Oh, boy you opened a can of worms!
Here is a brief summary:
About 15 years ago my wife left public school teaching and started working at different CSA’s in the Milwaukee area.
She discovered that her thumbs are green and we both found the joy and benefits of fresh, local produce.
We soon dug up most of our small city yard and started growing our own, this was coupled with a community gardening area 10 minutes away and started raising bees in a location about a half hour away.
Fast forward to 4 years ago, the company I was at offered a severance package for employees - I took it.
We than started looking in earnest for a farm property, the spread out ‘urban farm’ operation was tiring. And who wouldn’t want to be able to walk out their back door and into their growing space?
We searched state wide, eyeing up the driftless area out near Viroqua ($$$ land prices) and even up near Hurley (80 acres with a trout stream running through it) but smack dab in the middle of nowhere... which was great for a peaceful existence but not so much for a CSA / Market Farming operation - ya need people/ clients don’t cha know!
Looked at some properties out near Gleason and a realtor suggested this particular farm atop of Irma Hill.
We had noticed this property before but felt it was too close to highway 51. When we got to it it was recognized that 51 was down in a bit of a valley and we were pert near the very top of The Hill... nature was all around and I fell in love. Standing up there I felt very grounded and relaxed. Bank owned so we got 33 acres for a steal... maybe not.
Then the wheels fell off, the neglected buildings and land was more than two ‘mature’ individuals could keep up with. Priorities were often dictated by emergency failures and unexpected twists. Work in The Northwoods doesn’t pay like it did in Milwaukee. The house in Milwaukee was considered ‘underwater’. We were living in the red, prematurely removing retirement money to retain a good credit rating but also shooting ourselves in the foot. Unsustainable, especially given we now had two properties under our belts that were 4 hours apart but both needed to be sustained.
About 2 years ago the company in Milwaukee was hiring and I got back in. Retaining my seniority in regards to vacation time but not for shift preference. I was mid- management previously but am now an hourly night shift tool room machinist. Love the job, hate the hours.
My wife was still trying to run the farm and it felt like we were on the cusp of something. Three hives buzzing well, a large diverse produce population, including 18 varieties of garlic. Both of us bouncing in and out, back and forth, towards and away from each other when schedules allowed. Eyeing up dairy goats and chickens and dreaming of an oxen team.
A beloved aging senior dog takes priority over everything else and we caught a hitch in our giddy up.
There was a two week period where the farm was vacant, the lack of human and canine presence (we had 4 dogs at that time) allowed the deer to clear out our produce... literally, bean plants stripped to twigs, my beloved Brussels sprouts gone, even peppers, kohlrabi, broccoli and most of the tomatoes ( some of the heirlooms must not appeal to them) - everything. Gone.
An unexpected and extended cold snap came early and our honey bees who previously survived a brutal winter with a stretches of sub-zero weather were caught unprepared and all our hives died off (other local apiaries experienced similar devastation). And devastation it is.
This is the first year my wife is not starting seedlings and it is heartbreaking. I am busting my butt working as many hours as possible to recoup our financial hit and yet we still manage to retain most of our garlic varieties. But that is about it.
We are regrouping and reassessing our next move. I get up there when I can and stand atop The Hill and although sometimes overwhelmed to the point of tears I still feel grounded. At night I walk out and view the massive canopy of never ending stars and planets and realize that my mistake of falling in love with this little square of nature is not the end of the world and not nearly as tragic as my mind says it should be. And yes, MY mistake, my wife questioned if THIS was the right place, as I was blinded by Nature and she stood behind me and supported me. Truth is I think she recognized how my shoulders relaxed, my brow lost its crease and my jaw was not clenched and she viewed that as a good thing - I am a lucky man.
No regrets, we tried, we learned how NOT to do a lot of things and then corrected our errs and we now have 3 dogs, 2 cats and each other. My head says to sell the bought and paid for farm, my heart begs otherwise. We may sell both properties and try a hobby farm closer to the city... maybe move south (winter is getting old). But the daunting task of gathering our “stuff” that is spread out between two properties that are 4 hours apart is scary.
Right now we both realize that coasting for a little while and catching our breath is healthy. This chapter is soon to end and another will begin.
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So that was a lot longer than a “brief summary” but also kinda therapeutic so thanks for allowing my self indulgent rant. To answer your other question, we did have a few restaurants that we were selling garlic to and had a good connection on the inside of some of the local markets. Truth be told that is a difficult location for a CSA as many people have their own gardens.
