reinforced if you can see metal on the inside of the pallet). Other types of pallets break easily under the weight of human feet (even when rated to support much more weight - this rating is developed for weight that is more evenly distributed than the weight of a human). Reinforced plastic pallets with solid tops are expensive when purchased new, but there are many options available from used pallet dealers like PalletOne, or on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. Plan to spend $20-$40 for a good-quality, used plastic pallet.
Workers install landscape fabric under the floor of their packshed.
Plastic pallets create the floor of this packshed
• Gravel or stone
rubber bands, harvest knives, cleaning supplies). Without shelving, these items can end up on the floor where they become dirty and create a physical hazard.
layer of gravel or stone over your landscape fabric. Water
This floor of this packshed is pea gravel over “Geo Grid” from the company Vevor. Geo Grid is a plastic flexible grid that holds rocks or gravel. The grid provides support and stability.
tABles
All packsheds must contain surfaces used for packing produce into boxes. Packshed tables must be waterresistant, easy to clean, and able to hold a significant amount of weight.
Consider the following common packshed table options:
• Banquet or market-style folding tables are a simple option. They are easy to clean, can be put up and taken down quickly, and generally support a sufficient amount of weight.
• Stainless steel food prep tables are easy to clean and can be purchased at restaurant auctions.
• Roller tables are especially useful in a packshed, as they allow you to push a box of produce down a pack line instead of lifting and carrying it. Roller tables are expensive new but are often available for less than $100 per 10ft section at auctions.
shelVes
All packsheds must have somewhere to safely store the supplies used to harvest and clean produce (e.g.
Wire racks are a good option. Try to find wire racks that are NSF rated, meaning they are designed to be used in food safe areas. When choosing a size for your wire rack, note the surface area of the shelves. Make sure they are large enough to store items like produce totes and wax boxes.
POsthARVest equIPMent
No packshed is complete without equipment for safely washing and packing produce.
Spray tables and wash basins are the most basic and essential infrastructure to include in your packshed design.
sPRAy tABles
Spray tables can be easily built using a variety of designs and materials. They consist of a frame (built from wood or metal), and a top with gaps that allow dirty water to run off the table as the produce is sprayed. Spray tables are the most effective option for cleaning bunched vegetable crops.
Whatever spray table you build should be strong enough to hold the produce you will place on it and large enough to spray a good amount of produce at one time.
Shelving to hold tools and equipment in the packshed
Spray table with wooden frame and livestock tank for cooling and washing produce
WAsh tAnks
Wash basins provide an easy way to wash and hydrocool produce. They can be made out of a variety of food safe (cleanable) materials, and they come in a variety of sizes.
When considering the right type and size of wash basin for your packshed, keep the following in mind:
• New, heavy-duty stock tanks made of structural foam are a cost-effective option.
• Avoid wash basins made of thin or flexible materials, as they break easily.
• Do not use metal wash basins, unless they are made of stainless steel.
• Many farmers use stainless steel triple wash sinkssimilar to what is found in restaurants.
When deciding what size wash basins to use in your packshed, remember that the water in wash basins needs to be changed frequently. Think about how long it will take to fill a wash basin with a new batch of water. To estimate the time it will take, divide the capacity of the wash basin by the total gallons per minute of water available in your shed. For example, if your wash basin is 150 gallons and your well provides 5 gallons of water per minute, it will take 30 minutes to fill the basin.
fOOD sAfety
• Hand washing: To ensure maximum food safety, it is important to have a handwashing stand for workers to wash their hands near the entrance of the packshed. Stock this area with potable (drinkable) water, soap, paper towels, and garbage. The sink can be plumbed, or you can use a simple 7-gallon tank on a table with a continuous flow valve and a 5-gallon bucket to catch the wastewater.
• All equipment that will touch food should be suitable for food contact. That means it is nonporous, cleanable, able to sanitize, and will not rust.
• Clean and sanitize your food contact surfaces before and after use if the packshed has open ends, since animals and other critters can contaminate these surfaces overnight.
Enjoy your packshed as a cool, tidy and pleasant place to pack your fresh produce all summer long.
Annalisa Hultberg is a statewide Extension Educator with the University of Minnesota, focusing on on-farm food safety. Annalisa works with fruit and vegetable growers of all sizes on common sense postharvest handling and food safety measures that improve the safety and efficiency of their operation and helps them to enter new markets.
Ariel Pressman is an experienced organic vegetable farmer and non-profit leader, and currently serves as a farm and food systems consultant with Whole Farm Strategies. Ariel works with UMN Extension providing postharvest and Wholesale Readiness training for vegetable farmers - especially those who are new to wholesale. Ariel is passionate about helping farmers develop farming operations that are environmentally, economically and personally sustainable.
A farmer washes greens in a stock tank in the packshed
By Jason Cavadini
At last, it’s grazing season once again! This is the time of year when livestock operations shine. Hands down, the most profitable days are those when our animals are grazing on pasture. And the more days on pasture we can get, the more successful we are. So, what is the most important factor for successful grazing? If you polled all farmers who graze, you would likely get
answers such as forage yield, forage quality, livestock health, and livestock growth. While none of those are wrong, I would argue that two factors that are even more important for successful grazing are animal intake and pasture utilization. These two factors drive all other outcomes in a pasture-based system. After all, livestock eating forage is the name of the game with grazing, right? If that’s true, then intake – the volume of forage an
Photo Credit: Jason Cavadini
animal consumes (“takes in”) via grazing, and utilization – the quantity of the total standing forage “used” by the animal, are paramount for successful grazing. An animal typically consumes about 2.5% of their body weight in dry matter per day. For growth to occur, an animal must consume more than the daily intake requirement. Good utilization drives intake.
Optimizing intake and utilization cannot be possible without first prioritizing the principles of managed grazing. These include: 1) rotation – animals should be moved to a new paddock at least every three days (more frequent is even better), 2) residual – forage should not be grazed lower than 4 inches, and 3) rest – the forage should be given at least 30 days to regrow before being grazed again. If these aren’t currently being applied on a grazing operation, that operation has the most to gain by first transitioning toward these principles. The result will be increased forage production and nutritive value and a gradual improvement in the overall quality of the pasture over time. Once these principles are being implemented, what additional steps can we take to optimize intake and utilization?
Managing forages for intake and utilization requires a basic understanding of plant physiology. As perennial grasses and legumes move toward physiological maturity each season, reproductive structures (flowers and seed stalks) reduce the nutritional value of the pasture. As grass plants mature, they accumulate fiber and become less digestible and less palatable. In diverse pastures, different species and varieties of grass mature at different times, causing some to be more desirable to livestock than others during each grazing event. As a result, animals become selective, choosing only their favorite plants, intake declines, and forage utilization drops to the lowest it will be all season. Further, the most desirable plants will be continuously overgrazed each rotation, while the undesirable ones will be increasingly rejected. Not only does this result in low utilization, it also results in the gradual decline in pasture forage quality over time.
This rush for grass plants to reproduce – within 30 days of the beginning of the grazing season, can be the bane of the grazier’s existence. We can’t stop it from happening, but we can manage it! Most cool season perennial grass species reach maturity only once during a growing season (Timothy is an exception). For these species, once the stem and seedhead are removed, the plant will return to vegetative growth for the remainder of the season. The more vegetative plants you have, the more desirable plants you have for grazing, and the less rejection you have. “Resetting the forage” to vegetative growth can be done multiple ways:
Cutting/harvesting – abundant early-season forage growth usually results in more forage than livestock can keep up with. Mechanically harvesting excess forage for winter feed gets rid of seed heads and resets the forage
to vegetative growth for the remainder of the season. Cutting height should be no lower than 4 inches.
Clipping/mowing – seedheads that remain standing after the first or second grazing event can be removed with a mower or sickle to promote new growth. The cutting height should be no lower than 4 inches and should remove the seedhead and most of the seed stalk.
High density grazing – the trampling of mature plants with stocking densities exceeding 100,000 lbs/acre will also promote new growth. This should only be done under dry soil conditions to avoid compaction, and animals must be rotated frequently – at least twice or more daily.
Many farms utilize a combination of all these practices to maintain vegetative growth all season and to ensure the long-term quality of their pastures. Ideally, all acres would receive one of these treatments during a grazing season. For example, 50% of acres can be cut and harvested, 25% of acres can be trampled with high density grazing, and 25% of acres can be clipped after the first or second grazing. Acres that are not managed with any of these will eventually begin to produce new growth through tillering – the emergence of new shoots. However, accessing that new growth will require animals to graze through older, mature plant material, which will limit utilization later in the season. Pastures that are vegetative and relatively free of mature material through summer into fall will have the highest rates of intake and utilization, extending the grazing season into September and October when conditions are most favorable for animal health and growth – oh, and successful grazing and farm profit!
Jason Cavadini is the Grazing Outreach Specialist with the UW-Madison Division of Extension. He conducts research, outreach, and educational programming focused on perennial forages, livestock-integrated cropping systems, and managed-grazing for farms of all scales. Jason grew up in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin where he developed an appreciation for soil and water conservation farming practices. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Crop & Soil Science from University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and a master’s in Agronomy from Purdue University. Jason is a Certified Professional Agronomist, serves as an advisor to GrassWorks Inc., and operates a cow-calf to finish grazing operation with his wife and five children near Stratford, WI.
By Laura Paine and Adam Abel on behalf of GrassWorks
Why consider stockpiling pasture?
Winter feeding can comprise more than 70% of a livestock farm’s production costs. While Midwestern
pastures can produce huge amounts of high-quality forage during our short growing season, our long winter non-grazing season is our Achilles’ heel. Every day you’re feeding stored feed more than doubles your cost per head per day com-
pared to letting your animals feed themselves on pasture. Extending the grazing season by stockpiling pasture can save producers big money.
Think of it this way: stockpiling pasture involves swapping haymak-
Photo Credit: Laura Paine
ing for grazing. Instead of making a last cutting of hay in August and feeding it back in October, why not stockpile it in the field and let the animals harvest it themselves later in the season? That saves you time, fuel, and wearand-tear on your equipment, in addition to providing higher quality fresh forage, exercise and fresh air for your animals. There are some costs and planning involved, but there is really no downside!
Well-managed stockpiled pasture can yield between 1 and 2 tons per acre, enough to feed 3 to 6 animal units per acre for a month. So, a herd of sixty 1000-lb animals would need 10 to 20 acres set aside for one month of grazing. If your grazing season typically ends by early October, those acres would get you into November. That could save you up to $120 a day or $3700 for the month. Another 10 to 20 acres would shave another month off your winter-feeding time and double your savings. Winter weather can impact the effectiveness of this strategy, but planning for stockpiling allows you to maximize your cost savings when conditions are right.
hOW It WORks
Stockpiling takes advantage of the “fall flush” of growth that cool season pastures experience as temperatures
cool in late August and September. By this time of the season, reproductive growth is long past, and pasture vegetation is leafy and high quality. This is a time of year when getting hay to dry down can be a challenge, but with stockpiling, it’s perfect. The forage, if allowed to accumulate until frost halts growth for the season, can provide a month or two of high-quality grazing. The frost effectively preserves the forage in the field until it’s needed. Forage quality remains high: we routinely see 15 to 20% crude protein and relative forage quality levels at 150 or above. Grazing can continue throughout early winter, even through a few inches of snow.
PlAnnInG fOR stOCkPIlInG
Successful stockpiling starts with an appropriate stocking rate. It’s only a possibility if your farm has enough acres to support additional months of grazing. If you’re already producing all or most of your winter hay, it is simply a matter of changing your harvest method from mechanical to ‘self-harvesting’. If you purchase most of your winter feed from off farm, you may not have enough acres to stockpile pasture. But potential options for working stockpiling into your operation include converting some crop ground to forage production, planting cover crops on crop ground for fall grazing, or using rented acres.
Beef cattle grazing stockpiled mixed pasture in December in central Wisconsin (Photo credit: Jason Cavadini)
How many acres do I need? To calculate the acreage needed, you need to know the number of animals, average animal weight, and average pasture yield.
First, how much forage will your herd need? Each animal will need about 3% of their body weight per day in forage dry matter, meaning a 1000 lb animal requires about 30 lb per day (1000 x 0.03). If your herd size is 40 head, that means your daily forage need is 1200 lb/ day (40 x 30).
Second, how much forage will there be? If your average hay yield is 3 tons per acre during a 6-month growing season, that means that your pastures and hay fields accumulate about 1000 lb per month (6000 lb / 6 months). Setting aside an acre for two months for stockpile grazing will yield about a ton per acre.
Do the numbers: If your herd needs 1200 lb per day and your stockpiled pasture yields 2000 lb, that means that one acre will last them 1.7 days (2000 / 1200). For 30 days of grazing, you will need to set aside 17.7 acres (30 days / 1.7 acres/day). Since there is no regrowth after fall frosts, another 17.7 acres will be needed to extend the season another month.
Selecting a pasture for stockpiling. Any mixed cool season pasture can work for stockpiling, but grasses with upright growth like orchard grass perform the best. This reduces leaf loss from freeze-thaw cycles and snow cover. Grasses like meadow fescue, with its soft leaves, lose yield more quickly under fall weather conditions. Grasses like smooth brome, which puts on most of its growth in early summer, are also less desirable choices. Although it is not often recommended for grazing compared to other cool season perennial species, tall fescue’s niche is stockpiling. Its upright growth habit and waxy leaves preserve yield and quality better than most other cool season grasses.
Legumes in the stand tolerate stockpiling fairly well but tend to lose leaves after several frosts. Alfalfa is probably the least desirable legume for stockpiling because when it loses leaves, there is little left but stems that are not very palatable or digestive.
Many producers find it easy to stockpile pastures that have been cut for hay earlier in the season. After one or two cuttings of hay, these pastures are ready to be set aside to accumulate growth in August for fall grazing.
settInG uP A PAstuRe fOR stOCkPIlInG
Clipping. To maximize forage quality, it’s ideal to clip the pastures to be set aside for stockpiling in early August if you haven’t already made hay or clipped to remove seedheads. This will ensure that your stockpiled pasture will be all vegetative growth.
Fertilizing. If maximizing fall growth is your goal, ap-
plying nitrogen in August is a good strategy. If rainfall is adequate, 60 lb of actual N per acre will increase yields by 30 to 70%, depending on species and weather conditions. The key is to apply a quick release form of nitrogen that will be available for immediate growth. Liquid cow manure or pelleted poultry manure may be good options. Keep in mind that routine nitrogen fertilization of pastures can result in legumes losing the competitive battle with grasses. An occasional application in late summer should have a minimal impact on legume persistence, but pastures should be monitored if legumes are an important component of your pasture composition. For all these reasons, penciling out the cost of purchased fertility against the value of forage gained and the impact on legumes is advisable.
ReADy
tO GRAze!
Stockpiled pastures are ready to graze after frost has stopped pasture growth for the season or whenever you run out of your main season pastures. Rotationally grazing stockpile by subdividing the area into strips or blocks will maximize forage utilization. Remember to leave at least 4 inches of residual to protect the stand from damage over the winter. If possible, use a back fence to prevent overgrazing and further reduce winterkill risk.
Providing water. Early in the fall, summer watering facilities are adequate for stockpile grazing, but as the season progresses, cold temperatures make water provision a challenge. If ice forms on the surface of the tank, it can usually be broken up to allow grazing animals to drink as long as daytime temperatures get above freezing. Buried waterlines are less likely to freeze than above ground lines. Setting up the waterer to trickle continuously can keep the water from freezing in the waterline, but this requires matching the flow with consumption to avoid having spillage from the tank making a muddy mess around the waterer. An overflow with a spillway hose at the top of the tank can address this problem. Some producers who outwinter cattle plan their stockpiling near existing frost-free waterers. Others allow the herd back to the barn to drink once or twice a day. Water requirements decline as temperatures cool and daylength decreases, and stockpiled forages are also high in water content. Most livestock can easily adapt to less frequent access to water. Some animals even eat snow as a water source.
OtheR OPtIOns fOR extenDInG the GRAzInG seAsOn
Whenever your animals are able to go out and harvest their own feed, your operation will save money. Gleaning crop residue is one of the cheapest forms of feed for livestock classes that have relatively low nutritional requirements, like dry cows and ewes or yearling heifers. If your crop rotation involves cover cropping, the high-quality cover crop combined with the crop residue
as a fiber source makes a good combination for late fall grazing.
Finally, why stop with fall grazing? Many producers in the region have adopted the practice of winter bale grazing. Bale grazing involves setting bales in a grid pattern in the field or pasture in fall to be fed for some or all of the winter. Then, using temporary fencing, livestock are given access to a few bales at a time. The benefits of bale grazing include significant cost savings in labor for feeding and manure management and the application of fertility to fields or pastures where it’s needed.
Stockpiling, cover crop grazing and bale grazing can all contribute to a strategy for minimizing labor and equipment costs on the farm and maximizing the benefits of livestock grazing for the bottom line, the environment, the health of the herd and your quality of life.
Visit the UW Extension Grazing website for other topics: https://cropsandsoils.extension.wisc.edu/grazing/
Laura Paine is a long-time advisor and former board member of GrassWorks. She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in plant science. Her 30+ years of work experience includes research, education and market development work for grass-fed and organic farmers through multiple agencies and organizations. She currently serves as an outreach coordinator and resource conservationist with a joint appointment with UW Extension and the NRCS ACES program. Laura and her husband live on their 89-acre farm near Columbus, Wis where they raised grass-fed beef for nearly 20 years and are now partnering with a young couple to raise cow-calf pairs.
Adam Abel is the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Grazing Specialist. Over the past 22 years, he has focused on assisting producers through the transition to grazing. Since the age of 8, he has directly observed the benefits of rotational grazing, when his family farm started grazing the dairy herd, and later the beef herd. The economic, livestock, and soil health benefits gained by rotational grazing are quantifiable and real; this is an important message that he enjoys sharing. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wis Stevens Point in Soil and Land Management. He currently lives in Kimberly, Wis with his wife and 3 children. When he’s not in the field
with farmers, you’ll likely find him on a boat enjoying Wisconsin’s many lakes and rivers, camping with his family, or trying to keep kids quiet in a deer stand.
IntRODuCtIOn
The Driftless Area covers 24,000 square miles at the junction of four North Central States: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois. The name indicates that the region, in comparison to the surrounding areas, lacks glacial deposits (i.e., drifts). Even though the region’s glacial history is more complex than the name implies, the name captures the region’s strong physiographic identity. Its rugged topography challenges mechanized industrial farming, which is overwhelmingly present in the Midwest. The face of agriculture in the Driftless Area has changed dramatically over the past decades. The region now has become a hub for organic agriculture, driven by changing employment and economic opportunities. Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota fall within the top 10 states with the highest number of certified organic
Although there is no complete geospatial data of certified organic farms, our mapping of USDA Organic Integrity Database (Figure 1) shows several regional epicenters of organic farms across the country. Within the four states, besides the counties close to Twin Cities, Chicago, and Madison, the Driftless Area stands out with the highest density of certified organic farms. In the Driftless Area, a substantial part of the farm is not suitable for crops because of the steep slopes and flooded valleys. According to the 2017 US agricultural census (2019), acres of harvested crop land as a percent of a farm’s acreage is substantially smaller in the Driftless counties in comparison to the surrounding counties. In Minnesota, the Driftless counties show that only 40-79% of the farmland is harvested for crops when the other counties at the same latitude show over 80%. In Wisconsin, this percentage is only 20-39 % in the Driftless counties.
Figure 1. Locations of organic farms in the US (A) and in the four states that intersect in the Driftless Area. The blue line in (B) indicates the boundary of the Driftless Area. Map data from the Organic Integrity Database.
Where complex landscapes reduce harvest area per farm, every inch of land is subjected to careful analyses for its profitability. One of our collaborating farmers commented, “There are some parts of the farm
Junjun Lu, Yuxin Miao & Julie Grossman
Photo of Kyungsoo, Ivan, Abby from Featherstone Farm, and Azucena (from left to right).
that make machinery feel less safe, so we’re trying to find that balance between the efficiency of large equipment, best soil practices, and safety.” Another stated that highly variable soil texture with locations made it difficult to time bed preparation, to utilize ideal crop rotations, and to apply fertilizer at an even rate across the field. Our collaborating farmers emphasized the following topography-affected problems: (i) extremely diverse soil texture, moisture, and organic matter contents that limit timely field preparation, identifying ideal rotations, and fertilizer application, (ii) flooding and saturation of low-lying fields, (iii) distinct micro-climate between the ridge tops and valleys, and (iv) rapid soil erosion across the range of slopes. As the farmers’ responses highlight, the Driftless Region is characterized by highly variable conditions, even within individual small farms. Since most research is carried out at a watershed scale, soil research, and risk of erosion in particular, is critically needed at the farm level.
Our research team has received funding from USDASARE with a goal of finding ways to increase the profitability of organic vegetable farms and suggesting site-specific management approaches based on the diverse soil-landscape conditions in the Driftless Area. Here we share some basic topography-soil-crop information that characterizes organic vegetable farms in the Driftless Area. If you see this information is relevant to your farms, we encourage you to contact us as we seek to include more farms in our GIS analysis.
WIthIn-fARM VARIABIlIty In slOPes AnD sOlAR RADIAtIOn
We start by quantifying the expected trend that organic vegetable farms in the Driftless Area exhibit significant within-farm and within-fields variability in topography, which challenges on-farm day-to-day management. A slope gradient is a term that tells you the steepness of a hill, with higher percentages indicating steeper slopes. In Figure 2, we show slope gradients in two organic vegetable farms in the Driftless Area as an example. The thick solid lines indicate the watersheds that contain the individual farms, while the dotted lines cultivated fields within the two organic vegetable farms. The comparisons illustrate that relatively flat or minimally sloped lands are selected for vegetable production. For example, about 30% of the watersheds exceed the slope gradient of 15%, while nearly 100 % of crop fields have slope gradients less than 15% (Figure 2). This may not be surprising. However, the comparison of the two farms reveals that substantial differences exist between the two organic vegetable farms with respect to the steepness in the fields. Farm A utilizes the relatively flat plateau and valley floor as crop fields, while Farm D has most of its fields on hillslopes between the ridge and valley.
Figure 2. Cumulative percentage of land area by slope gradient. Farm A’s crop fields (blue dotted line) and the watershed including the farm (blue solid line), and Farm D’s crop fields (red dotted line) and the watershed including the farm (red solid line). Our analyses are not limited to slope steepness. For example, sunny southfacing slopes are considered as having higher soil temperature earlier in the spring than shady north-facing slopes, and such differences will place significant control not only on various soil properties such as soil moisture and organic matter contents but also on crop growth.
To optimize the production potential of different vegetables in complex landscapes, a map of solar radiation within farms could be useful. This logic is comparable to finding optimal locations for solar panels. Figure. 3a shows average monthly solar radiation (energy received per square meter of ground surface per day) within four organic vegetable farms in the Driftless Area in comparison to radiation calculated for a flat farm. Except for Farm C, three organic farms receive greater solar radiation than the flat fields because their fields are generally south facing. Also, unlike the flat farm, the four examined organic vegetable farms exhibit a wide range of solar radiation within the farms, illustrating the diverse micro-climate conditions found within those farms (Figure 3b). Lastly, even among organic vegetable farms, considerable differences are found in the solar radiation, and such variabilities depend on the slope gradients and the directions of the slopes (Figure 3b).
Article coninued on next page.
Figure 3. (A) Monthly mean solar radiation in four organic vegetable farms in the Driftless Area vs. a hypothetical farm with a flat topography. (B) Areal percentage of land by annual solar radiation.
WIthIn-fARM VARIABIlIty In sOIls By tOPOGRAPhy
When looking at soil carbon, nitrogen, and pH, they were all found to greatly differ by the locations within individual farms. However, the direction that topographic locations affects soil properties is unique to individual farms. For example, at Farm A, soil pH was more acidic and variable in the fields on the valley than in the fields on the hilltop (Figure 4 a and b), but this association with topography is opposite in Farm B. At the smaller farms, where farm fields are located on the slopes between the flat ridges and valley floors, soil pH also differed significantly depending on the slope positions, but the direction of the difference was different between the farms. These observations suggest that the relationships between soil properties and topographic positions could be unique to individual farms and are difficult to generalize.
For soil organic matter contents, the highest soil carbon contents were found in the valley fields (2.1± 0.04 and 2.1%± 0.02 in two larger organic vegetable farms) followed by the hilltop fields (1.6± 0.05% and 1.6% ±0.04 in the same farms). Soil carbon in the cropping fields located on steep slopes was significantly lower than carbon in hilltop and valley soils. This means that farms where no relatively flat hilltop is available for production, for example very hilly and steep farms, may have lower soil organic matter content than farms that have these flat regions.
WIthIn-fARM VARIABIlIty In CROP GROWth By tOPOGRAPhy
Ultimately, we would like to develop methods that allow farmers to delineate different management zones based on topography. To meet this goal, we integrated highresolution (3 meter) satellite remote sensing images with farmer management data and crop productivity for one of our study farms. This task involved extracting the variability in crop productivity from satellite remote sensing images. We examined 2023 satellite data images for 31 fields located in the valley floor and 18 fields located at the hilltop and consulted the farmer management data that includes crop variety, planting date, and management practices.
Figure 4. Within-field variabilities in soil pH for hilltop (A) and valley (B) in Farm A.
We found that crop growth had greater variability in the fields located at the hilltop in comparison to the fields located on the valley, which highlights the greater need for delineating management zones at the hilltop. These findings may support sustainable management decisions tailored to specific field conditions, contributing to the success and resilience of organic farming systems in diverse landscapes.
COnClusIOns
Our research highlights that organic vegetable farms in the Driftless Area differ from large industrial farms with respect to within-farm topography. We showed that the complex topography in the Driftless Area (Figure 1 and 2) may affect the productivity and management of the organic vegetable farms through subsequent differences in solar radiation (Figure 3), soil properties (Figure 4), and crop growth. Organic farms in the Driftless could benefit by identifying management practices that take advantage of the topographic diversity found in this region (Figure 5). As we continue this North Central SARE-funded research, we would love to develop new collaborations with organic farmers in the Driftless Area, maybe you! If these analyses are relevant to your farm, please contact us. Contact information for researchers is available below.
Kyungsoo Yoo (kyoo@umn.edu) is the lead PI of this project and a professor of soil and geomorphology in the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
Azucena Sierra Garcia (sierr047@umn.edu) is a doctoral student working on this project as her dissertation research. She conducted her MS. thesis research on indigenous coffee farms in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Rafael Alvarenga Almeida (ralmeida@umn.edu) is an agricultural engineer and a visiting professor from the Federal University of Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys in Brazil. Rafael is an expert in GIS analysis and soil erosion modeling.
Junun Lu (luj@umn.edu) is a postdoctoral researcher with expertise in satellite image analyses and precision agriculture.
Yuxin Miao (ymiao@umn.edu) is a PI of this project, an expert in precision agriculture, and a professor in the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
Julie Grossman (jgross@umn.edu) is a PI of this project, an expert in soil agroecology, focusing on organic vegetable systems and cover crops, and a professor in the Department of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
USDA-NASS. (2019). Certifed organic survey results. Retrieved from www.nass.usda.gov/organics/
USDA, (2019), 2017 US agricultural census, Summary and State Data, Volume 1 • Geographic Area Series • Part 51, AC-17-A-51
C OWSMO COMPOS T
Figure 5. Management zones delineated for the fields in hilltop at a select organic vegetable farm in the Driftless Area.
obServaTioNS
from a diScoNTiNued wiN-wiN federal
ProGram
By Tay Fatke
When I speak about the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program I always refer to it as a “win-win slam dunk program” LFPA used non-competitive cooperative agreements to provide funding for state, tribal and territorial governments to purchase foods to help support local, regional and underserved producers. This food was used to serve feeding programs, including food banks and organizations that reach underserved communities. Win-win. Slam Dunk.
On March 7, 2025, a letter from USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) notified that the Local Food Purchase Assistance 2025 Program (LFPA25) had been canceled. According to AMS they
had “determined this agreement no longer effectuates agency priorities and that termination of the award is appropriate.”
If LFPA was a “slam dunk”, then the cancellation of the program is an “own goal.” There was documented success of this program. Over the two years of the program in Wisconsin, 283 growers participated and served 254 food access partners in 72 counties to deliver $4.23 million worth of food. Without this funding both farmers and those in need have less options.
Hunger Task Force CEO Matt King says “The need is great. Over the past year we have seen a 35% increase in visits to local food pantries.” Hunger Task Force is Milwaukee’s Free & Local food bank and Wisconsin’s leading anti-hunger
organization. The organization received a Community Partner grant through the Wisconsin LFPA program to source from local Southeast Wisconsin farmers. Hunger Task Force also operates a 208-acre farm where half a million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables are grown and then dispersed throughout the community. For Hunger Task Force, it’s about providing food with dignity.
“One of the most significant challenges facing food banks around the country is reliable access to nutritious and healthy food – in particular fresh produce,” says King. “Dignity is one of the most important values that we embody through our work. One of the ways we do is by both growing healthy
Photo Credit: Ben Lee
food and creating access to it through partnerships with our local network of food pantries, meal sites, homeless shelters and low-income senior sites. We also have longstanding partnerships with Wisconsin growers and have reinvested in fresh produce from farmers who were a part of last year’s LFPA program to support local agriculture and increase the quantity of fresh, culturally diverse produce for recipients throughout Milwaukee County.”
Over the last two seasons JL Produce supplied Hunger Task Force with nutritious and culturally diverse vegetables. Vang Thao and Vang Xiong of JL Produce greatly increased their production over these years and focused on wholesaling their vegetables through WI LFPA. “The LFPA program has helped us by providing a consistent and reliable buyer of our produce. We currently sell our produce at two farmers market each weekend, but if the LFPA program does not continue we will need to add two more farmers markets every week to make up for the lost revenue.”
Marbleseed had a role within WI LFPA to provide technical assistance to producers as they strengthened their wholesale readiness. This program was successful for producers because it provided guaranteed contracts to farmers, which in some cases made the transition from selling direct to consumers to wholesaling easier to navigate. The WI LFPA program hosted several wholesale readiness training courses throughout the state to support producers in the program. Many producers were grateful for the opportunity to ease into wholesaling to see if it was right for their farm. Win-win. Slam Dunk.
Ben Lee, the Director of Community Impact at United Way of Marathon County, has been seeing the benefits of farm to food access work even before WI LFPA started. During the Covid pandemic, United Way of Marathon County received a private donation for their Marathon County Hunger Coalition work. The catch? It had to be all spent on procuring from local farms. Ben, thinking about how to make this a reality, was reflecting on the CSA box he receives weekly from a local farm and asked, “How can we give this to people for free?” He promptly began reaching out to area farmers and connected with Red Door Family Farm where he procured produce from, and the Marathon County Hunger Coalition packed 50 CSA boxes per week for 6 weeks that first season. After going back to the donor to ask for more money to continue, that donor was no longer interested, and Ben convinced United Way of Marathon County to start funding this farm to food access program permanently using their own funding. There are many instances of food panties, community organizations and farm networks doing this important work of farm to food access across the country, but LFPA surely made these opportunities more plentiful. When I asked Ben what advice he would give to another organization interested in starting a farm to food access
program he offered, “Tear down your silos and check your egos at the door because we know, and it is evident in our work, that more happens when we do it together.” He also mentioned that this work isn’t about boosting United Way’s reputation, it’s about making sure people have the food in their house to let them thrive.
Not only did the LFPA program make the opportunities more plentiful, but it also allowed each food access organization to have the flexibility it needed to make the program successful. That was a highlight that Makala Bach, Outreach Associate at University of Illinois Extension noted. Makala is one of the team members working on Illinois’ LFPA program, otherwise known as Illinois EATS (Equitable Access Towards Sustainable Systems). “Prior to launching IL-EATS, we had listening sessions across the state to ask how we should use this money. We asked, what are the gaps you see in the food system? What is working already we can build off of? What can we do to make this grant more accessible to you?” said Bach. The takeaway from these listening sessions was that the community wanted organizations of all sizes and capacities to be able to participate. “Allowing that level of organizational flexibility allowed our sub awardees to serve their community in such a unique way.” Examples of this are that Black Oaks Center in Pembroke used this funding to run a prescriptive produce box for their community and Famers Rising used their funding to pay farmers who are growing yearround, understanding that extending the season leads to greater food security. Win-Win. Slam Dunk.
The good work done by the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program is out there, it’s apparent, and it is inspiring. It is a priority no matter what this administration says, and it will be a focus for farmers, community organizations, food banks, consumers, and representatives moving forward. I personally think it’s a matter of when, not if this program will come back, but we need to keep sharing the good work, highlights and stories. Go to www.wilocalfood.org/impact-kit to learn more about how to tell your LFPA story and how to contact your representatives to share the importance of this program. Connect with your community to see how you can plug in to help farm to food access that may still be happening in your area. Seek out and support farmers who are donating or selling into farm to access programs. Yell at the top of your lungs that farm to food access should be a top agency priority of the USDA now and forever.
Tay Fatke is Marbleseed’s Farmer Education Manager.
Need for TechNical Service ProviderS
likely To Grow
By Thomas Manley
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has a long history of partnering with individuals and organizations to ensure they can provide conservation technical
and financial assistance to farmers hoping to protect or improve the natural resources on their operations. We are all aware of the “adjustments” that have occurred in the funding and structure of federal
agencies in the past few months. These changes have included significant reductions in the numbers of people serving farmers through the various agencies within USDA, including NRCS. Despite this reduction in force, NRCS staff
Photo Credit: Debra Willis
and leadership remain committed to providing service to all farmers who seek it. One of the ways that will be possible is through technical assistance delivered by Technical Service Providers, or TSPs.
TSPs work on behalf of customers (that’s all of us farmers) to offer conservation planning and in some cases design or implementation services that meet NRCS criteria. The TSP program has been around for many years and was created to provide timely assistance to farms even when staff may not have the capacity to meet everyone’s needs.
The conservation work of a TSP falls into two broad categories: the planning, design and implementation of conservation practices or the execution of Conservation Planning Activities, or CPAs. The implementation of any individual conservation practice can get rather complicated and require very specific expertise, and since conservation planning is the foundation of NRCS services, I will focus this discussion mostly on CPAs.
Farmers, ranchers and forest landowners can apply for financial assistance through NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and if approved for an EQIP contract that includes TSP services, can work with a TSP to develop a conservation planning activity (CPA) plan. Only a certified TSP can assist with the development of conservation planning activities.
These plans can address specific natural resource objectives such as nutrient and pest management, forestry, energy conservation, or transitioning to organic agriculture. Many of you may be familiar with the Conservation Plan Supporting Organic Transition, or CPA 138. It is a conservation plan that identifies and assesses resource concerns and then evaluates and selects practices to address those concerns, all in the context of a farm’s transition to certified organic management. As we know, organic production relies on a whole system approach that is often very different than what we might observe on conventional farms, so organic expertise is useful and necessary for this planning to fully serve the needs of the transitioning farm. Which is where you might come in. Would you or have you ever considered becoming a TSP?
The process to become a TSP, and particularly to become a TSP certified to assist producers with a CPA 138, has recently been updated and in some cases streamlined to make it easier to understand and navigate. There are basically two pathways one can follow:
A Professional Certification path that recognizes certifications like American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) or Certified Professional Agronomist (CPA).
An Education or Experience pathway that acknowledges experience specific to the planning activities in question. In the case of CPA 138, this includes relevant organic
production, organic technical assistance delivery, or certification review/inspection experience.
Either of these pathways will also require some technical training focused on the conservation planning process and related tools to properly assess resource concerns and develop alternatives that align with the producer’s goals. A prospective TSP will also need to submit an example plan to be reviewed before they can be certified to assist farmers.
The American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society have recently signed new MOUs with the USDA-NRCS to streamline the process for a CCA or CPSS to become a TSP, so if you are one of these certified professionals it may be easier than ever to provide planning services to clients.
As organic producers or providers of technical assistance to organic farms, we are especially motivated to care for the soil, water and animals that make our systems function and grow. The organic standards also require us to maintain and improve these resources as part of the certification process, and it is simply baked into the ethos of who we are as farmers. If you share my love of the land (I know you do) and are motivated to share your organic expertise and skills as a Technical Service Provider, please feel free to reach out directly with any questions. I can direct you to resources to help you decide if pursuing TSP training is right for you. You can also find more information here https://www.nrcs.usda. gov/getting-assistance/technical-assistance/technicalservice-providers/how-to-become-a-tsp
The most important thing we can do as farmers is improve the condition of the resources, on the land we so briefly steward, for all those who come after us. If you are a producer just looking for more information about how working with NRCS can improve your organic operation, I am always happy to help.
This work is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement number FBC24CPT0013866.
Thomas Manley is the Conservation Director at Marbleseed and an Organic Conservation Specialist working with Wisconsin NRCS. He can be reached at Thomas.manley@marbleseed.org
By Lori Stern
According to a research brief based on the 2020 census from the Carsey School of Public Policy, racial diversity is increasing dramatically in non-metropolitan rural areas. Diversity is increasing, even as population in many communities is decreasing. Although most rural areas are still 76% non-Hispanic White, the changing demographics are a very visible reality in many communities.
This context sets the foundation for the Marbleseed Allyship training. Although the shifts in rural population represent both opportunities and challenges, the history in many small towns is one of xenophobia and “good old boys” networks. However, there are many folks in these communities that welcome the changes that come with not only diversity, but younger residents.
And these newcomers are appreciative of lower housing and farmland prices, economic opportunities in locally owned businesses, and smaller schools. Many beginning farmers seek land where it is most affordable, finding themselves in places that may not welcome their presence. As recently as the1960’s there were towns in the Midwest that had “Whites Only” policies prohibiting black travelers from finding safe places to eat and sleep, they came to be known as “sundown towns”.
Sixty years later, although the laws may be erased, often the culture or distrust remains on both sides. Farmers of color have reported finally finding their “dream farm” after years of searching and saving, only to be met with hostility and vandalism. For a few who have come
forward with their stories, it forced them to abandon their dream, sell their farms at a loss, and move back to the city.
Ultimately, it is in our collective best interest to revitalize rural places. Local food systems and economies are more resilient than the consolidated, extractive corporate models. And as a an adopted member of a rural community, who also farmed and owned a small business, I have seen firsthand the challenges and the opportunities of being an “outsider” in rural places.
From these realities and experiences, Marbleseed created the Allyship Network and training. I know that I have neighbors that have my back and it gives me a feeling of safety. I wanted new neighbors in my farmhood to feel similarly secure. The training design relies on deep research on intentionality to intervene when people witness discrimination or racism. And one of the predictors is having the words and skills to feel effective, while also ensuring one’s own safety.
Marbleseed offered the first Allyship training in the fall of 2024. Since then we have presented the approach and network at conferences as well. Participants requested a facilitator’s guide to enable them to offer this skillsbased approach with their own communities. On August 14 we will present the training again. This time, rather than a full day in person, it will include an asynchronous webinar for the more didactic information. Then we will gather for a half day of skills practice, followed by an optional afternoon of facilitator training to spread this model to more states and places.
As a community of learners, we can explore situations that run the gamut from offhand comments to vandalism and violence. We talk about times we have been in social settings where a friend, relative or acquaintance says something and we feel we should speak up but we don’t. We talk about safety and visibility. This project was funded by the Farmer Rancher Stress Assistance Network through a grant from the University of Illinois. These issues connect to mental health and wellbeing in the places we live and should have expectations of safety. Likewise, for those that would stand up and speak out, gaining self-efficacy and a sense that they can impact their environment and be allies for their neighbors can contribute to a greater sense of well-being.
We have also created an Allyship Network on the Ag Solidarity Network (agsolidaritynetwork. com). This group will hopefully grow, with each member located by their county and state. Member engagement with the Network indicates that they have training and are willing to act as an ally for others. Farmers who have experienced discrimination can search the group to find supportive neighbors. Some farmers have suggested that the Allyship Network could indicate which communities will be more welcoming.
In the training we also explore the barriers to being an “upstander”. Some findings from the research that we explore are:
Confronters from marginalized groups are often seen as complainers. This focuses on the challenge that targeted groups often face in calling out incidents of discrimination. Their concerns are dismissed as petty or self-centered. This is the main reason why allyship skills are so important. It often takes someone not in the targeted group to name the ‘ism’ or prejudice.
Sometimes we do not know or interpret a situation as
discriminatory. Maybe someone uses a derogatory term, slang or even a saying that they do not realize has its history in racism. And sometimes we witness a situation or hear a comment and are so shocked, the moment passes before we can summon the words to address it. We talk about ways to become educated and learn the histories of targeted communities. We practice sentences that we can say in the moment without effort.
Fear of retribution looms large in our current climate. There are real concerns about becoming a target as an individual or organization by standing up as an ally and calling out injustice. However, history has shown us that, as Audre Lorde famously said, “your silence will not protect you”. Perceived safety in the moment may only result in finding yourself with no one to defend you should it come to that in the future.
Connected to the feeling that they will be retribution, we are often silenced by the status or perceived power of perpetrator. However, it also speaks to larger systemic issues and someone’s “power over” your resources or situation and wanting to stay in their good graces. Another saying that comes to mind is how necessary it is to “speak truth to power”, highlighting situations where someone is wielding power for their own gains.
Not having social relationships with groups that experience racism, or prejudice makes it difficult to be an authentic ally. Research indicates that it is very difficult to hate or “other” someone whose story you know. As human beings, we are built for connection. When we realize a shared purpose, interest, or need with someone you assumed to be different from yourself, it can be incredibly impactful and create empathy and allyship. Relationships also enable us to recognize instances of prejudice or discrimination. These friendships are never a substitute for standing up or owning our own biases, but they are what we need to truly be in community.
Social Norms that are tolerant of marginalization or discrimination often make it challenging to speak up. Most of us no doubt have that relative who makes jokes or racists or sexist comments. They are excused by saying, “that’s how they are.” Feeling that nothing will change if we call these out, also is a barrier to upstanding. So, we reflect on the difference between “calling someone in” rather than calling them out when we care about someone or hope that they will shift their perspective. However, there are broader, less obvious examples of social norms in zoning meetings and granting of building permits where exceptions are made for those that are “from here” while “outsiders” are held back and viewed with suspicion. Attending township meetings and helping folks navigate local systems is also a critical part of upstanding.
As we reflect on all the barriers, we provide skills to address them through scenarios and courageous conversations. If any of these barriers call to mind challenges that are familiar, consider joining us for the training or reaching out about interest in being an ally. There are always real and personal stories in the room and opportunities for collective care that give me hope for the future of our rural communities. Practice makes us ready.
To learn more about the Allyship training on August 14 and the Ag Solidarity Network, contact Nou Thao at nou.thao@marbleseed. org or visit our events page at Marbleseed.org.
This work is funded by North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center 2024-3035.
Lori Stern is Marbleseed’s Executive Director
By Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty / Random House
Despised by pioneers, shunned by tourists, dismissed today as “flyover land,’’ the North American prairie is nonetheless one of the richest ecosystems on Earth. The 32 million acres of grassland that lie between Minnesota and western Montana contain 1,600 plant species, 220 varieties of butterfly, some 1 billion grassland birds and many of America’s most iconic creatures, including bison, grizzlies, elk, and coyotes. A new body of research shows that just one cubic yard of prairie soil contains so many grasses, sedges, flowers, burrowing mammals, invertebrates and soil microbes that it rivals the Amazon rainforest for biological diversity.
And yet today we are plowing up our remaining grasslands faster than we’re destroying the rainforest - 1 million acres a year because of the nation’s misguided food system.
Sea of Grass tells the natural history of this extraordinary landscape and sounds the alarm about the environmental threats it faces today — but also profiles the farmers, ranchers, scientists and conservationists who are trying to protect the continent’s remaining grasslands and promote farming practices that are better for the planet.
When European settlers arrived on the Eastern prairie early in the 19th century, they were baffled and intimidated. The endless expanse without trees, the impenetrable prairie turf — this was a land unlike anything in their experience. The prairie’s brutal climate - broiling summers, frigid winters and scant rainfall - only added to their doubts. Yet, as Hage and Marcotty write, a series of technical breakthroughs - John Deere’s steel plow and synthetic nitrogen to name two - allowed them to colonize this new land. In just a few decades,
they converted millions of acres of lush, wild prairie into a grid of tidy family farms - one of the biggest geographic transformations in human history. During this period, the prairie also became a touchstone for American culture and myth — the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Willa Cather, Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill, the Wizard of Oz and William Jennings Bryan.
But Hage and Marcotty point out that we have paid a troubling price for this transformation. Today, thousands of Midwestern rivers and streams are choked with soil and fertilizers; countless treasured wildlife species are endangered; small family farms are giving way to massive mechanized operations; drinking water is tainted for thousands of Midwestern households, and, because grasslands absorb huge amounts of atmospheric carbon, we are losing one of the planet’s greatest buffers
The coNqueST, ruiN aNd redemPTioN of NaTure oN The americaN Prairie
Sea of GraSS:
Photo Credit: Bryce Gaudian
against climate change. And we now recognize that taking this land from its Indigenous peoples left a lasting and terrible moral scar on the American conscience.
Today, as Sea of Grass chronicles, we’re on the brink of repeating the mistake. Industrial-scale agriculture is moving west again, plowing up the shortgrass prairie of the Dakotas, Montana, and western Kansas. Marcotty and Hage explain the forces behind this — misguided federal farm subsidies, profit-driven seed and chemical companies — but also profile the farmers, ranchers, scientists and conservationists who are doing inspiring work to protect the remaining grasslands and promote conservation agriculture. One chapter profiles a grassroots group called Practical Farmers of Iowa, which is proving that farmers can improve yields and earn better profits by working with nature instead of against it. Other chapters describe progressive ranchers’ groups that promote grazing practices that benefit soil, grass, and wildlife. And a chapter devoted to bison chronicles the way that Sioux, Assiniboine, and Blackfeet nations are building bison herds on tribal land, a practice that restores the damaged grassland ecosystem while also preserving Indigenous culture. Even some of the nation’s food companies, step by step, are recognizing the risks of industrial agriculture and rewarding farmers for adopting practices such as cover crops, no-till cultivation and diversified crop rotations.
Sea of Grass places all this in the context of world history and draws a warning from the past. Hage and Marcotty note that we are not the first people to wreak havoc on the land that fed them; Mesopotamia, ancient Athens and the Roman Empire all overtaxed the land and lost huge expanses to erosion and soil degradation. But in loving and expansive prose, they remind the reader why countless Americans have fallen in love with this place of subtle beauty — and why it’s not too late to save an environmental gem with few peers in the world.
Dave Hage oversaw environmental and health reporting at the Minneapolis Star Tribune for a dozen years, editing projects that won a Pulitzer Prize and an Edward R. Murrow Award, among other honors. His previous books include No Retreat, No Surrender: Labor’s War at Hormel, and Reforming Welfare by Rewarding Work. His parents grew up on the western prairies of Minnesota, and he now lives in St. Paul, Minn, with his wife, a florist and master naturalist.
Josephine Marcotty is an award-winning environmental journalist who has spent her life in the Midwest. She was a reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, where she covered complex, science-based topics. Sea of Grass is a natural expansion of her reporting on the vanishing prairie and the consequences of intensive agriculture. She lives in Minneapolis, Minn, with her husband.
Re-printed from the University of Minnesota (UMN) newsletter.
By Madeline Wimmer
APPles:
• Site specific strategies: Bocking series comfrey orchard ground cover
GRAPes:
• Growth update: Bloom
RAsPBeRRIes:
• Update on diseased canes in SE Minnesota
APPles
• Site-specific strategies: Bocking series comfrey orchard ground cover
Flowering Bocking 4 comfrey at Alternative Roots Farm (left) and an apple tree row with Bocking 14 comfrey before it collapses into a mat (right; photo by John Knisley of Alternative Roots Farm, New Ulm, MN).
Conventional herbicides are commonly used to manage grass and broadleaf plants under orchard understories in conventional vineyards, but these products also come with their own drawbacks and limitations, and are not allowed under USDA Organic production.
A number of options exist to control unwanted vegetation (i.e., weeds) underneath a tree row in an orchard, which can be an alternative to conventional herbicide products. Non-chemical ground management options can be integrated with conventional programs to reduce herbicide inputs, or as an alternative to conventional herbicide programs altogether. These practices can
be integrated with one another and include mowing, mulching, cultivation, strategic livestock integration, and establishment of an in-row ground cover.
This topic and a number of these practices were overviewed in a previous webinar from the UMN Fruit Program:
ORGAnIC WeeD MAnAGeMent:
ORGAnIC COMMeRCIAl fRuIt
PRODuCtIOn stRAteGIes fOR the MIDWest
Many non-chemical ground management practices go further by contributing to soil nutrition as mulches and ground covers decompose, for example, or influencing other factors like soil moisture retention. Some methods work better for smaller orchards based on factors like monetary costs or the time and effort required to do it effectively.
Establishing an under-the-tree ground cover can help with weed management and can be tailored to individual site goals. Most cover crops are seeded to cover as much ground as quickly as possible in order to outgrow competing weeds. When these crops are mowed or begin to decompose, they contribute to the soil nutrition profile, and some crops like white clover specifically fix and contribute nitrogen.
Bocking series comfrey (Symphytum x uplandicum)
Atoms to Apples Orchard in Mt. Horeb, WI. The grower in this orchard planted comfrey at the end of some of the apple orchard rows, planted as high density.
Comfrey (Symphytum spp.) is an herbaceous perennial genus that generally thrive in temperate climates, and grow well in full sun to partial shade environments. There are many different species, but not all are recommended as a ground cover in agricultural settings. For example, common comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is usually avoided because of the number of seeds it disperses, making it a nonnative aggressive spreader.
Common comfrey’s growth habit is much different than the Bocking series (Symphytum x uplandicum), which is a series of comfrey hybrids, sometimes referred to as Russian comfrey, and includes specific known cultivars such as Bocking 4 and Bocking 14. Both example varieties are sterile and do not spread by seed. The plants grows in a clumped fashion and tend to not spread vegetatively unless its roots are disturbed (e.g., root cuttings). Because it flowers throughout the season it can attract pollinators for certain durations, which is something to be aware of when planning insecticide applications.
The timing of when an orchard decides to plant comfrey may depend on how large the comfrey is when its planted (cutting vs potted plant), grow site factors, and how vigorous the trees are at planting, among other site specific factors. Under trees, these plants can grow over three feet tall before collapsing, at which point, more shoots are regenerated from its base. When the plants collapse, they create a mat that blocks out light and helps to suppress weeds. Because of the wide amount of coverage that happens when the comfrey collapses, it is not always densely planted. As the aboveground
Bocking 4 comfrey collapses after flowering as seen in this photo taken at
vegetation breaks down over time, it also contributes to the soil surface.
This summer, I visited Alternative Roots Farm in New Ulm, MN, to see how they incorporated Bocking 4 into their orchard, where they grow both free-standing and trellised apple trees for fresh market and hard cider production. Alternative Roots Farm mentioned they usually plant it within 1-2 years of planting most of their apple trees. They also mentioned their past experience trying out a number of different plants as an understory crop and have continued to use comfrey as a prominent choice for understory management.
In permaculture literature, Bocking comfrey is often described as a dynamic accumulator—meaning it accumulates a high threshold of a specific nutrient—due to its deep taproot. However, peer-reviewed studies confirming its ability to mine subsoil nutrients compared to other perennials are limited at this time.
It’s helpful to keep in mind that many plants accumulate nutrients, but no nutrients will be added that don’t already exist in some level of the soil. Beyond minerals, comfrey and other plants contribute organic matter to the surface, making this practice more about nutrient cycling or reallocation. As every practice has its strengths and weaknesses, tall understories can also lead to less air flow and high humidity, which is why it’s helpful that Bocking comfrey collapses, and why some growers choose to chop or mow comfrey and other understory crops before they get too large.
ResOuRCes:
• Comfrey (University of Wisconsin)
• New findings further the study of dynamic accumulators (Cornell Small Farms Program)
• Dynamic Accumulator Database (Cornell and collaborators)
GRAPes
Growth stage: Bloom
Grapes are entering bloom in warmer Minnesota regions. Grape flowers are wind pollinated, and most cold climate grapes have perfect flowers (i.e., flowers with both male and female parts) that are self fertile. A variety that does not have a perfect flower is St. Pepin (Seyval blanc × MN 1087), which requires nearby cultivars to act as pollinizers for its fruit set.
The modified E-L system describes bloom in several stages based on the percentage of flower caps that have fallen off, which exposes the actual grape flower and allows for pollination. For example, the above photo shows the cold hardy variety Brianna at around 80% bloom.
It is common to apply a fungicide when the flower caps begin to drop, and recommended when frequent rain events occur during bloom. The Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide flags downy mildew and botrytis bunch rot as two diseases that are important to manage during this time, which should be considered for vineyards that have historically had high pressure for these diseases. The guide also recommends avoiding back-to-back applications of a fungicide from a single class (i.e., FRAC 3, 7, 11) to slow the development of fungicide resistance. For more information, refer to the Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide starting on page 163.
RAsPBeRRIes
Update on diseased canes in SE Minnesota
As primocanes continue to grow in a field where a raspberry cane disease was observed in 2024. Shoots emerging from diseased
Brianna is an early harvest cultivar that was observably further ahead in its bloom period than Marquette and Itasca in this vineyard located near Eyota, MN (Zone 5a).
canes are concentrated at the lower half of the floricanes, with many dying after emergence.
Earlier this year, I wrote about a summer-bearing raspberry stand in southeastern Minnesota that was impacted by a raspberry cane disease the previous growing season. Symptoms observed at the beginning of the growing season on the floricanes were cracks and discoloration on the canes.
Now that the season has progressed, a number of shoots have emerged from the floricanes with many dying back—a symptom similar to the raspberry cane disease known as spur blight (Didymella applanata). Based on these symptoms and depending on future weather events, there is a chance for the disease to spread to new primocanes.
Practices that can help prevent cane disease involve increasing air circulation throughout the canopy, which can sometimes be achieved by trellising and thinning out dense patches. It’s also recommended to remove wild raspberries near a growing site as they can be a source for the disease.
ResOuRCes:
• Raspberry cane diseases (UMN)
• Spur blight of red raspberries (Ohio State University)
• Madeline Wimmer is the UMN Fruit Production Extension Educator.
fuNdraiSiNG for orGaNic farmiNG
By Jamie Popp
Re-printed in partnership with edible NEW.
Leading up to spring farmers markets and outdoor growing season, eager stewards of land and livestock in all corners of Wisconsin busily work to make another harvest season possible.
Focus on soil health, plant variety, market readiness and variety of on-farm improvements and financial developments is their routine. Changing conversations at the government level doesn’t stop perpetual motion and cycles to deliver farm freshness. From sun up to sun down, there are social reminders of daily hard work. Calves being birthed in the wee hours of the morning and days of “lambing season”, or farmers preparing and pampering small sprouts for indoor hoop houses quickly turn to pasture living and grazing as proof. It’s the story across rural farmland in Northeast Wisconsin.
Fortunately winter activities like farmers conferences and webinars keep friendships and partnerships and engage farm-curious growers. Conversations hosted by organizations like Marbleseed bridge gaps and divides
in common organic and regenerative pursuits in person and online. And its display of farm freshness with veteran forager and farm-aficionado Chef Luke Zahm is more than a meal. Marbleseed’s farm-to-table dinner on April 17 at Seven Acre Dairy in Paoli, Wis., introduced a new beginning to sharing the local organic bounty bringing to life the farm story arc in menu form.
leARnInG GOes On
According to Marbleseed, the farm-education organization, their mission is to serve human-scale farmers, including experienced, beginning and intermediate producers. Farmers benefit from training on new technol- ogy and services, and emerging farmers learn how to change careers, start raising small specialty crops and livestock, and transition to organic. These are all efforts to encourage a thriving regenerative, and organic food and farming system. Specifically providing more programming and technical assistance to navigate new markets and seasonal planning is top of mind no matter experience, however. The organization serves and facilitates a farming lifeline. This is especially important—networking and fostering shared experiences that promote farmer-to-farmer learning and growing—
Photo credit: Sam Gutierrez
marbleSeed & miNdful makiNG wiTh chef luke zahm aT SeveN acre dairy
in the wake of conclusion of Wisconsin Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (WI LFPA) and loss of the buying channel. Organic Cost Share Program cuts for organic certification also impacts mid-scale farmers with an organic focus.
WI LFPA program participants included Armando Perez farms in Cottage Grove. Both Spanish speakers, Armando and his wife grow vegetables. Lupe Ortega is also a Spanish speaking farmer growing for groceries, farmers markets and LFPA. Angel Flores creates traditional tortillas with corn that he grows on his farm. Rachel Hartline is a family doctor who also farms cattle in Dodgeville with her husband Beau. Kristen Conley is a for- mer collaborative farm producer who has her own farm in Cuba City now. WI LFPA was a very meaningful program for her and she’s been reaching out to bring attention to the impact of losing WI LFPA. Marbleseed maintains an ongoing connection to all its farmers.
“Our umbrella is networking, educational development and conferences serving both small to mid-scale and larger farmers as well,” says Alexan- dra Baker, Marbleseed’s Development and Communications Director. Field Days and mental health trainings and educational webinars and resource development for farmer, includes the university-like experi- ence. Accessible resources such as the certification guide book provide opportunities for farmers to learn about farm financial wellness through programs such as Marbleseed’s New Farmer U.
The New Farmer U event features the book Fearless Farm Finances, which involves worksheets and custom support from expert and author Paul Dietmann of Compeer Financial, who is one of the book’s authors.
Similar to other conference experiences by Marbleseed, participants spend a weekend eating, socializing and learning in workshop sessions covering topics like Developing Wholesale Markets and Institutional Sales, Income Diversification, Land Access and Financing, Online Marketing, Farm Employment Law, and Whole Farm Recordkeeping.
Between conferences and events, peer-to-peer mentorship and support movement building continues on Marbleseed’s Ag Solidarity Network, a social farmer connection tool. The Network is data protected and can support private groups that promote conversations in Wisconsin and beyond by special interest groups.
“[Marbleseed is not only for] vegetable farmers; we can help connect people and livestock to both diversify and learn and across all production types,” Alexandria clarifies. Identifying shared member needs and issues across production types creates a powerful member community with influence, she adds.
tOGetheRness In GAtheRInGs
Farmers like to gather even though they are mostly solopreneurs in daily life; the Marbleseed annual Organic Farming Conference is a place—tra- ditionally hosted in the “off” middle-of-winter preparatory season— for bonding. Camaraderie is strong; workshops are educational and cover di- verse topics. This networking and togetherness focused on important top- ics helps farmers feel connected as they prepare for the year, Alexandria explains. It’s a respite and a once-ayear getaway for participating farmers, who return year after year. And the influx of farming-curious participants opens up conversations like land access and mindfulness.
“A shift is happening and family farming is becoming less of an inherited tradition; people are passing along the business of farming [to buyers] and availability of land or starting out from scratch,” Alexandria states when asked about trends. Small gardeners are also falling into farming as they source local in more rural areas and finding wellness through raising their own food, or with a combination of farm CSAs and home container gardening.
“Mindfulness, wellness and mental health are representative of the Slow Food movement, or an active consciousness of what you’re eating, and enjoying a seasonal bounty while supporting a local economy,” Alexandria reflects. Her own family’s mindfulness journey with food includes family meals with an emerging toddler. Importance of togetherness and dining starts from very simple, early beginnings.
“Community and awareness, and caring for—and slowing down—to appreciate what’s on the plate [is important],” she adds.
Not rushing through meals is entirely the goal of menu planning and preparation for Chef Luke Zahm. His respect for farm and food culture is present in his daily pursuits.
“Organic and regenerative agriculture are new ways of speaking to traditional and holistic methods of farming,” Chef Luke states. “The values associated with choosing to raise food organically and regeneratively make sense to me—minimal inputs into the soil, the water and choosing methods that may by some to be considered less efficient— but I see a lot of wisdom in choosing “intentional inefficiency” in some facets of our lives.”
Growing up on the land in rural Wisconsin with parents and their parents who practiced sustainable living now enables his immense appreciation for seasonal food, traditional and time-honored techniques and practices. Working with and sourcing only from the local land acti- vates deep-seeded traditions like venison sausage making for his staff around the holidays for Chef Luke. Generations of ancestors and origin traditions are passed down in available ingredients that grow naturally
each season, he shares, and his menus represent natural, whole basic ingredients like what our ancestors considered sacred (like the Three Sisters of beans, corn and squash).
“Vernon County, where I reside and own the Driftless Cafe and Owl Farm, has the second highest concentration of organic farms in the United States,” Chef Luke shares. “I plant massive gardens for the Owl Farm. I plant the foods that I grew up eating on my mother’s and grandfather’s farm: rhubarb, ground cherries, varieties of tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash.”
His cooking often takes him to the forest for inspiration and ingredients.
“I don’t consider myself a world class forager, but I create a lot of seasoning blends that I use throughout the entire year from ingredients I glean [from the forests],” Chef Luke continues. “I’m always trying to pull my dining guests deeper into the experience of living in this place (my home in the Driftless) and cooking from the bounty it provides.
Creatively exploring flavor combinations from foraged herbs and ingredients from deep in his routine forest walks, Chef Luke finds calm and peace from preparing spice-inspired menus.
“The act of cooking feels like a working meditation—so in many ways I find myself balancing being a parent, a spouse, a business owner, a television host, and an advocate,” he says. “Cooking feels like a prize that I have the opportunity to engage in after all the other work is done.”
What happens if you focus on love of food and neurocircuitry systems of joy and connectiveness? Chef Luke spent a year traveling around Wisconsin learning different philosophies of growing forward. He found emotions are often difficult to change but perspective is not—and food can be a mechanism for change.
The cheddar course at the farm-to-table fundraiser is an understanding of perspective through tasting cheese. It was inspired by working with Deer Creek Cheddar in Sheboygan, Wis., on their cheddar wheel, according to Chef Luke.
“You first taste and sugar receptors and the undulation of cheddar, and then on the back side [of your mouth] the flavor tapers with nutty or flat and salty creamy notes,” he expertly describes. “[The way the “Perspectives on Cheddar” fdmindfulness dinner course works] is I line up cheddar and the first version we sample is Westby Creamery Cheese cheddar made in the style of commodity.”
Cheddar link cheese involves cutting by hand for participants to cut, squish in their hand and identify curding before tasting, he explains.
In a question-and-answer poll with live flavor sharing guests call out “salty” and “sweet” and through mindfulness delineate what is happening on their palate as they are tasting.
The second cheese in the tour is MontAmore with sweet, carmel notes and acid receptors to realize different kinds of cheddar. Theresa, Wis.-based Widmer’s Cheese Cellar’s four-year cheddar features tang from its aging process and not dehydration. During tasting, guests are entertained by the generations of family stories from this cheese master. Finally Hook’s Cheese 10-year cheddar from Mineral Point, Wis., is served in curds cut manually to release intense flavor.
In the end, it’s all an exercise in perspective, he shares.
“If cheddars are the promotion and all four cheeses are cheddars, we can set up a playful comparative conversation… that carries through each consecutive course… and people are unconsciously talking about what happens on the palate [from start to finish],” he continues. “It’s your own awareness and how fun food can be; it creates community to be emboldened to talk about food.”
Jamie Popp is owner and publisher of edibleNEW Magazine and Network, which captures fresh community conversations about Northeast Wisconsin food culture and farm-to-table ecosystem connections.
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COnGRAtulAtIOns CARMen feRnhOlz!
Congratulations to Carmen Fernholz for receiving 2025 Siehl Prize for Excellence in Ag. Fernholz is a keystone in the Midwest Organic Farming Community. In 1972, Fernholz established A-Frame Farm in Madison, Minnesota. A long-time advocate for Organic, Fernholz was a founding member of the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA), and he has testified at the Minnesota Legislature many times in support of organic farming policies. A leader in organic farming, he has been a long-time mentor for Marbleseed’s Farmer-to-Farmer Mentor Program, has presented many times at the Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference, and also worked as an Organic Specialist at Marbleseed.
