Celebrate Wisconsin Women in Organic Agriculture Week with Soil Sisters

For three days and with five unique components and involving more than twenty farms, the jam-packed Soil Sisters culinary event celebrates Wisconsin’s family farms and rural life in and around the farming communities of Monroe and Brodhead, Wisconsin, from August 5 to 7, 2016. 
This annual event, now heading into its fifth year, falls during “Wisconsin Women in Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Week” from August 1 to 7, an official proclamation by Governor Walker to showcase the growth and impact of this movement in Wisconsin.  Women represent approximately 11 percent of primary operators on all farms in Wisconsin, a higher number than neighboring Midwest states, and Wisconsin has 1,180 organic farms, second in the country to California.
Soil Sisters offers a direct and engaging way to connect with an immersive farming and culinary experience, led by these Wisconsin women – the “soil sisters” – committed to a healthy, fresh product or farm-made, artisanal food products and other items. Preserve the harvest, spin some fiber, milk a goat, or just relax in a tree swing. There’s something for everyone.
From heirloom tomatoes to pickles, sheep to solar energy, farmstay bed & breakfasts to beef, the farmers and artisan food producers share a unique diversity of farm experiences showcasing the summer’s bounty. Choose from a variety of activities, including a Dinner on the Farm at the award-winning Sandhill Family Farms, Taste of Place culinary event at Cow & Quince, plentiful on-farm workshops, plus area restaurants featuring “locavore” specials throughout the weekend. Bring your coolers for fresh produce and meats, pull on your farm boots or overalls, wear your sun hat and kick back for a relaxing time on one, or all, of the farms.
“Soil Sisters highlights a cross-section of women farmers, representing one of the fastest growing groups of new growers prioritizing small-scale, diversified, community-focused agriculture,” says Tom Quinn, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Farmers Union Foundation. 
The Soil Sisters event is a weekend celebration that includes: 
• Green Acres: In Her Boots, a day long, hands-on program for aspiring women farmers, taking place at Inn Serendipity Farm and Bed & Breakfast, Browntown. Facilitated by the Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES); Friday, August 5; 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.; ticketed event. 
• Taste of Place at Cow & Quince Restaurant, New Glarus: Kick-off the weekend at this local food celebration; Friday, August 5; 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.; ticketed event. 
• Green Acres Workshops: On-farm, hands-on fun and educational workshops; Saturday, August 6, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (various times and locations); ticketed event. 
• Dinner on the Farm at Sandhill Family Farms, Brodhead: Farm-to-table picnic featuring local cuisine and live music; Saturday, August 6, 4:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.; $75.00 per adult, kids under age 10 eat free; ticketed event. 
• Tour of Farms: Farmstands are open at numerous farms, sharing eggs, fresh produce, cut flowers and hand-crafted items; Tours throughout the day. Sunday, August 7; 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.; free event. 
• Dine Fine: Numerous participating restaurants, including Cow & Quince, New Glarus; The Pecatonica Grapevine, Blanchardville; The Dining Room at 209 Main, Monticello; Ratskeller Restaurant at Turner Hall, Monroe; and Gabriella’s, Albany; feature local menu specials. Friday, August 5 — Sunday, August 7; specials vary by participating restaurants. 
“Come meet your farmers and learn about local, seasonal food and how we can all transform what’s on our plate,” explains Lisa Kivirist, coordinator of the Soil Sisters weekend, a venture of the Wisconsin Farmers Union Foundation, the Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service and Renewing the Countryside, with funding from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s Joint Effort Marketing program. 
“The opportunity to really take folks from ‘field to plate’ — from touring our growing fields to sharing a meal together at the Dinner on the Farm event — is something I am definitely looking forward to,” adds Peg Sheaffer, co-owner of Sandhill Family Farms and host of the Dinner on the Farm. “The annual Soil Sisters weekend gives everyone multiple ways to connect with and get to know their farmer.” 
For more information, visit www.soils isterswi.org or call Lisa Kivirist at (608) 329- 7056. Soil Sisters is made possible by the Wisconsin Farmers Union Foundation, Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service and Renewing the Countryside, with funding support from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. Additional sponsors or media partners include Edible Madison, Green County Tourism and the Monroe Chamber of Commerce.