View the Ashland County Grows web page here!
Highlights from the September 2024 Newsletter:
Let’s Meet! Highlights of Ashland County Farmers and Food Producers
Every month when we publish this newsletter we’ll share a highlight of an Ashland County farm, food producer, or market. We’ll include info about your operation, and photos that you share with us or that we take. Want to be highlighted in a future issue? Email Lissa Radke at lissa.radke@wisc.edu, and we’ll get you on the schedule.
October Highlight Sneak Peek: Wulf Farms
Isaiah Wulf and his brother Jim started a new swine operation in April 2024 on their land in Shanagolden. The main activity on the farm has been to increase the herd size so that feeder pigs can be sold to other farms. In between helping sows successfully birth from 10 to 18 piglets at any time of day or night, the brothers are building fences, constructing farrowing crates, moving pigs from field to field for browsing, and 100s of other chores.
In the October issue of this newsletter we’ll highlight Wulf Farm in more detail so you can meet your neighbor farmer in Ashland County!
Want to help build a local foods network in Ashland County?
Ashland County Extension has been asked to explore ways to build a local foods network of food producers and markets throughout the county. The purpose of such a group is to enhance food security by building a network of food partners that produce and market local sources of food. Here’s the three-part vision statement:
Develop a local foods network that:
- Increases the supply of locally produced food using healthy production practices
- Increases fair and equitable community access to food
- Builds a sustainable food economy to support Ashland County through future challenges.
This aligns with the overall goal in the Ashland County Comprehensive Plan’s chapter on Agriculture: “Preserve the County’s agricultural land base to protect the County’s aesthetics, rural character, and agricultural heritage for future generations.” A local review committee will start a 10-year review of the entire comprehensive plan starting in January 2025.
Here are some of the agriculture chapter’s objectives, which are impressive and important to the County’s economy:
- Prepare ordinances to protect land, water and air quality in advance of potential increase of industrial agriculture in the county. (e.g. manure storage, CAFOs, etc.)
- Encourage and support economically sustainable small farms and farmers, including the next generation of farmers.
- Supply: Promote local food production and value-added agricultural products to increase the availability of fresh, healthy and culturally relevant food for all residents and decrease the distance food travels from farm to fork.
- Demand: Promote increased purchases of local and regionally produced food.
- Support existing, and the creation of new, agriculture-related infrastructure in the county such as a food processing facility.
- Support the operation of existing farms and encourage the creation of new farms
- Enhance the preservation and protection of agriculturally productive soils
- Minimize water pollution and erosion from farmland in Ashland County
- Increase the number of acres of agricultural land that is voluntarily protected through farmland conservation programs
Want to serve on the agriculture work group to review the ag chapter? It will take about three meetings of about one-hour each, either virtually or in-person, depending on what the group wants. Call 682-7017 to let Lissa know you’d like to help review the comprehensive plan ag chapter!
Want free help promoting your products?
Ashland County UW Extension Farmers/Markets Website Directory
One of the first questions we hear when talking about locally produced food to potential consumers in Ashland County is “Where can I buy products that are grown or produced in the County?” So, we thought we should make it easy for people to find you!
We’re developing a free, web-based directory of farmers, ranchers, food processors, markets, and other food-related businesses in the County. We want to include information about your products and how people can purchase them from you or at a marketplace.
There’s no cost to be included–Ashland County Extension is developing this resource as an educational tool to help customers find local products.
If you want your operation’s name, web address, Facebook or social media links, and photos included in a directory post about you, please email me by October 1.
We’d like to launch the finished web site throughout the County in a media campaign in early November to entice customers to your products during the winter holidays and gift giving season.
Questions? Call Lissa at 682-7017; lissa.radke@wisc.edu
