Dane County Food Council

The Dane County Food Council  explores issues and develops recommendations to create an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable local food system for the Dane County region. Current projects include:

1. List of Food and Agriculture Initiatives: Released a web-based guide to food and agriculture initiatives in Dane County, including more than 70 organizations working to strengthen the local food system, increase access to locally grown and nutritious foods, stimulate the agricultural economy, and promote food-related enterprises. 

2. Farmers’ Market Alliance of South Central WI: Launch a network of farmers’ markets to increase direct market opportunities for producers and provide a forum for developing  solutions to collective issues.

3. Madison Market Basket: Support the expansion of a Market Basket program in Dane County, based on the model developed by Growing Power, a Milwaukee area non-profit. This Community Supported Agriculture-style food distribution program is designed to connect low-income consumers with small-scale, regionally produced fruits and vegetables.

4. Institutional Food Purchasing: Increase the amount of local-regional food purchased by Dane County and other area institutions. Work with County officials to identify opportunities and pathways for  producers to sell products within the Dane County institutional system.

Contact:
Dawn Burgardt, Program Coordinator
608-266-4540
burgardt@co.dane.wi.us

Fondy Food Center

For the past five years the Fondy Food Center has run the Fondy Farmers' Market. Covering 38,000 square feet and open six days per week, it is the largest market in the Milwaukee area. A capital campaign is under way to fund plans for constructing an Indoor Public Market, to make quality produce available year-round, and a Kitchen Business Incubator, which will serve as a job creation engine for Milwaukee.

Market location:
2200 West Fond du Lac Avenue
Milwaukee, WI

Contact:
Young Kim, Executive Director
Fondy Food Center, Inc.
4630 W Burleigh, Suite B
Milwaukee, WI 53210
Phone: 414-444-6067
Fax: 414-444-6081

GEM Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry Program (GEMSAF)

GEMSAF is part of the Global Environmental Management Education Center (GEM) of the College of Natural Resources at UW-Stevens Point.  GEM's purpose is to pioneer and apply practical learning methods and technology for solving natural resource problems by linking faculty, students and citizens worldwide.  The GEMSAF Program focuses on alternative income generation from sustainable farming systems, targeting the micro-economic scale of operation, including collaborative household initiatives, small-producer co-ops, women's entrepreneurial groups, etc. with organic agriculture, agroforestry, and local food systems projects.  Depending on the need of specific groups, GEMSAF provides action research assistance with best practices for production, organizational strategies, and business planning.  Current GEMSAF partners abroad include organic pesticide and 'green' charcoal producers in Kenya, and organic produce co-ops in Mexico.  In Wisconsin, we are initiating local food systems studies with producers, processors, and consumers in Stevens Point and Ashland to overcome barriers to local food consumption. 

Contact:
John Sheffy
Outreach Program Manager
Global Environmental Management Education Center
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
800 Reserve Street
Stevens Point, WI 54481
715-346-4244

Growing Power

Growing Power is an urban agricultural organization headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It runs the last functional farm within the Milwaukee city limits. It also organizes activities in Chicago. Growing Power aims for sustainable food production, as well as the growth of communities through the creation of local gardens.

Contact:
Will Allen, Director
will@growingpower.org

Oneida Community Integrated Food Systems

Some of our efforts in local foods include: starting a Farmers Market in Oneida. We just ended our 5th year with the Farmers Market and each year it seems to grow a little more. In an effort to boast sales and attendance we have done several things:

1. Always make sure the 4-H brat booth is open during the Market. This past year we generated over $3,500 for the Oneida Food Pantry.
2. We don't charge any vendor fees and we provide free canopies for the vendors.
3. We have Oneida Farmer Market money ($3,000) printed up and distributed to the low-income people as well as the Oneida Health Center. This allows those folks access to healthy foods and we reimburse the Market vendors at the end of every Farmers Market.

We have also established the Oneida Falling Leaves 4-H club and the 4-H youth plant and maintain a 1 acre garden on a 12 acre plot of land that was given to the 4-H club. We are using the rest of the land in various other crops to be sold as a fundraiser for the 4-H club.

Last year we got all the soda and junk food machines pulled out of the Oneida schools. This year we were able to get some local produced Oneida products into the Oneida High School and the Turtle school. It is only a small amount, but it is a start. We hope to expand this to include the
Head Start program, Elderly Care and the Anna John Nursing Home.

Contact:
Bill Ver Voort
OCIFS Coordinator
N7332 Water Circle Place
P.O. Box 365
Oneida, WI 54155
Telephone: (920) 869-4530
Cell phone: (920) 819-1933
Fax: (920) 869-1610
wvervoor@oneidanation.org

Northwest Wisconsin Regional Food Network

The Northwest Wisconsin Regional Food Network is a grassroots group of local farmers, volunteers and agency staff working together to create a
regional food system that connects consumers back to the land and
provides locally produced, fresh and nutritious foods to all segments of
our community while preserving the region's environment and sustaining
the local economy for years to come. The group has been meeting since
spring 2005 and was instrumental in initiating the Farm Fresh Atlas of
Western Wisconsin, available on-line at www.wifarmfresh.org.

Contact:
Andrew Dane
UW-Extension
715-726-7950
andrew.dane@ces.uwex.edu

PriceDirect

A local foods initiative promoting direct marketing of locally grown foods in Price County, WI.  Funded through a USDA Agriculture and Entrepreneur Education Grant with assistance from  UWEX Emerging Agricultural Markets Team. Main Objectives:

• Marketing:  Expand marketing opportunities for the growers participating in the PriceDirect initiative and continue to attract additional growers.  Increase the amount of local food purchased.
• Outreach and Education:  Educate consumers about the nutritional benefits of eating foods grown locally, harvested when ripe and eaten when fresh.  Increase the consumer comfort level with locally grown foods.  Increase the amount of local food eaten.  Equip other local and regional food system networks with the resources needed to replicate Price County’s local foods initiative.
• Partnership and Collaboration:  Create new partnerships and collaborations with other groups, including:  UW Stevens Point (UWSP) School of Health Promotion and Human Development; UW Stevens Point Global Environmental Management Education Center; Price County Health Department; Price County UWEX Family Living Program; DATCP Buy Local/Buy Wisconsin Project; Pri-Ru-Ta Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Area, The Wellspring Center.

Jane Hansen
Marketing Specialist
Price County UW Extension
104 S. Eyder Avenue
Normal Building
Phillips, WI  54555
715/339-2555
jane.hansen@ces.uwex.edu

REAP Food Group

Research, Education, Action and Policy on Food Group is a non-profit organization located in Madison, Wisconsin.

The REAP Food Group is building a regional food system that is healthful, just, and both environmentally and economically sustainable. REAP connects producers, consumers, policy-makers, educators, businesses and organizations to nourish the links between land and table.

REAP's projects include:

• The annual Food for Thought Festival in downtown Madison. Food for Thought Festival began in 1999 and draws over 5000 people for a day of education and celebration
• The Southern Wisconsin Farm Fresh Atlas. The original “Farm Fresh Atlas” project.  Produced annually since 2002.
• Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch. A farm to school project in Madison and Dane County schools with outreach and resources available state-wide.
• Buy Fresh Buy Local.  A campaign to encourage restaurants and institutional food services to serve more local foods and a branding mechanism to help encourage consumers to support eateries that do “buy fresh, buy local.”

Contact:
Miriam Grunes
Executive Director
REAP Food Group
PO Box 5632
Madison, WI  53705-0632
608-294-1114

Sauk County Food Security Coalition

The Sauk County Food Security Coalition was formed early in 2005 with a mission to link the efforts and resources of diverse organizations to create a local, sustainable food system to ensure healthy, adequate and appropriate food for all people.Such a system supports the economies of local communities, promotes a cleaner environment and preserves the beauty of the agricultural countryside. Currently the Coalition includes commercial growers (through Wisconsin Home Harvest), community gardeners, social service agencies, schools, 4-H, a tribal nation, food pantries and restaurants in its network.Eventually, the Coalition founders hope to also include hospitals, farmers markets and grocery stores in its network.

Currently the Coalition has two efforts on which it is focusing:Renewal Gardens, which links a local sustainable food system with area teenagers seeking an opportunity to develop employability skills through education and practical experience working in community gardens and Wisconsin Home Harvest, a network of commercial Sauk County farmers, growers and purveyors of value-added farm products which is currently marketing to area restaurants and through regional cooperative efforts.

Contact: Jay Salinas
608-524-8672
wormfarm@jvlnet.com

Walnut Way Conservation Corp

Walnut Way Conservation Corp is a nonprofit central-city Milwaukee organization dedicated to sustaining a quality and economically diverse neighborhood through civic engagement, environmental stewardship and economic enterprise. Walnut Way utilizes vacant city lots for the production of vegetables and fruits. The gardens and fruit orchard surrounding the Neighborhood Center are demonstration sites where neighbors and other community members, such as school groups, learn about locally produced food. Plans are in place to expand learning experiences to include a demonstration kitchen where neighbors and community members will learn how to prepare and store food from the gardens and orchard. The goals are to create a point of destination in this once forgotten neighborhood, to educate the public about local foods, and empower residents to grow their own food and maintain healthy lives.

Contact:
Walnut Way Conservation Corp.
2240 North 17th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53205
414-264-2326
walnutwayconserv@sbcglobal.net

Southeast Wisconsin Food & Farm Network

Southeast Wisconsin Farm and Food Network (SWFFN) is a collaboration of groups including UW Extension, Slow Food Wisocnsin Southeast, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute and Town and Country RC and D.

SWFFN has taken on a variety of local food projects including the Farm Fresh Atlas of Southeast Wisconsin and the Farmer/Chef Connection, which is working to connect farmers and chefs in a 5 county area in Southeast Wisconsin. SWFFN was awarded a Risk Management grant in 2006 to work specifically on the Farmer/Chef Connection project.

Contact:
Deb Deacon, Coordinator
262-786-3837
ddeacon@wi.rr.com