WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and SportsLocal farmer shares why Wis. leads country in organic farming

Local farmer shares why Wis. leads country in organic farming

Eau Claire (WQOW) - Going back to our roots has Wisconsin leading the way when it comes to farming. A new report put out by the USDA found Wisconsin is second in the country when it comes to organic farming.

Alison Deutsche isn't surprised Wisconsin leads in organic farming.

"There's a lot more farmers, a lot more smaller farms and a lot more resources," Alison says.

She and her husband moved here from Minnesota a couple of years ago to start an organic farm. The two raise hogs and chickens and grow vegetables near Arcadia.

"Our goal, since it's just my husband and myself, our goal is to keep our customers within 60 miles of our farm," Alison says.

Deutsche Family Farm is one of more than 1,200 organic farms recognized by the USDA in Wisconsin. A new report by the organization says Wisconsin is the state with the second most organic farms in the country.

Alison says the resources here attract organic farmers.

"There's a lot of organic farmers and we all network and help teach each other and learn from each other. It's a lot easier that way," says Alison.

Alison also says there are organizations in our region that specifically help organic farmers. And says she sees even more organic farming in Wisconsin's future.

"Every year, as consumers become more educated about their food, the demand keeps going up," Alison says. "I am hopeful that people will still want good food."

The report also shows Wisconsin has nearly 200,000 acres of organic farmland. Those fields produce more than $132 million in crops, livestock and poultry every year.

The Deutsches are also involved in another new movement. The farm is animal welfare certified. Farms must meet five standards to become certified. One of those is to raise the animals with the highest welfare standard.

The farm and its slaughter house are inspected to become certified and go through inspections once a year. If you want to learn more about buying local or organic you can log on to our home page and look for organic farms in the Blue Box.