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About the Farm
Good Earth Farm is a small family farm situated in a central Wisconsin location between the Fox Valley, Madison, and Milwaukee.
We
are surrounded with the natural beauty of rolling hills, protected
wetlands, woodland habitat, and a popular migration stop - The Horicon
Marsh.
We grow a large variety of vegetables and herbs on the
farm. Our fruit production
is expanding as we add more fruit trees, bushes, and vines every year. We also have a small apiary in hopes that the bees will pollinate our crops and offer us their extra honey.
We are a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm. We choose to market our produce through CSA for a reason: direct connection with the people who purchase what we
grow. Our members have opportunities to visit the farm, work on the
farm, talk with us, and see the operation. We feel strongly that
knowing where food comes from and knowing your farmer are essential to a
successfully functioning food system.
Our Responsible Growing Methods
We grow using methods that are safe for our family and our community. That extends well beyond us as
human beings and engulfs our entire environment. Since we first started
farming we’ve used only sustainable, natural, and chemical-free
methods. We would not grow produce any other way. Just like
we do not want to pass on undue financial costs to our customers, we will not
pass on undue health risks through the use of synthetic pesticides or
herbicides.
More specifically, here are some of the responsible growing methods we use:
- We use row cover (plant blankets) over susceptible plants to keep out insects.
- On the farm we have many natural areas to encourage beneficial insects, animals,
and native plants.
- Instead of reaching for herbicides, we weed by hand and with hand tools, cultivate with
a small tractor, and use photo-degradable and oxo-degradable plastic mulch.
- Soil fertility is achieved through a variety of methods including horse manure,
cover crops (specific crops grown to add nutrients to the soil), compost,
letting the soil “rest”, and rotating crops.
More to Know
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GEF in the media:
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Besides having had the pleasure of being featured in newspaper articles, magazines, and on the radio, the July 2008 issue of Inspire Magazine included an article about the farm and featured Nicole on the cover.
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