We are stewards of 21 beautiful ridgetop acres of land.
Small Family Farm is located in Southwest Wisconsin in the Driftless Coulee Region. We are stewards of 21 beautiful ridgetop acres of land. Our mission as stewards of this small piece of land is to preserve biodiversity, restore soil health, and strive towards implementing a sustainable farm ecosystem. As the number of small family farms in the nation are rapidly disappearing, we aim to nourish an endangered species, young farmers. We grow healthy food and watch as the soil in which it’s grown in comes back to life after generations of depletion. We take a special interest in soil health and the elemental composition of the earth. Through soil testing and analysis we are learning what needs to be fed back to our fields. Many years before us, essential minerals and organic matter, necessary for healthy plant growth, were depleted from the soil. Once the soil reaches a mineral balance it can be maintained with yearly inputs and cover cropping. When farmers farm with as much of a sincere interest in giving back to the soil as they have an interest in taking from it, the world will be a much healthier and harmonious place to live. We are passionate about working outside with plants and animals. We grow over 100 varieties of vegetables on our certified organic farm. Each year we plant about 10 more fruit-bearing trees while maintaining small raspberry and strawberry plots as well. We primarily market our vegetables through our CSA program where our members receive a weekly box of veggies from our farm. From the first week of June until the second week of October we provide ‘shareholders’ with as much food as we can stuff into a 3/4 bushel box.
Jillian and Adam Varney bought the farm in the spring of 2007 to get back to the simple life and quickly discovered it isn’t all that simple. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done to make this small, intensely farmed place go ‘round. We are thankful to live in such a beautiful part of the world and are willing to work very hard, often tirelessly so, to keep our little piece of heaven. Our aim is to shorten the gap to consumer awareness of where their food comes from and where it is purchased. We await the day when the majority of the public can, in good conscious, consume a meal and say they know the farmers who raised it. Farmers and communities alike will be closer to achieving economic stability and independence.
To raise a wide variety of organically grown vegetables on a small family farm to supply a 300 member CSA program while preserving a sustainable farm ecosystem. We aspire to produce supreme quality, freshness and flavor in our produce through paying close attention to mineral balancing, organic matter and fertility in our soil.
Through our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program we hope to build community by encouraging member involvement in big and small ways either through our very hands-on Worker Share program or through our On-Farm Events schedule each Spring and Fall. We hope to educated and inspire community members to learn more about where their food comes from, how it is being grown and who are the people groing it.
As young, first-generation farmers, we hope to preserve some of the farmer knowledge from our veteran farmers. We recognize the need for farmers who are truely in love with the work of farming and who wish to be responsible stewards of the land.
Community Supported Agriculture is a way for farms to serve their communities and a chance for their communities to serve them. It is a beautifully organized and structured delivery system that is designed to compliment both the farmers and the eaters where both parties have a chance to learn and work with each other.
Pick Up your CSA box of veggies at our designated dropsites in Dubuque IA, Lancaster WI, Platteville WI, Onalaska WI, Viroqua WI, La Farge WI, La Crosse WI, Sparta WI, West Salem WI, Middleton WI, Holmen WI, Tomah WI, Sun Prairie WI, Fitchburg WI, Verona WI and Madison WI.
