The Farm
The Little Sugar River Farm is an evolving, small-scale farm
where the food is grown without synthetic chemicals. During the growing season, you can pick vegetables,
berries, flowers, and herbs from our gardens and greenhouses. You
can collect eggs from the hen house and feed the free-range hens their
favorite treats (apples from our orchard). You are welcome to help Frank
out on the farm, or just relax and enjoy the fruits of his labors.
We now have 20 hens and a rooster. Eighteen young Araucanas lay blue-green and olive-green eggs, and
5 Buff Orpingtons
lay brown eggs. All of the eggs are delicious, especially compared to
dull supermarket eggs, because the chickens have free run of the farm,
and they eat lots of tasty things. You are welcome to as many eggs as
you can possibly eat, and you can collect them fresh each morning.
At the farm's core is a set of garden fields where organic methods
are rebuilding the soil for vegetable production. A hill slope currently
being restored to pasture mix and prairie will, in future years, provide
forage for a small herd of dairy goats. The small woodlot is being
managed for firewood production and wildlife habitat, and a tiny pond
provides ice skating in the winter and sandhill crane, peeper, and geese
habitat in the spring. We are doing our best to integrate our fields and
forest into the larger, 2000 acre landscape of wildlife preserve that
surrounds us on three sides. Guest have access to all this land.
Southern Wisconsin has become known as one of the nation's foremost
organic farming
regions. Small-scale farmers,
ranchers,
cheesemakers, and chefs are developing innovative techniques for
assuring safe, delicious food and healthy ecosystems. Nearby, you can
tour bison ranches, farms that specialize in grass-fed organic Angus
beef, cheese factories, yogurt factories, Amish farm shops, and many
small organic vegetable farms. Please note that while all the food is grown organically, in our prairie restoration we do use
small amounts of glyphosate early in the growing season. Glyphosate is
an herbicide which breaks down quickly, so there is minimal risk of
residues that could harm children, pets, or wildlife. We will phase out
use of this chemical as soon as the prairies are established.
In 1996
Frank purchased 20 acres of land 30 miles south of Madison, and set out to build
his home and create a small organic farm. Ten years ago, this site was a
5-acre wood lot adjoining a 15-acre hay field. Today there are several
buildings: the vacation home, our house, the commercial kitchen, a hen
house, a machine shed, and two greenhouses. In addition to the
buildings, there are now gardens, chickens, pasture, a young fruit
orchard, and the beginnings of a restored prairie. |
