Linda Falkenstein
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Keep one cow apart at all times, Wisconsin.
With the Dane County Farmers’ Market transformed from a crowded weekly festival/social event to a more businesslike pre-order/drive-through/pick-up model at Alliant Energy Center’s Willow Island, neighborhood markets have become a more convenient option for many. The Dane County market announced last week its Saturday market will be reintroducing walk-up sales, but details have not yet been released.
“We don’t have firm attendance numbers, but there does seem to be an increased interest in the local food system,” says Northside Farmers’ Market manager Matt Galle. Farmers have noted an increase in traffic as well, Galle says. There are plenty of cars in the parking area, and long socially distanced lines at the El Sabor de Puebla concession and the Fresh Cool Drinks smoothie cart.
Galle says this year’s Sunday-morning market has “been lucky with great weather, which certainly helps,” and customers seem interested in supporting local farmers. Attendees have mostly been happy to don masks while shopping, even though the market is outdoors, adds Galle.
Over at the Hilldale market, “sales are pretty good,” according to Hilldale market manager Lisa Lewis, though attendance varies. Being unable to offer samples has been hard for some vendors who depend on that tactic for sales, Lewis says.
Now that Dane County’s mask order is in place, people have been more willing to wear them, Lewis says, and “the rest of the safety policies at [Hilldale] market have been pretty easy.” The market “has pleasantly turned out to be a nice [event for] social connectivity, while physically distancing, masking, and washing hands and sanitizing to all keep each other safe.”
Monroe Street Farmers’ Market manager Luke Lippert has been pleasantly surprised by the strong business this season, and because the market has experienced more customers than originally anticipated, staff changed the layout to create more spacing. “Since then, people seem to feel pretty safe doing their shopping,” says Lippert.
David Woodcock, manager for the McFarland Farmers’ Market, says it’s difficult to generalize about attendance because “products and vendors are dynamic and change every year.” But he does feel that “there are more people coming to the markets and buying more, because more of them seem to be preparing their own food instead of eating out.”
The student-run sustainable agricultural collective at UW-Madison, F.H. King, is back doing in-person giveaways of the food the group grows at its two-acre organic farm at Eagle Heights. In the early days of the COVID-19 shutdown, it was up in the air whether the farm would be allowed to operate this year, but farming — with social distancing — is taking place.
After a brief hiatus last week while the group reassessed its safety procedures, handouts of produce are once again taking place Tuesdays from noon-1 p.m. outside of Union South, on the computer science building side. Anyone coming is asked to wear a mask and maintain six feet of distance in the line.
Bike the Barns, the popular annual bike tour/farm tour/fresh food fundraiser that supports FairShare CSA Coalition, is called off for this year. In its place, a series of rides called Routes to Roots is educating city folk who want to get to know the local food landscape, as well as benefiting farmers who are struggling this year getting their goods to markets.
There are three levels of support ($60/$80/$100). The $60 level includes routes for three walks or runs, mostly exploring urban agriculture spaces in Madison, and one short country bike ride. The $100 level includes those as well as routes for three medium rides, four long rides, one extra-long ride and one ride in the hilly Driftless area. In between at $80 (perhaps “just right,” in Goldilocks fashion) is two walks/runs, one short bike ride, three medium rides and two long rides.
The tour app includes the routes, audio from farmers at the destination farms, music to pedal by, and “recommendations of food providers that source locally, instructions on specific pickup details, and recommendations for some grab-and-go meals” to bring along on the trip.
One sample tour begins at Badger Prairie County Park in Verona and follows the Military Ridge Trail before leaving the trail for farms in the rolling landscape. Bike tours range in length from 20 to 70 miles. Routes to Roots will close out with a bang via a virtual celebration on Sept. 20. Registration info is at csacoalition.org/routestoroots.
Have you always wanted to attend the Wisconsin Farmers Union's annual summer conference at Kamp Kenwood near Chippewa Falls? The good news is that this year, anyone can go; the downside is that the idyllic camp on Lake Wissota is not going to be the site of this year’s conference. It will be held virtually 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Aug. 13.
Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and National Farmers Union president Rob Larew will present as part of the program, “Exploring Climate Change & the Role of Family Farms” that focuses on climate change resources for farmers.
Barnes will discuss the Task Force on Climate Change, while Larew will talk about the union’s role in educating policymakers and providing climate change programs for farmers. And yes, there will be the traditional pie share, though enjoyed virtually with the Instagram hashtag #pieandpolitics. Register for the Zoom link.
The Savanna Institute is a Madison-based nonprofit promoting agroforestry in the Midwest. This summer the Institute has been hosting a series of virtual events about various aspects of agroforestry, that is, agriculture that comes from or is intimately dependent on trees. A grafting webinar with Kathy Dice and Tom Wahl of Iowa’s Red Fern Farm will take place July 21 at 7 p.m., elderberry propagation with Elle Sullivan of Lily Springs Farm is the topic July 28, and silvopasture (or integrating grazing livestock with trees) and supply chain food safety is on deck for Aug. 11. Register and see the full schedule at savannainstitute.org/events.html.
