Cover Crops Case Studies: Gary Sommers Farm (PDF)

Lake Lawn Resort, Delavan, WI

The Wisconsin Farm to School Summit will showcase current efforts across the state, feature new resources and highlight opportunities for farm to school programs and policy. It will be held January 25 at the Lake Lawn Resort in Delavan, and will be followed by the Wisconsin Local Food Summit on January 26-27. More information is available here.

Online registration (NOTE: Online registration may not work correctly in Internet Explorer 9. If you experience problems with this browser, we recommend trying a different one.)

Want to grow your passion for growing flowers into a small business? The Wisconsin Cut Flower Growers School is a two-day workshop designed to help people who have that goal in mind.

The workshop will be held February 18–19 on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. A registration fee of $200 includes lunches and refreshments. Enrollment is limited, so early registration is strongly recommended.

The school will be taught by two experienced growers: third-generation flower grower Joe Schmitt, who grows and markets flowers in the Madison area, and Jeanie McKewan of Brightflower Nursery in northern Illinois. The instructors will present practical information on how to grow and sell flowers using organic and sustainable production practices and manage a cut flower business.

The course will cover a range of topics, including variety selection for farmers’ markets, florists and other sales outlets, planting and harvesting methods, pest management, post-harvest handling and direct marketing. There will be opportunities to network with other growers and get a look at some tools at show-and-tell tables.

The workshop is part of the Wisconsin School for Beginning Market Growers, which has been helping people grow and market fresh produce since 1998. The Wisconsin Cut Flower Growers School is sponsored by the UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems and is open to the public.

For more information about the Cut Flower Growers School or the School for Beginning Market Growers, contact John Hendrickson at (608) 265-3704 or jhendric@wisc.edu, or visit the CIAS web site: www.cias.wisc.edu.

UW-Madison Campus

Online registration (NOTE: Online registration may not work correctly in Internet Explorer 9. If you experience problems with this browser, we recommend trying a different one.)

The Wisconsin Cut Flower Growers School is a two-day workshop designed to help new and beginning growers learn the ins and outs of producing and marketing cut flowers.

Learn from experienced growers about variety selection, seed starting, planting and harvest schedules and methods, post-harvest handling, pest management, tools and equipment, and direct marketing. Find out how to turn your passion for flowers into a sustainable small business. Network with other growers in and around Wisconsin. Handle small tools at a show-and-tell table. Speakers will emphasize sustainable and organic production practices.

This course is sponsored by the UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems. More information and the registration form are available here. Online registration is available here.

These toolkits are interactive. They include a wealth of information that will help you plan your farm to school program, source locally grown fruits and vegetables in season, work out purchasing details, estimate quantities, set prices, educate students, market your program and develop strong community partnerships. The toolkits also include links to invaluable online resources.

Link: Wisconsin Farm to School Toolkits for School Nutrition Directors and Producers

These toolkits are a collaborative effort of the UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Their publication was supported by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Community partners on this project include the Wisconsin Apple, Berry and Grape Growers Associations; Threshold IPM Services; Wescott Agriproducts; Center for Agricultural Partnerships; American Farmland Trust; IPM Institute of North America; The Xerces Society; local farm-to-school projects; UW Extension in numerous counties; UW-River Falls Department of Plant and Earth Sciences; Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; US Environmental Protection Agency; and USDA SARE.

UW-Madison campus partners include the departments of Entomology, Horticulture, Plant Pathology, Community and Environmental Sociology, and Urban and Regional Planning; Nutrient and Pest Management Program; and Peninsular Agricultural Research Station.

Grants from USDA and EPA made this work possible.

Deirdre is starting an organic apple orchard in Iowa County. The orchard features English and French cider apples that she will process to make draft and vintage ciders. She helped initiate and runs the Midwest Organic Tree Fruit Growers Network. She also helps nonprofits and farmers apply for various grant programs. She is president of the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), and a past director of the REAP Food Group. She has experience running an educational nonprofit and working in international agricultural development, particularly in Africa. She holds a Joint Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Land Resources and Adult Education. deirdreb@mindspring.com