Iowa County Entrepreneur Club

The next Iowa County Entrepreneur Club meeting will focus on growing businesses and creating jobs in local foods and regional food processing.

Join us Wed. Feb. 24 at 6 PM in Dodgeville to learn more about starting or growing your own business around the bountiful possibilities of local foods and regional food processing!

Local foods and regional food enterprises are blooming everywhere. This is becoming a great way to start and grow businesses in Southwest Wisconsin. Come and learn how you can participate.

Speakers will include:

Maria Davis from the REAP Food Group discussing 'Buy Fresh, Buy Local Southwest Wisconsin' and the demand for local foods.

Lois Federman, Director of the 'Something Special From Wisconsin' program at the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection will discuss the possibilities of working with farmer's markets, produce auctions and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs.

Mark Olson of Renaissance Farm will discuss plans for the proposed vegetable processing and freezing facility planned for Highland and how regional growers might fit this into their future farm plans.

Rick Terrien of the Iowa County Area Economic Development Corp. will discuss business support available for area growers and farm-based entrepreneurs. Rick will also discuss business startup and expansion possibilities at the new community-access Wisconsin Innovation Kitchen in Mineral Point, a state-inspected food processing facility available to growers and food entrepreneurs .

A media release is attached with complete meeting details.

Come and learn how local foods and regional food processing possibilities can help you start a new business or expand your existing business.

Join us next Wed. Feb 24 at 6 PM in Dodgeville. Bring a friend! We look forward to seeing you there.

Iowa County. Come grow with us!

Sustainable Communities Forum

We need your help in creating strong, equitable and sustainable communities!



Real-world challenges and an audience eager to make a difference are key components of the Sustainable Communities Public Policy Forum and other Wisconsin Idea Forums. The University of Wisconsin’s resources -- coupled with your ideas, expertise and energy -- can create solutions for the state’s economic, environmental and social challenges. Let’s get to work together!



Free regional workshops are being held around the State to provide an overview of current sustainability efforts and conclude with participants identifying policy issues, barriers, strengths, and possibilities. Attending a Sustainable Communities Roundtable will help you connect with sustainability experts, share ideas from and for your own community and craft policy recommendations to support community sustainability throughout Wisconsin. Click here for more information on the roundtables.



Unable to attend the Roundtable? Register for the Sustainable Communities Public Policy Forum. You will learn who’s doing what to make their communities sustainable, then help write policy recommendations to move your own community and the state toward a sustainable future. These contributions will be shared in a post-conference publication, “Building Sustainable Communities in Wisconsin: Opportunities and Challenges Moving Forward.”



Forum Dates: March 25-26

Venue: University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley
Communication Arts Center
1478 Midway Road, Menasha

Registration and program information: Sustainable Communities Public Policy Forum

Information: sustainablecommunities@uwex.uwc.edu

Cost: $100 ($75 by March 1), $30 for students, $50 for a single day

Optional entertainment March 25: “Wild Woods & Waters” 920-832-2646

Platteville Optimist Noon Club - Gift Wrap Fundraiser

Come in and get your gifts wrapped and give a donation to the Platteville Optimist Noon Club

100 East Main St - Wed, Dec 16, 4-7pm and Sat, Dec 19, 11am-2pm
Platteville K-Mart - Mon, Dec 21, Tues, Dec 22 and Wed, Dec 23, 5-8pm

Find more information at www.plattevilleoptimist.org or stop by and talk to a member

Local Food Survey Results for Crawford and Vernon Counties

Local Food Networks in Southwestern Wisconsin
An Evaluation of Food and Culture Tourism
Fresh Food Production for Local Food Networks

Survey Overview
This survey was conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin‐Madison and the University Extension with support from community partners to explore the vitality and viability of local food networks in Vernon (pop. 28,000) and Crawford Counties (pop. 17,000) in Southwest Wisconsin. This rural region was chosen due to the prevalence of tourism as a driver in the local economy, the region’s rural character and tradition of small family farms, and a growing interest in the impact of local food sales and agri-tourism.

The survey was designed with three parts to provide a clearer understanding of relationships between producers, retailers, and consumers in the region: a producer survey involving current and future interest in sales to local markets, a retailer and restaurant survey regarding current and future interest in sourcing from local producers, and a survey of regional tourists regarding the extent to which local food and culture influenced their visit to the region.

The results of these surveys are intended to better inform producers that are considering local marketing, restaurant and retail business owners considering offering local products, tourism planning organizations, and tourism based businesses. For purposes of this survey “local” was defined as a three hour driving distance from the buyer’s location.

Full reports may be viewed downloaded at http://crawford.uwex.edu/cnred/index.html#Localfood “Food and Culture Tourism Study Reports.” The full report is also attached below. Note that the results reported in this summary have been rounded to the nearest whole number.

Laura Brown
Community & Economic Development Educator
Crawford County UW Cooperative Extension
608-326-0224
laura.brown@ces.uwex.edu
www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/crawford

Local%20Food%20Networks%20in%20Crawford%20Vernon%20Counties%20Reports%20Summary%202009.pdf

Acidified Canned Foods Training (2009-2010)

Wisconsin Acidified Canned Foods Training for Small
Businesses, trained nearly 200 businesses this past year. The program
has been revised and updated to reflect changing state regulations. This
training is required for licensing for businesses wishing to can
acidified foods like salsa and pickles for sale.

NEW! Will be the chance to bring product samples for preliminary pH and
water activity testing (for free) at the end of the program.

Cost of the training is $75.00* per person. Fee includes materials, refreshments and lunch. Pre-registration is required. Payment must be made at time of registration. On-site registrations will not be accepted.

You can register online at: http://www.peopleware.net/2723

For training questions, please contact Barb Ingham (608) 263-7383 or bhingham@wisc.edu.

Brochure is attached
Canned%20Food%20Training.pdf

Vegetable Crops Storage Workshop (DEC)

While hoop houses and related tools and techniques get most of the attention from those wanting to extend their growing season, what about extending your marketing season by growing storage crops? The local foods market is hungry year-round and there are tremendous opportunities to supply stores, restaurants, CSA members, and institutions with local produce throughout the winter months. In addition, winter farmers markets are becoming more and more popular in many communities.

Selling winter storage crops, carrots, beets, winter squash, cabbage, potatoes, onions, garlic and more, helps improve cash flow during the winter months and enables you to maintain relationships with customers throughout most or all of the year.

Join us for this timely workshop on how to take advantage of storage crops to improve your farm’s bottom line. Topics will include best varieties, storage conditions and structures, and the labor demands and economics of winter sales.

Speakers will include experienced growers and University faculty and staff. The workshop will be held in two locations. Cost: $35.

December 4, Hudson, WI, 9:30 - 3:00
Phipps Center for the Arts, 109 Locust St, Hudson, WI Featured farmer speakers: Janaki Fisher,Merritt, Food Farm and David Van Eekout, Hogsback Farm

December 11, Madison, WI, 9:30 - 3:00
West Madison Ag. Research Station, 8502 Mineral Point Rd, Verona Featured farmer speakers: Steve Pincus, Tipi Produce and Mike Noltnerwyss, Primrose Community Farm

Lunch will be provided at both events. For more information, contact John Hendrickson, 608-265-3704 or jhendric@wisc.edu

Make check payable to University of Wisconsin-Madison, and return to CIAS,
Attn: Storage Crops Workshop, 1535 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706
Sponsored by: Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, UW-Madison and Sow the Seeds, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Minneapolis

CANCELLED - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH LOCAL FOODS WORKSHOP IN PLATTEVILLE

The Buy Local Buy Wisconsin workshop titled, "Making Decisions about Local Food Sales Opportunities using the Holistic Management Framework," scheduled for Wednesday, November 11, 2009, in Platteville has been CANCELLED. The WI Dept of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and Local Fare apologize for any inconvenience.

We encourage those interested to attend instead the Madison session of the workshop, on Thursday, November 12. For more information and to register, please visit our website, at www.datcp.state.wi.us/registration/workshops.jsp.

Please direct any questions to Kenneth Monroe, by email at kenneth.monroe@wisconsin.gov, or by phone at (608) 224-5112.

Iowa County Entrepreneur & Inventor's Club (Wed, Oct 28)

The next Iowa County Area Entrepreneur and Inventor's Club meeting will be held Wednesday, Oct. 28. This month's guest speaker is Mark Olson, President of Renaissance Farm. Mark is a long-time entrepreneur who is coming to share his extensive experience starting and growing businesses in our region.

Have you ever considered creating your own small business based around local foods? Wouldn't you love to talk with one of our region's most innovative and successful food entrepreneurs? Mark will be sharing not only his food business experience, but his extensive knowledge of starting up and growing businesses in or region.

Join us next Wed Evening at Stonefield Apartments in Dodgeville. Doors open at 5:30 PM and the meeting begins at 6. You can download an agenda, press release and location map for this meeting at http://www.iowacountyedc.org

There will be tasty treats from Renaissance Farm and lots of great information. Join us and bring a friend!

Opportunity for Local Food Producers!! (Oct 25)

Here's an opportunity to have your fine, locally grown food items featured during the upcoming Wisconsin Local Food Summit / Midwest Value Added Agriculture Conference.

We always strive to serve as much locally produced food as possible at the summit and conference, even though we have the added challenge of scheduling the event in Wisconsin in January!

Please take a look at this list and let us know if you would have any of the listed items available in January, 2010 and up to the following quantities:

Milk-gallon jugs - 50 gallons
Half and half - 30 quarts
Sour cream - 25 quarts
Tomatoes, slicing - 25#
butternut squash - 25 large butternuts
loose leaf lettuce mix - 50 lbs
fresh spinach - 10 lbs
veggies for a roasted vegetable dish for 325 people: Any winter veggies such as parsnips, carrots, beets, rutabagas, potatoes, onions, squash, peppers, in quantities of 20# each.
Any other veggies that can be served steamed (can be mixed) - 70#.
Apples, eating varieties - three bushels
Apple cider - 15 gallons
cranberry products for desserts or snack items
crackers to go with breakout snack cheese and trout spread

Attached you will find the 2010 Food Letter which has further details about submitting a bid or making a donation of food. We would like to receive food bids/donation offers as soon as possible (the letter states an October 25th deadline) in order to finalize the menu.

To learn more about the Conference and Summit go to: http://www.rivercountryrcd.org
2010%20Food%20Bid.doc

WORKING LANDS INITIATIVE WORKSHOPS (Oct/Nov)

Farmers, town officials, planning commission members and other interested parties are invited to participate in one of six working lands workshops scheduled for the last week of October and the first week of November to learn more about Wisconsin’s new tools to preserve agricultural land. Wisconsin’s Working Lands Initiative is the focus of each day-long workshop.

Topics to be covered include the changes to the existing Farmland Preservation Program, purchase of agricultural conservation easements, agricultural enterprise areas and claiming farmland preservation tax credits.

The workshops are organized by the Wisconsin Towns Association and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Additional partnership and promotion for the sessions is provided by Cooperative Network, AgStar Financial Services, Badgerland Financial, GreenStone Farm Credit Services, United FCS, and Gathering Waters Conservancy.

Each workshop begins at 8:30 a.m. with registration and continues until 3 p.m. with a break for lunch which will be provided. The cost is $35 per person. Registration and payment should be received by the Wisconsin Towns Association at least seven days before the workshop. Walk-in registrations will be accepted for an additional $10 fee.

• Wisconsin Dells: Tuesday, Oct. 27, Antiqua Bay, 655 Frontage Rd.

• Eau Claire: Wednesday, Oct. 28, Sleep Inn & Conference Center, 5872 33rd Ave.

• Marathon: Thursday, Oct. 29, Rib River Ballroom, 33237 St. Hwy 29.

• Fond du Lac: Tuesday, Nov. 3, Holiday Inn, 625 W. Rolling Meadows Dr.

• De Pere: Wednesday, Nov. 4, Apple Creek Inn, 3177 French Rd.

• Janesville: Thursday, Nov. 5, Holiday Inn & Janesville Conference Center, 3100 Wellington Place.

To register, contact the Wisconsin Towns Association at (715) 526-3157 or visit their web site at http://www.wisctowns.com/ for more information or to download the registration form.

Producer Grant Workshops (Oct & Nov)

Three workshops will be offered this fall to help farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs develop strategies to access state and federal grants. Attendees will learn how to successfully submit a Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG), an Agricultural Development and Diversification Grant (ADD), and The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program application. These programs provide research and development, planning and working capital funds to farmers and farmer-based enterprises to develop and implement ventures.

The training workshops will take place on:
Friday, Oct 23rd - 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM Green Bay
Northeast Technical College, 2740 West Mason St, Rm SC128, Green Bay, WI
To register, contact: Valerie Dantoin at valerie.dantoin@nwtc.edu or (920) 498-5568

Monday, Nov 2nd - 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM Eau Claire
Washington Town Hall, 5750 Old Town Hall Rd, Eau Claire, WI
To register, contact: Pam Herdrich at Pam.Herdrich@wi.usda.gov or 715-834-9672 or River Country RC&D at 715-834-9672 or 800-226-9672

Thursday, Nov 5th - 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM Madison
Dane County UW-Extension Fen Oak Building, 1 Fen Oak Court, Madison, WI
To register, contact: Jane Kleven at jkleven@wisc.edu or 608-262-5200

A registration fee of $15 will cover the cost of lunch and materials.

For more information and to download the workshop poster and agenda, please visit: http://www.uwex.edu/ces/agmarkets/aic/vapgp.cfm#training

Save the Date, Value Added Conference (January 20-22, 2010)

4th Annual Wisconsin Local Food Summit and Introducing the all new Value Added Agriculture College on Wed. Jan. 20, 2010. The 12th Annual Midwest Value Added Agriculture Conference will be held on Thurs. and Fri. January 21st & 22nd, 2010.

All events are located at the Ramada Convention Center, Eau Claire WI

Who Should Attend?
* Agricultural producers, suppliers and distributors
* Agricultural educators, service providers and agencies
* Farmers market managers and vendors
* Local Food buyers and advocates
* Sustainable agriculture enthusiasts
Care to get more involved?
* Sponsor a speaker, participant or break out session
* Donate a Door Prize, Silent Auction Item or locally produced food item
* Promote the event to your clients

The two-day conference consists of 36 breakout sessions in 6 themed tracks, 3 exciting keynote addresses, a tradeshow, round table discussions, a World Cafe round table forum, Driftless Region "Open Space" discussion and plenty of time for networking!

To become involved with the 2010 Value Added Conference/WI Local Food Summit, please contact: Lindsay Raab or Sherrie Beyer at River Country RC&D Council Inc. (715) 834-9672 or at http://www.rivercountryrcd.org/valad.html

Fall Cooking Classes in Green County

Cooking classes are held from 5:30p-7pm at Kookaburras located at 1609 10th St, Monroe WI. Seating is limited and pre-registration is required.

October
Oct 20th - Fall Harvest Menu cooking class $15
Oct 27th - Trick or Treat cooking class $15
Oct 31st - Halloween Parade on the Square

November/December
Nov 7 & 8 - Simply Christmas Open House
Nov 9 - Healthy Choices for the Holidays FREE
Nov 17 - Gifts from the Kitchen cooking class fee $60
Dec 5 - 2nd Annual Christmas Cookie/Fudge contest
Dec 14 - Give the Gift of Health FREE

For more information or to register for a cooking class, call 608-325-3955 or visit http://www.kookaburrasclosetgourmet.com/

A Winter Market for Mineral Point!

Beginning October 24th, The Old Royal Inn at 43 High Street, downtown Mineral Point, will be hosting a Winter Market on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to noon, every Saturday through December. If all goes well, the market can continue through the rest of the winter.

Many vendors have already expressed interest in attending. Space is limited so call Jennifer Bendorf at 608-219-6959 soon to learn more or if you are interested in vending to reserve your spot.


Fees:
- $5 per day for regular vendors attending a minimum of 75% of the days.
- $8 for any single visit or attending less than 75% of the days.

Of Special Interest - Saturday December 5th is Mineral Point's final Gallery Night of 2009 featuring Candlelight Shopping. The Old Royal Inn will host craft and antique vendors on this day in addition to the Winter Market vendors. To stay all day it will cost $20.

MOUNTAIN LANE FARMS EARNS ANIMAL WELFARE APPROVED SEAL FOR HIGH-WELFARE HUSBANDRY PRACTICES

Mountain Lane Farms has recently been awarded the Animal Welfare Approved seal for high-welfare animal husbandry. Animal Welfare Approved is a free certification granted to family farmers adhering to the high animal welfare standards outlined by the non-profit program. Accredited farms use the Animal Welfare Approved logo on their products, assuring consumers that the animals were raised humanely on pasture or range and allowed to exhibit natural behavior with minimal environmental impact.

Tom Martin has known since age four that he wanted to be a farmer. Farming is in his blood—his father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all farmers. “When I was young, I never wanted to take naps or watch television. I wanted to be out the fields with my dad,” he laughs. His childhood memories of farming with his father have inspired his dedication to the land and his animals and to leaving both in even better condition for the next generation. “There’s a different way to do things these days that is healthy and productive,” Tom says. “Raising our cattle on pasture is one of the things I can do to make sure that my sons will be able to farm healthy land with healthy animals.”

Tom and his wife Sharon started raising grassfed Angus cattle in 2000 and now have about 100 head on 75 acres. Familiar with conventional systems, the transition to intensive grazing was a learning experience for Tom. “I needed a lot of fencing and to learn about grass, among other things,” he notes. “But I met so many tremendous people along the way—a real community of farmers dedicated to raising cattle on grass and to helping each other out.” Tom has volunteered with Wisconsin’s Johne’s disease control program and is a pioneer member of the Wisconsin Grass-fed Beef Coop, already giving back to those who helped him get started.

One of the benefits of Tom’s intensive grazing system is that he interacts much more with his cattle. He checks on them twice a day, getting to know them individually and adapt their care as needed. Concerned about protecting the soil and preventing erosion, Tom has also seen the benefits to the land of a rotational grazing system. “The cattle,” he says, “are our partners in growing the grass and fertilizing the soil. It’s a wonderful, natural system that works.”

Tom and Sharon are also firm believers in third-party certification, believing that it gives consumers another level of confidence in their beef, while giving them a chance to double-check their practices and take advantage of the support Animal Welfare Approved provides to approved farmers. “We read about what Animal Welfare Approved stood for and found it was synergistic with our approach,” Tom explained. “There was no question we wanted to be part of the program, especially since it assures our customers that we take the welfare of our cattle seriously.”

Tom and Sharon are working on building the market for their beef. “When people sit down to the table, they know they are feeding their families with beef from a farm serious about animal welfare and environmental stewardship. We’re hoping to start selling at farmer’s markets and online soon. People are interested in supporting local farmers, so we anticipate being able to develop a customer base quickly,” he says.

For now, Tom enjoys working with farm with his sons, Gabriel, Zach, Nate and Jacob. Four-year-old Jacob is especially interested in helping out the farm and Tom has been impressed with his youngest son’s composure when working with the cattle. “He really has a feel for it,” Tom says proudly. “He’s my right-hand man.”
Tom and Sharon Martin may be contacted at 608-874-4414 or martint@mhtc.net

Animal Welfare Approved audits and certifies family farms that raise their animals with the highest animal welfare standards, on pasture or range. The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has lauded these standards as being the most stringent when compared to other third-party certification programs. Visit www.AnimalWelfareApproved.org for a searchable database of approved farms and restaurants, shops and markets where their products are sold. Choose the one independent food label that means healthy, safe, environmentally responsible and humanely raised.