Back to the basics

Farmers, grocers seek greener pastures in organic foods

Story by Jessica La Plante-Wikgren

 THE PASTORAL LANDSCAPE OF WISCONSIN is changing. For nearly five decades, small family farms have been on the decline in Wisconsin, becoming fewer in number as “Big Agriculture” and corporate economies of scale hedge out smaller producers.

Nonetheless, there is one sector of the food market where small family farms are flourishing. The sale of organic foods has grown at a rate of 20 percent annually in recent years. Demand for some organic products, such as milk and dairy, exceeds supply.

Organic farming, which promises a higher return on investment than conventional farming, is ideally suited to small-scale agriculture. Moreover, the market is sustained by a loyal base of customers who are motivated to buy local and willing to pay more for guaranteed quality.

For organic farmers and retailers, the trend means there’s a bright future for family-owned farms and mom-and-pop grocery stores in northeastern Wisconsin’s economy.

Wisconsin ag breaks new ground

U.S. SALES OF ORGANIC FOODS and beverages exceeds $20 billion annually, according to the Organic Trade Association’s 2007 Manufacturer Survey. In the dairy state, the organics movement is literally gaining new ground as more farmers convert their acreage to organic agriculture.

Wisconsin leads the nation in organic milk production. The state ranks second in total organic acreage and first in the total number of organic livestock. Statewide, nearly 1,400 farms are managed organically and an additional 759 are in the transitioning process, said Laura Paine, grazing and organic agriculture specialist with the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

As part of Gov. Jim Doyle’s effort to grow Wisconsin agricultural and strengthen the state’s leadership in organic foods, Paine’s position was created in April 2006. Wisconsin’s organic food market generated more than $80 million in sales in 2008, Paine said. 

“Organics is a sector that’s growing and is very profitable and can support the family farms that are the bedrock of agriculture in Wisconsin,” Paine said. 

Paine helps aspiring organic farmers connect with state, federal and third-party resources to successfully make the jump from conventional to organic farming. Her chief duty is administering the state’s federally funded cost-sharing program that covers up to 75 percent of farmers’ organic certification costs.

Harriet Behar, organic specialist with the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service – or MOSES for short – serves on the state’s Organic Advisory Council, a taskforce formed by Gov. Doyle in 2006. 

Demand for organic foods currently outstrips supply, she said.

“Market place growth has been between 15 and 20 percent; (whereas), growth in organic farmers has been 10 percent – so we still have a lot of growth to do on the production end,” Behar said.

Although there are a number of reasons why consumers are going organic, nutrition and health top the list, Behar said. 

Organic “crops are grown on nutritionally dense soils and that makes nutritionally dense foods,” she said. “Once (consumers) start eating organic, a lot of people say it tastes better.”

As a certified producer and organic farming advocate, Behar has witnessed a surge of interest in organic foods on both the consumer and producer-side, a trend that is evident in northeast Wisconsin.

To cultivate the industry’s potential, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College recently launched an organic agriculture training program,  Behar said. MOSES also provide educational resources for organic farmers; the non-profit group can help farmers navigate the certification process, conduct market research, and learn about new farming practices.

Grassroots economic growth

FARMERS AREN’T THE ONLY ONES who are benefiting from the surge in organic sales. Patrice Krienke, owner of the Green Bay-based Grassroots Grocery, is a prime example of how retailers and urban entrepreneurs can reap the benefits of a booming organics market.

She said many of her customers are not only concerned about health, they also want to buy local, savoring the bounty of Wisconsin soils and supporting their hometown economies.

Krienke made the switch to organic foods and healthier eating 15 years ago. After moving to Green Bay last June with her husband, the former daycare worker decided it was time for a career change. She envisioned opening a mom-and-pop grocery store that sold the type of locally grown, whole foods she craved as a consumer. Last December, she opened the doors of her grocery store on De Pere’s east side.

Krienke makes a point of buying foods from local producers and farmers. Her products include fresh produce, eggs and milk delivered by a Seymour farmer, a cornucopia of meat products made from grass-fed livestock raised on a Fox Valley farm, and organic sourdough bread hand-crafted by a Fond du Lac bakery.

“We produce the (foods) right here, and yet, we’re going all the way to California to get our milk,” Krienke said. “We don’t have to ship (food) 500 miles or 5,000 miles. Why not support your neighbors instead of somebody further down the road?”

Krienke said her customers fall into three categories: younger consumers, who are used to eating organic; older consumers, who are changing their eating habits for health and lifestyle reasons; and customers who are battling chronic illnesses, such as cancer or multiple sclerosis. 

A common thread underpins all three demographic groups: they all view the act of buying organic, locally grown foods as a form of empowerment and consumer activism – a means of reclaiming their health, environment and local economies.

Krienke’s customers want the added reassurance that organic foods provide: the guarantee that foods were not produced with antibiotics, hormones, toxic chemicals, or genetic engineering. In addition, they want to know that the animals they eat were treated humanely.

Because Krienke buys many of her products locally, she knows the history of most foods displayed in her freezers and stocked on her shelves. Krienke enjoys educating customers about the origins and history of the food she carries, helping them understand the production process, from farm to fork. Despite the challenges of starting a new business during a recession, Krienke said she’s optimistic about her grocery store’s growth potential.

Economic and environmental sustainability

SEVERAL PRODUCTS SOLD AT the Grassroots Grocery are produced by the Keune brothers, Steve and Robert, who raise organic vegetables, hogs and cattle in Outagamie County. Steve Keune owns and operates Keune Authentic Foods, which not only grows organic produce but also offers customers the added convenience of organic food delivered straight to their doorstep. Customers can order the Keunes’ organic products online at homedeliverycsa.com and keuneorganicmeats.com.

Steve specializes in organic produce, while Bob Keune and his son, Paul, make their living raising organic, grass-fed hogs and cattle that are ultimately sold as a variety of savory meats, including bratwurst, breakfast sausage and pork chops. 

Although the two brothers ended up in the same line of work, each took a different path toward organic certification. For Steve, the shift to organics was motivated by a combination of economic necessity and environmentalism. For Robert, the decision was more personal, prompted by family health problems which may have been caused by exposure to agricultural chemicals.

Twenty years ago, Steve Keune reached a crossroads in his farming career. Unable to compete with large, corporate farms, Steve’s choices were either to exit the farming business, expand his acreage, or explore a niche market that offered a higher rate of return.

“Economics is what drove us away from somewhat conventional, small-scale farming,” Steve said. 

After a three-year transition period that included weaning the land off agricultural chemicals, Steve began to reap the benefits of healthier land and higher profits. 

“The transition was extremely hard,” Steve said. “It’s like drug or alcohol rehab: the land is unhealthy and you take away the (chemical) crutches; you’re not using any of those band-aids.”

The first year, “we had a lot of loss,” he said.

Despite his early struggles, it’s a decision Steve Keune never regrets.

“The entire 20 years we’ve been doing it, it gets better every year,” he said, adding that “the most significant growth has been in the last two years.”

“We couldn’t go back (to conventional farming) because the economics couldn’t compare,” Steve said. Economically and environmentally, organic farming has many advantages. After the land has been rehabilitated, and soil fertility restored, farming inputs decrease, reducing overhead costs.

Steve’s desire to become a better land steward also motivated his conversion to organic farming. 

“You can pump antibiotics and hormones (into livestock) and get huge production for a short period of time and then the whole system collapses,” he said. “What we’re doing is sustainable from generation to generation until the end of time.”

Although Steve doesn’t expect to make a fortune in organic farming, he does hope to earn a steady living doing work that is good for people’s health and good for the soul.  

Quality organic meats

ONLY A DOZEN of Steve Keune’s 54 acres are devoted to growing organic vegetables and small fruit. The remaining land is cultivated by Steve’s nephew, Paul Keune. 

Three years ago, Paul Keune traded in a good paying job as a welder to join his father on the family’s hog and cattle farm, Keune Organic Meats. Paul said producing nutrient-packed, high-quality meats that help people stay healthy and feel good is his dream job.

“I want to get back to nutrition; I want to get back to treating the soil with respect,” he said.

The Keunes’ livestock farm wasn’t always organic. Family health – rather than economics – inspired Robert Keune’s decision to go organic. Paul said his older sister, five years his senior, was born with physical and mental disabilities. After his daughter’s birth, Robert Keune decided to stop using agricultural chemicals, concerned that the products might have caused or contributed his daughter’s disabilities.

Robert Keune transitioned to organic farming years before he sought certification. Although his motivation for going organic was personal, the better prices garnered by organic foods has made farming economically feasible for Robert and a viable career option for Paul.

Consumers need access to more education about the benefits of organic foods and nutritional differences between organic and conventionally grown foods. One way to accomplish that is by promoting fair and accurate labeling of food products. Consumers have a right to know how their foods were produed, Paul said.

“Our misconception of health, is ‘if I eat vegetables, that’s good enough for me,’” he said. 

However, the health-promoting powers of food all depends on the agricultural practices used.

“The food we feed ourselves and our animals is lacking nutrients,” Paul said. “If something grows big and tall, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s healthy.” 

A significant part of an organic farmer’s time is spent reminding consumers that when they purchase wholesome, locally grown foods, “they are investing in their own future,” Paul said. 

On that note, organic farmers are working to help consumers see the connection between their shopping lists and the health of their families, communities and local economy. 

As consumers, “we’re paying for our cancer in America; we’re paying for our pollution with the decisions we’re making,” Paul said. “We bought (those problems) with our own money.”

Jessica LaPlante-Wikgren is a freelance writer based out of Green Bay. She previously worked as a feature writer and staff reporter for The Door County Advocate and the Green Bay News-Chronicle. La Plante-Wikgren can be reached by email at jlaplante@centurytel.net.