Patricia Espedal
Pizza nights at Troy Farm.
Troy Farm will bring back pizza nights, with pies made with farm produce.
A year ago, Troy Farm, the urban organic farm launched in 2001 as part of the Troy Gardens development on the north side, took a step back to reevaluate its programs and mission. It halted its CSA for 2024, as well as a Thursday night market stand, deeming them financially unsustainable.
Last year, produce from the farm went to community centers thanks to some remaining COVID funding. Staff from the farm and Rooted, the nonprofit that manages the farm, surveyed stakeholders to see what new directions the farm might take. The good news is the CSA, farm stand and pizza nights are back for 2025, says Paul Huber, farm director at Troy.
The revisioning process was helpful, says Huber. “With in-person feedback and a survey, we saw how people connected to Troy, what they appreciated, and what changes they would like. It was interesting to see what rose to the top.”
Troy Farm is part of the 31-acre Troy Gardens, a development that includes community garden plots, a children’s garden, co-housing units and a prairie restoration. The property is owned by the Madison Area Community Land Trust.
The farm itself is a five-acre fenced-in space; only about half of that land is used to grow crops for the farm. Since 2020, the rest has been available to other farmers and organizations, in a program called the Troy Farm Collaborative that supports beginning and BIPOC farmers.
That mission of support came out on top in the survey, says Huber, along with providing food for low-income communities and hosting youth education. (These programs may be in jeopardy now due to possible loss of federal funding through Rooted.)
There was also interest in bringing back the market stand and CSA.
Huber says a new CSA model will be more profitable for the farm and still be a great experience for members. It will streamline the farming operation with “a little less choice and flexibility” for the members, he says. There is still a lengthy list of veggies grown, from arugula to zucchini.
Pickups will be Thursday nights on the farm, 502 Troy Drive, and members will “have the chance to swap out items they don’t want and take those they do,” says Huber. There will also be an expanded you-pick area with flowers, herbs and some vegetables. Non-CSA members can buy from the market stand too.
Pizza nights will also return, with hand-made pizzas made with farm produce and baked in a hand-built wood-fired oven on site. Those stopped when COVID hit, although a few happened in 2023. “We kept getting requests to bring pizza nights back,” says Huber, and while they won’t take place every Thursday he is hoping for every-other-week.
Other events that help support the farm are the spring plant sale on May 10, a summer “art in the garden” day that has yet to be scheduled, and the fall fest on Oct. 4. Other funding comes through Rooted.
Huber is excited to have members coming to the farm on a regular basis. “There’s a plan for five years based on our internal work [in 2024], and the revisioning process will continue.” A community advisory board is in the works, too, says Huber, pulling in both area residents and farmers. “The goal will be making sure the work we are doing is still in alignment with community needs and desires.”
A sign-up for the CSA is at rootedwi.org/troy-csa, along with info for those wanting to volunteer at the farm in exchange for a share.
Patricia Espedal
Children gardening at Troy Farm.
Troy Farm will continue its children’s programming and garden.
