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Farm Events: |
Farm News: Personal Stories Top Farmers Union ConventioncommentsPosted: 02.01.2012
The Wisconsin Farmers Union 81st Annual State Convention held a lot of family stories and great farming invovations as members gathered together in Wausau.
Tina Hinchley, a dairy farmer from Dane County, was elected to the WFU Board of Directors. She replaces Richard Keller, who provided outstanding leadership and service to the WFU Board of Directors for 20 years.
Two WFU members, Ed Gorell, Eau Claire County Farmers Union President, and Cal Kraemer, retired Chippewa County UW-Extension Agriculture Resource Agent, were presented with the Builders Award for work in their counties building membership and giving service to Wisconsin Farmers Union.
The theme of the convention, Rural Renewal – Building on Traditions, focused on the important connection between farmers and their rural communities. One of the convention highlights was a special panel of WFU members sharing personal stories of innovative farming ventures. Through direct consumer marketing, unique organizational models, and value-added enterprises, they have each created a successful and entrepreneurial business model for their farms. Tina Hinchley, with her husband Duane, has been running Hinchley’s Dairy Farm Tours for the past 14 years on their Dane County farm. Tina started the tours as a way to provide non-farmers, especially children, with an honest and positive look at how a typical 260 cow dairy farm operates. For many, this tour is their one and only farm experience and helps them understand that their food comes from farmers like Tina who have a commitment to efficient operation and high quality products.
Mike Hansen, with his wife, Deb, raise grass-fed beef, chicken, pork, lamb and turkey on their first generation 200 acre farm. They started a direct marketing business, Good Earth Farms in Milladore, and ship their products (along with products from five other farm neighbors) direct to homes from Maine to Hawaii. The idea for the farm and cooperative direct marketing business came out of a deep passion for good food and “loving every part of what they do.”
The Holms Girls Dairy in Elk Mound, is a first generation farm, with the unique feature of having the dairy operation run by six sisters (starting when the oldest was only 11). The farm is a member of the Organic Valley Cooperative. Sarah and Erika Holm explained the challenge of starting out in dairying without any farming background, but developing the business through a lot of hard work, family cooperation, trial and error and advice from neighbors. The girls are also developing a direct marketing business of products to stores within the cooperative network of Organic Valley.
Rick Adamski and Val Dantoin, run their third generation dairy, Full-Circle Farm in Seymour. Also part of the Organic Valley Cooperative, they explained that every farm decision is based on nature – incorporating conservation, efficiency and renewals as much as possible. They practice managed rotational grazing, installed a solar water heater, wood pellet furnace and a 35kw wind turbine. They are proud to be the owner-operators because they are the land, labor, capital and management. As Rick says, “We see the value of labor diminishing. We work to restore the value of people.”
Peter and Bernadette Seely own and operate Springdale Farm in Plymouth – one of the largest CSAs (Consumer Supported Agriculture) in the country and the first in the Midwest. They provide food for about 600 southeast Wisconsin households. Much of their success is due to a focus on relationship development among workers and customers, who also appreciate the farms’ commitment to conservation and sustainable agricultural practices.
Robbi Bannen and Ted Fisher run a CSA and bakery called A to Z Produce & Bakery in Stockholm. They are also first generation farmers and grew their business out of a love of gardening and cooking. They built a brick oven and commercial kitchen on the farm and, on Tuesdays, they welcome people to come and buy homemade pizzas and bread. Through mostly word of mouth advertising, they now sell up to 300 pizzas every week. They call themselves “Pizza Farmers.”
While each farm has different business models, they all share some common values of stewardship, a deep commitment to the health of their farms and the people they serve, a love of what they do, and a desire to preserve the viability of the family farm. As Robbi Bannen explained, “If you take your passion, take your experience, and think outside of the box a bit, anything can happen.”
Stan Gruszynski, USDA Rural Development State Director for Wisconsin, also acted as a keynote speaker at the convention. He outlined how important being engaged with local, state, and national civic activities is today - in this era of deep budget cuts to rural development programs, schools, and local government. Gruszynski said it's more critical than ever to be involved in seeking solutions for sustainable and equitable rural economies.
National agricultural columnist Alan Guebert was the featured banquet guest and reminded us that farmers should resist the current trend of being labeled as “producers” and instead embrace the title of “farmers.” He pointed out that words and labels are important, in both how we see ourselves and how others see us. Farmers will gather increasing respect, he argued, if we keep a personal face on the work we do every day on our farms. Working to restore the value of people is essential to preserving the family farm and the WFU value of cooperative economies.
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