The Wisconsin Local Food Network

Thank you for visiting the Wisconsin Local Food Network’s (WLFN) website.

The WLFN is a collection of individuals and organizations (hopefully you) that all share a common vision for Wisconsin: a state that offers communities and businesses a local food system that supports sustainable farms of all sizes, a strong infrastructure for those farms and supporting food business to thrive, and affordable access to healthy locally grown food for ALL Wisconsin residents. If you support this vision and are working toward such a Wisconsin – then you are a part of the Wisconsin Local Food Network.

You may be wondering, “But what does the WLFN do?” And it would be a great question.

In the fewest words possible: We help local food businesses (whether a farm, a processor, a distributor, a restaurant, a farmers market, or a grocery store) thrive!

Link

http://www.animalwelfareapproved.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Food-Infrastructure-and-Distribution-W-King-Winter-2011.pdf

FOOD INFRASTRUCTURE AND DISTRIBUTION:
Let’s Not Reinvent the Wheel

Farmers and ranchers have a unique opportunity to meet consumer demand for sustainably produced food. But they need to start working together to develop regional brands and to identify ways to use existing food infrastructure.

BY WARREN KING, WELLSPRING MANAGEMENT

Read the newspapers or turn on the radio or TV and you’ll hear that the world’s economies are in bad shape. Jobs aren’t being created fast enough, banks aren’t lending money to small businesses and we are all under a mountain of debt. State and local governments are struggling to pay their bills, and Washington politicians bicker over the best way to create a lasting recovery while also paying for our future obligations.

Yet even in this business and economic environment, small to mid-sized farmers and ranchers are developing new products, entering new markets and getting the attention of major retailers across the country. So how is this possible?

Local Art + Local Food = Articulture: A Feast for the Eyes and the Appetite

Forward Community Investments is hosting an event Wednesday, April 17th 2013 from 5:30-8 PM called Articulture: A Feast for the Eyes and the Appetite. The event will feature local artists and purveyors of delicious food and drink. The cost is $20 per person.

Dane County’s New Food & Farm Entrepreneur Meet-up Group

Bring your food or farm business idea to the first Dane County Food & Farm Entrepreneurs Idea-bounce and Meet-up!

• Meet other food and farm entrepreneurs.
• Share your food or farm business idea in a fun and relaxing environment.
• Participate in speed networking where you can hone your idea and get feedback from professionals and fellow entrepreneurs.
• Hear local food entrepreneurs tell their story.
• Hear Ellen Barnard talk about Madison’s soon to open Food Business Incubator Kitchen: FEED Kitchen.
• Enjoy free snacks and beer at a cash bar.

Register for this free event at: http://fyi.uwex.edu/danefoodsystem/2013/04/04/dane-county-food-farm-entrepreneur-meet-up/

Please pass this invite on to other food and farm entrepreneurs who may be interested.

Contact Erin Peot, erin.peot@ces.uwex.edu or 608-890-4606, by April 24th if you have accessibility or language translation/interpretation needs.

April 30 Food Farm Entrepreneur Idea Bounce Meet Up Flyer

Help save Buy Local Buy Wisconsin Grant Program

The Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin grants program – a program that has created over 100 jobs and brought a 6:1 return on investment – has been proposed to be eliminated! Click this link to find out about all the grant programs on this map.

However, there is still time to preserve this grants program. The budget has not yet been finalized and some legislators are talking about restoring the program. The best chance we have to get more legislators on board is for local food supporters to attend the upcoming budget hearings. Can you make it to one of these state budget hearings?

Thursday, April 4, 2013
Greendale High School Auditorium
6801 Southway
Greendale, WI 53129
10:00 a.m. — 6:00 p.m.

Monday, April 8, 2013
Lambeau Field
Legends Club Room – 4th Level, Lambeau Field Atrium
1265 Lombardi Avenue
Green Bay, WI 54304
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday, April 10
Kalahari Resort Suites 2 and 7 (Main Level)
1305 Kalahari Drive
Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965
10:00 a.m — 5 p.m.

Thursday, April 18, 2013
Baldwin-Woodville High School Auditorium
1000 13th Avenue
Baldwin, WI 54002
10:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m.

I’m not going to lie and say that these hearings are fun. Even if you show up early (which is recommended), it will be hours before your name is called and you will be limited to a few minutes to speak. But it is critical that local food supporters speak at these meetings.

When the Joint Finance Committee decides if a program is important enough that they need to amend the budget, the first question the legislators ask is, “Did we hear about this during the hearings? Was it important enough for people to give up a day at work or take hours away from their farm to tell us about it?” By speaking at a hearing, you can absolutely make a difference.

One of the biggest questions I get about these hearings is, “What do I say?” Here’s an example:
My name is Pat Patterson and my community benefits from local food. I am asking you to restore the Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin grant program to help our community and many others grow jobs and create economic development right here in Wisconsin. This program has already created over 100 jobs and brought over $4 million in new local food sales, a 6:1 return on investment. Please support the Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin grants program that fosters rural communities, helps farmers access lucrative markets, and keeps more of our money within Wisconsin.

So show up early, bring a good book, and help protect the future of local food in Wisconsin!

-Bridget Holcomb, Associate Policy Director, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute

 

VOTE!!!

We are very pleased to announce that we are entering our first ever elections for the Wisconsin Local Food Network Board of Directors.

Vote for you choice of Wisconsin Local Food Network Board of Directors here:
https://uwmadison.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_8wCKpVjAwR2LfUN

Our Network was formed during the first Wisconsin Local Food Summit in Jan. 2007 and has received direction from a steering committee that has been informally selected from actively involved members of the network.  After conducting a strategic planning process beginning in the spring of 2011 we have begun to put the steps in place to formalize our network.  An exciting step in this process is the formation of a democratically elected Board of Directors.

27 Local Food Heroes have stepped up to the plate and are running for 16 different positions. Please take the time to learn more about these fantastic 27 candidates here:
http://wilocalfood.wordpress.com/about/board-of-directors/candidate-information/

Elections are open from today (Jan. 3, 2013) until Jan. 18th, 2013.  Vote today!

Say Cheese!

Pimento cheese, a common item found in the south has made its entrance into Milwaukee!

Bon Appétit named pimento cheese one of the top food trends of 2011 and has been cropping up on  menus at some of New York’s trendiest restaurants, in everything from scalloped potatoes to sushi. And now, just in time to spice up holiday hors d’oeuvres or leftover turkey sandwiches, a taste of the South has migrated into the Wisconsin dairy case: Martha’s Pimento Cheese.

Martha’s Pimento Cheese is a fresh take on the iconic Southern staple, combining aged Wisconsin Cheddar, peppers, a dash of seasoning and a touch of mayonnaise. The cook behind the curtain is Martha Davis Kipcak, a phenomenal local food force and community food organizer in Milwaukee. She is the Regional Governor of Slow Food USA, the Food Program Manager with the Center for Resilient Cities, integral in starting the Milwaukee Food Council and has been an invaluable resource as an advisory committee member with the Wisconsin Local Food Network.

Martha’s Pimento Cheese can be purchased in Milwaukee at Clock Shadow Creamery, Larry’s Market, Glorioso’s and Beans & Barley. As more retail outlets are added weekly, up-to-date information can be found online.

Read the full OnMilwaukee article by Lori Fredrich at: http://onmilwaukee.com/dining/articles/marthaspimentocheese.html

Looking to try pimento cheese for the first time? Here are a few suggestions for putting it to good use.

1. Eat by the spoonful, straight from the refrigerator.
2. Spread it on crisp, hot toast for a decidedly Wisconsin breakfast.
3. Fill celery stalks with pimento cheese for a quick snack.
4. Pimento cheese makes great jalapeno poppers. For a quick and easy appetizer, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut eight large jalapeno peppers in half and scoop out the seeds. Fill the jalapenos with pimento cheese and wrap each piece in a half strip of bacon. Secure the bacon with a toothpick and place the jalapenos on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake the poppers for 20-30 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp and cooked through.
5. Use as a stuffing for mushroom caps.
6. For a punched-up grilled cheese sandwich, spread a thick layer of pimento cheese between two slices of buttered bread. Add crisp bacon and grill to perfection.
7. Spread some on your next burger or hot dog.
8. Try adding it to your next batch of homemade macaroni and cheese for a peppery, almost smoky effect.
9. Use as a topping for hot broccoli or cauliflower.
10. When summer returns, take Martha’s advice and use the cheese for a homegrown tomato and pimento cheese pie.

Adapted from the OnMilwaukee article by Lori Fredrich

Do you have any food success stories you would like to have the Wisconsin Local Food Network showcase? If so, email Andrew Bernhardt at andrew.bernhardt@ces.uwex.edu with your ideas and suggestions! THANKS!

2012 Quarterly Gatherings Success

In the spirit of WLFN’s mission to engage, connect, and empower, three Regional Quarterly Gatherings were held in 2012, jointly organized with local and regional partner organizations.

This is the beginning of a vibrant tradition celebrating and highlighting the good work happening across and throughout Wisconsin! These “mini-summits” take place on a quarterly basis to help regions and communities make connections and showcase progress.

This year the three Regional Quarterly Gatherings where held at River Falls, Mineral Point and Appleton.

The first of the three took place at UW-River Falls on April 5th, led by Kelly Cain, the second at the Wisconsin Innovation Kitchen led by Lorrin Toepper and Rick Terrien, and the last at the Fox Valley Technical College on November 9th led by Fred Depuis.

Dates and locations have not yet been set for 2013. Are you interested in getting the WLFN to help you host a Regional Quarterly Gathering? If so, contact Jane Hansen at jane.hansen@ces.uwex.edu

Photos of the Regional Quarterly Gathering in Appleton can be found at the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute Facebook Page and photos of the Regional Quarterly Gathering in Mineral Point can be found on the WLFN facebook page (make sure to like us!)

 

Support your Local Fruit Farmers

2012 has been a hard year on farmers for many reasons – many of us remember vividly the drought and heat that left us all sweltering, but our local fruit farmers also had to deal with an early warm spring that was hit with a late frost wiping out many if not all the young budding flowers. Many of the orchards and fruit farms around the state, including several I have down you-pick at – are trying to deal with 75%-90% crop loss!!!

Just last week the Journal Sentinel ran an article, Few reasons to holler over this year’s apple harvest, on the same topic, and does a great job of summing up this year’s fruit crop status and highlights several farms and farmers in specific. 

For those of us that love  Wisconsin’s strong agricultural heritage and support local foods for their many benefits – whether that be because they are often more healthy, sustainable, or fair – this year it is crucial to go out and buy from your local Wisconsin fruit farmer so that they all can stay in business. What a loss it would be to not have the Wisconsin cherries, apples, berries and many other fruits that I so enjoy!

If you don’t know where a local fruit farm is here is a nice website that highlights pick-your-own farms. Check it to find pick your own farms near you: http://www.pickyourown.org/WI.htm

If you know of any other resources – please post them as a comment to this post.

One other way to help our farmers weather tough times is to purchase a CSA (community supported agriculture) share at a farm. There are many farms that have fruit CSA options.Please comment if you have or know of a farm that sells fruit shares in a CSA.

For those of you with more a green thumb – here are few resources that may help your fruit:

• http://hort.uwex.edu/topics/fruits 
• UWEX apple tips
• UWEX strawberry tips
• UWEX apricot, cherry, peaches and plum tips
• UWEX raspberry tips
• UWEX grape tips

 

Wisconsin’s local foods program – Buy Local Buy Wisconsin – is at risk.

Action Alert from Bridget Holcomb, Associate Policy Director, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute

Farmers across Wisconsin have increased sales because of projects funded by Buy Local Buy Wisconsin grants. People who care about buying Wisconsin products now find them at more grocery stores, on more menus, and at more markets, and children eat them in more schools – because of this program.  Despite helping farmers and eaters, these grants are again on the chopping block.  2012 funding for Buy Local Buy Wisconsin grants was eliminated. We cannot allow that to happen in 2013.

Will you please take a moment to contact your State Senator and State Assembly Member and tell them that you care about local foods and want this program funding protected? You can find out who represents you and their contact information here.

Without any grant funding this year, the Buy Local Buy Wisconsin program was able to do a few workshops and other programming. But it was the grants from previous years that:

• created over 100 jobs
• brought in more than $2.7 million in new sales
• created a 5:1 return on investment

We cannot let this program be a budget casualty again. This is the kind of job creating program we need in Wisconsin right now.

Thank you for making a quick call to your Wisconsin Senator and Assembly representative.  If you can take one extra minute, please tell us how the call went!  Email us here.

 

Small Farmers Creating a New Business Model as Agriculture Goes Local

By KIRK JOHNSON

Published: July 1, 2012

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/02/us/small-scale-farmers-creating-a-new-profit-model.html

SEATTLE — The cultivated rusticity of a farmers’ market, where dirt-dusted beets are status symbols and earnest entrepreneurs preside over chunks of cheese, is a part of weekend life in cities across the nation as the high days of the summer harvest approach.

But beyond the familiar mantras about nutrition or reduced fossil fuel use, the movement toward local food is creating a vibrant new economic laboratory for American agriculture. The result, with its growing army of small-scale local farmers, is as much about dollars as dinner: a reworking of old models about how food gets sold and farms get financed, and who gets dirt under their fingernails doing the work… http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/02/us/small-scale-farmers-creating-a-new-profit-model.html