Table of Contents

Foreword by Jim Doyle, Governor, State of Wisconsin

Introduction

Chapter 1:  Arts & Culture
Weaving a Cultural Tapestry:  Folklore Village, Dodgeville
Timeless Furniture:  Baraboo Valley Windsor Chairs, Baraboo
Under the Big Tent:  Big Top Chautauqua, Bayfield
Putting Culture Back in Agriculture:  The Wormfarm Institute, Baraboo
The Fall Art Tour:  Mineral Point, Spring Green, Dodgeville and Baraboo

Chapter 2:  Innovative Farming
Sweet Organic Pastured Profits:  Krusen Grass Farm, Elkhorn
“Eat My Fish”:  Bullfrog  Fish Farm, Menominie
Acres of Apples and More:  Turkey  Ridge Organic Apple Orchard, Gays Mills
Cross-Cultural Farming:  The Strenn farm, Greenleaf
Third Generation Potato Farming:  Igl Farms, Antigo
Farming as if Everything Matters:  Good Earth, LLC, Marshfield

Chapter 3:  Communities Aith Purpose
Prosperity and Public Life:  Dane County Farmers’ Market, Madison
Community Through Fresh Food:  Vermont Valley Community Farm, Bleu Mounds
White Flint Corn, The Kernel of Oneida Culture:  Tsyunhehkwa Center, Oneidia
Ho Chunk Bison:  Ho-Chunk Nation, Muscoda
Music in the Park:  Lucius Woods Performing Arts Center, Salon Springs
Northwoods Community Radio:  WOJB, Lac Courte Oreilles

Chapter 4:  Toward A Healthy Planet
The Eternal Forest:  Menominee Reservation
Pioneering Green Technology On Campus:  Northland College, Ashland
Nature-Inspired Landscape Solutions:  Applied Ecological Services, Brodhead
Thinking Globally, Acting Locally:  Chequamegon Bay on Lake Superior
Powering the Way to Energy Independence:  Lake Michigan Wind &  Sun

Chapter 5:  Travel And Recreation
Ice Age Trail
Harvesting the Good Life:  Inn Serendipity Bed & Breakfast and Farm, Browntown
Four Seasons of Fun:  Justin Trails Resort, Sparta
Not Just Another Road Trip:  Northwest Heritage Passage
Doing Well By Doing Good:  Pinehurst Inn at Pikes Creek Bed & Breakfast, Bayfield

Chapter 6:  Good Enough To Eat
Wisconsin Roots Grow National Movement:  Organic Valley Family of Farms, La Farge
Everything Old is New Again:  Cedar Grove Cheese, Plain
Leader in the Industry:  Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Co-op
The Fruits and Honey Of Their Labor:  White Winter Winery, Iron River
Happy Hogs Stay in Sustainable Farm Operation:  Willow Creek Farm, Loganville
Beer with a Home, a History, and a Future:  Viking Brewery, Dallas
The Natural Choice in Agriculture:  Crystal Creek, Trego

Chapter 7:  Learning And Action
“Farming Can Change Their Lives”:  Growing Power, Milwaukee
At MOSES We Grow Farmers:  Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service, Spring Valley
Empowering the Rural Revolution in Renewable Energy:  Midwest Renewable Energy Association, Custer
REAP-ing the Benefits of Sustainability:  Research, Education, Action And Policy on Food Group, Madison
Nurturing Land, Bodies and Souls:  Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, East Troy

Acknowledgements
Publishing Partners
Story Contacts
Photography Credits
Index
 

Case Study Descriptions 

CHAPTER ONE:  ARTS & CULTURE
Weaving a Cultural Tapestry: Folklore Village, Dodgeville
    This 94-acre farm and cultural and educational community center welcomes over 10,000 visitors to their over 100 events annually. But this farm isn’t about numbers: it’s about suppers, barn dances, music concerts, and various other activities to create a space for seniors, adults, and youth to learn and teach. Folklore Village is a place for community-building.
   
Timeless Furniture: Baraboo Valley Windsor Chairs, Rock Springs
    Ever wonder how you can make the lightweight and comfortable Windsor chairs that are passed down for generations? Start out as a chemist, like David Ogren, and work your way up with manual tools, local wood, and entrepreneurial vision. Self-taught starting with an introductory chair-making class, Ogren is now one of 35 master Windsor chairmakers in the country.

Under the Big Tent: Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua, Bayfield
    An authentic, huge, circus tent. 900 seats. Intimate setting. Preshow dinner.Music, dance, theatre, and the northern lights. A refreshing way to see the talents of the Upper Midwest!

Putting Culture Back In Agriculture: The Wormfarm Institute, Reedsburg
    If you’ve ever wanted to work on an organic farm and expand your artistic endeavors, live at Wormfarm Institute where culture and farming reconnect. This Institute assists artists by providing studio space, gallery space, and artistic guidance in exchange for farm work. Along with artistic enhancement, this farm builds community through the arts.

The Fall Art Tour: Mineral Point, Spring Green, Dodgeville and Baraboo
    This locally-organized arts tour gives artists and travelers a one-of-a-kind artistic experience through this three-day event featuring leading and emerging area artists and their unique work. Studios, galleries, and artists’ homes are open for visitors who can view and purchase local art and view art-making on an intimate         level.


CHAPTER TWO:  INNOVATIVE FARMING

Sweet Organic Pastured Profits: Krusen Grass Farm, Elkhorn
    The Krusen family started their farm without a traditional farming background and today they run a “postcard perfect farmstead” that produces organic milk, beef, and eggs. Through experimentation and a biodynamic philosophy, this family farm is a win-win-win situation for Krusen family, the consumers, and the earth.

Eat My Fish: Bullfrog Fish Farm, Menomonie
    It is anything but easy to build a small profitable fish farm from scratch in Wisconsin and yet Herby Radmann has done just that. Thousands of pounds of rainbow trout each year are sold to farm visitors, restaurants, and retail outlets. How does he do it? With humor, high-quality products, affection for people, and a vision for long-term economic and community sustainability. 

Acres of Apples and More: Turkey Ridge Organic Apple Orchard, Gays Mills
    At Turkey Ridge Organic Apple Orchard, the healthy apples and apple products thrive through a diversified approach in all categories: tree types, pest control, ownership, products, distribution, and workload. Visitors can pick their own apples at the orchard while Turkey Ridge products can be found in cooperatives throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota. A passion for apples without a need for   chemical inputs makes this farm deliciously unique.

Cross-Cultural Farming: The Strenn Farm, Greenleaf
    An array of color hues spans across the landscape of the Strenn Farm. The colors come from the farm’s 100 year-old history, minimal equipment usage, and from the over twenty Hmong farming families currently renting the land. This rainbowed landscape creates a space to respect the land and other peoples and cultures.

Third Generation Potato Farming: Igl Farms, Antigo
    As a recently-converted organic potato farm growing seeds, feed and pasture-raised beef, this family nurtures urban consumers, grade school and college students, and biodiversity. So why does the Igl family plant mint, garlic, cloves, and potatoes? The Igls share their experience and approaches through their dedication to educational outreach, making presentations at regional conferences.

Farming As If Everything Matters: Good Earth Farms, Marshfield
    Organic and healthy beef, pork, lamb, and poultry products are distributed all across the country from the Good Earth Farms. Founder Mike Hansen’s production and marketing allows this farm to cater to people who care about what’s in the food they eat. He achieves a healthy farm, consumer products, and happy animals by farming in balance with natural cycles, leaving ample time to spend with his kids.


CHAPTER THREE:  BUILDING COMMUNITY

Prosperity and Public Life: Dane County Farmers’ Market, Madison
    With over 150 vendors around the State Capitol’s Square, residents flock to this market every Saturday morning during the growing season. Some people say it could be called a carnival or country revival. Not only is it a great time for neighbors and vendors alike, one can find almost anything at this famous, local, friendly, and affordable event.

Community through Fresh Food: Vermont Valley Community Farm, Blue Mounds
    Families flock to Vermont Valley to have fun, picnic, pick fresh vegetables and learn about farming.  With a keen focus on high quality Community Supported Agriculture, this farm offers well-rounded and distinctive gatherings of every kind – Pesto to U-Pick Vegetables –with CSA membership categories to fit different family needs.
   
The Kernel of Oneida Culture: Tsyunhehkwa Center, Oneida
    If delicious white flint corn is from New York State, how did it get to Wisconsin and how is it a tool for community connectivity? The Oneida tribe is reviving traditional food systems and indigenous food education for Oneida tribal and non-tribal neighbors alike, using corn and a few other ingredients.

Restoring Bison to the People: Ho-Chunk Nation, Muscoda
    The Ho-Chunk Nation honors and benefits from the bison, wild and powerful creatures. These animals help strengthen tribal individuals, communities, and their traditions through this raising this healthy meat.
   
Music in the Park: Lucius Woods Performing Arts Center, Solon Springs
    Put local businesses, residents, students, 40-acres of wooded land and a desire for the arts together and what do you get?  For the Solon Springs community, the result is a beautiful and renowned performing arts center, the Lucius Woods Performing Arts Center, providing economic and culture within their local community.

Northwoods Community Radio: WOJB, Lac Courte Oreilles Band of the Lake Superior Ojibwe, Hayward
    As one of the largest Native American community radio stations in the U.S., WOJB brings people together in beneficial ways. Tribal members and non-natives alike listen in and host radio shows spanning in topic from local and regional politics to environmental issues, providing community connection and communication.

CHAPTER FOUR:  TOWARD A HEALTHY PLANET

The Eternal Forest: Menominee Tribal Enterprises, Keshena
    The Menominee forest in Wisconsin has more standing timber today than it did one hundred years ago. More than a conservation area, this place provides economic stability for over 450 people, the preservation and implementation of Menominee cultural values, and a unique place to conserve biodiversity in the Midwest.

Green Technology on Campus: Northland College, Ashland
    A college of 700 students in northern Wisconsin surrounded by a million acres of Chequamegon National Forest is educating students and faculty about environmental sustainability while implementing sustainable practices on-site. From wind towers, solar panels, compost systems, electric vehicles to low-impact paints, this college challenges conventional energy and construction techniques.
   
Nature-Inspired Landscape Solutions: Applied Ecological Services, Brodhead
    Applied Ecological Services (AES) staff has the foresight, experience, and flexible work ethic to restore unhealthy places and to influence legislation for landscapes all over the U.S. From renewed stream corridors to restoring prairie landscapes, AES works on over 700 such innovative projects annually.
   
Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: Eco-Municipalities on Chequamegon Bay, Ashland and Washburn
    With Sweden as an inspiration for creative and sustainable community building, Washburn and Ashland have become some of the first cities to choose to become eco-municipalities. Energy-saving education for neighborhoods and businesses and green initiatives are increasing within these places, as neighbors, students, teachers, politicians, and business owners come together with ideas and resources to change their region of the world and influence others.

Powering the Way: Lake Michigan Wind and Sun, Sturgeon Bay
    Renewable energy dealer, system design, engineering and consulting services, all generated from a small farmstead in Wisconsin.  With a dedication to educational outreach for the last twenty five years, owners John and Ann Hippensteel lead the state in generating interest in renewable energy.
       

CHAPTER FIVE:  TRAVEL & RECREATION

A Glacial Experience: The Ice Age Trail, Crossing Wisconsin
    This 600 mile Wisconsin footpath will one day fulfill its quota of 1200 miles. It winds across Wisconsin by lakeshores and through forests, allowing visitors access to the tranquility and beauty of nature.    

Harvesting the Good Life: Inn Serendipity Bed & Breakfast and Farm, Browntown
    If you would like to experience a renewable energy-powered 5.5 acre farm and bed & breakfast serving local food from the garden, visit Inn Serendipity. Owners and authors Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko created a lifestyle that infuses social, cultural, economic and conservation priorities conscientiously in this unique inn.

Four Seasons of Fun: Justin Trails Resort, Sparta
    These once-dairy farmers started to diversify their farm in order to stay on their land. Now they have a vibrant bed and breakfast business, a Frisbee golf course and so much more. With a long-term business plan, ingenuity, and the desire to keep their land, Justin Trails is an inspiring place any time of the year.

Handmade and Homegrown: Northwest Heritage Passage, Northwest Wisconsin
    Through collaboration and marketing partnerships, artists in the northwest area of Wisconsin make a living by doing what they love:  creating art, crafts, and unique traditional products.  Drawing inspiration from a similar project in the Appalachians, these urban to rural connections strengthen local economic vitality.

Doing Well By Doing Good: Pinehurst Inn at Pikes Creek Bed & Breakfast, Bayfield
    This triple-bottom line business creates more than a tasty breakfast, it works synergistically with environmental priorities. With website use, renewable energy, and by listening and connecting with visitors, Pinehurst Inn leads green business and community-building by example.


GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT

Growing A National Movement: Organic Valley Family of Farms, La Farge
    You’ve probably hear of Organic Valley Family of Farms since it is one of the nation’s leading organic brands. Yet many do not know this collection of farms uses a sustainable land ethic and business model that ensures quality in all their 200 products, exemplified in the hard work ethic of the farmer members of this cooperatively-run business.

Earth-Friendly Cheeses: Cedar Grove Cheese, Plain
    In 1989, this cheese company was under financial pressure and risked closing down. But with a shift to ecological farming, this small entity is now a leader in the U.S. cheese-making industry, yet still dedicated to local food quality and the local economy, crafting great-tasting cheeses and other dairy products.

Developing a New Dairy Industry: Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Co-op, Catawba and Beyond
    Is it possible to milk a sheep? Yes. And from sheep’s milk, a delicious cheese or other dairy product can be created. This cooperative in Wisconsin is currently the largest in North America and the only one in the United States, offering family sheep-milking farms a way to be successful and offer unique sheep milk to producers and consumers alike.

The Fruits and Honey of Their Labor: White Winter Winery, Iron River
    With local fruit, honey, and an exciting entrepreneurial idea, the White Winter Winery was started in 1996. The help from fellow farmers, advice from a past chemistry professor, and a tour around the United States to view other wine-making processes allowed these two Northland College graduates to create this successful Midwestern winery.
   
Where the Pigs Run and Play Freely: Willow Creek Farm, Loganville
    Willow Creek Farm focuses on quality of life: for their family, for the pigs they raise, and for the consumers that eat the meat. Although their farm costs may be higher, the owners believe that all the high quality inputs make Willow Creek Farm products worthwhile for your palate and healthy for your family.

Beer With A Home: Viking Brewery, Dallas
    This couple started a small microbrewing company in the small northwestern town of Dallas. Now it produces over 20 varieties of beer. At a capacity of three hundred barrels per year, they are brewing up a lifestyle full of community involvement, economic vitality and happiness.

The Natural Choice In Agriculture: Crystal Creek, Trego
    Organic farmers need to know how to ensure the best health for their animals, prompting this family-run business that provides farmers with the necessary information and accompanying products. No salespeople necessary for Crystal Creek: word-of-mouth has enabled this company to provide both local employment and provide nutritional information to farmers throughout the US.

LEARNING & ACTION

Farming Can Change Their Lives: Growing Power, Milwaukee
    Growing Power contributes to over 60 community-driven programs that help bring people, especially inner-city youth, closer to the land and fresh food. Teaching the value of hard work, good eating habits, and plenty of other life skills, founder Will Allen envisions Growing Power expanding to other city areas across the country.

At MOSES We Grow Farmers: Midwest Organic And Sustainable Education Services, Spring Valley
    If you want to know more about sustainable and organic agriculture, contact the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES). Through toll-free organic farmers’ hotline, workshops, organic certification services and other methods, MOSES builds relationships between people through education, providing the key nutrient needed to grow more organic farmers in the Midwest.
   

Empowering The Rural Revolution: Midwest Renewable Energy Association, Custer
    The Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) runs the largest and longest running workshop and sustainable living fair in the world – and this is just one of the many educational experience generated by MREA.  Committed to local self-reliance, the MREA provides educational resources and support to everyone from beginners to those seasoned in renewable energy experience.

REAP-ing The Benefits of Sustainability: Research, Education, Action, and Policy on Food Group, Madison
    Since 1998, the Research, Education, Action and Policy on Food Group (REAP) has been a vital part of constructing a strong regional food system in Wisconsin. With the goal to provide healthy, fair and just foods to schools, hospitals, neighborhoods and families of all backgrounds, this organization initiates various educational and delicious food projects.

Nurturing Land, Bodies, and Souls: Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, East Troy
    The Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI) connects farmers and people to organic, sustainable and biodynamic farming and food. It offers many land use and food projects focusing on local food in schools, on-site hands-on workshops for sustainable food production and farming, and urban-rural food connections.