Highlights, statistics and reflections from the 2011 Reedsburg Fermentation Fest. The Fermentation Fest is an annual food and farming festival with a focus on fermentation in all its forms.

1. Integrating culture and agriculture

2. CULTURESHED (kul’cher-shed) noun.
1. A geographic region irrigated by streams of local
talent and fed by deep pools of human and natural
history. 2. An area nourished by what is cultivated
locally. 3. The efforts of writers, performers, visual
artists, scholars, farmers and chefs who contribute
to a vital and diverse local culture.

3. An annual food and farming festival with a
focus on fermentation - in all its forms

4. Learn, Taste, Explore

19. Art Installations

43. Audience

44. Audience: Overall, to what extent did
Farm/Art Dtour meet your expectations?

45. Audience: How likely are you to return to
future Farm/Art Dtours?

46. Audience: Which of the following ranges
includes your age?

47. Roadside Culture Stands

61. Pasture Performance

71. Landowners

72. Landowners:
Based on your experiences at the 2011
Farm/Art Dtour, how likely are you to
participate in future tours and encourage
fellow landowners to participate?

73. Landowners:
What did you enjoy most about your
participation in the event?

74. Landowners:
Overall, to what extent did participating in
the Farm/Art Dtour meet your expectations?

75. Landowners:
A few weeks have passed since the
Farm/Art Dtour. Are there any
impressions/impacts of the event that
have stuck with you? What did you
“take away” from the event?

76. “Enjoyed the visitors and telling them about
farming. Couldn’t believe the visitors,
even during the week.”
“It gave a lot of people a chance to see
what rural life is like.”
“It brought the farm and town/city people
together in a very fun and unique way.
I think everyone enjoyed it.”

77. Farm Forms

86. Field Notes

95. Why Now?

96. Local Food Movement

97. Wisconsin, especially the southern part
of the state, is a national leader in local
foods. The local food economy here is
one of the few places in the U.S. on the
cusp of filling and rebuilding wholesale
supply chains.
- California Environmental Associates,
Slow Money: Executive Summaries from Studies of Three
Regional Food Economies

98. Wisconsin has: the largest producer-only
farmers’ market in the country, some of
the largest and most established CSAs in
the country, and a leading national
organic brand.
- California Environmental Associates,
Slow Money: Executive Summaries from Studies of Three
Regional Food Economies

99. Wisconsin is #2 in organic farming
(behind California, a state with 6 times
its population), and is in the top 5 by
number of CSAs.
- California Environmental Associates,
Slow Money: Executive Summaries from Studies of
Three Regional Food Economies

102. Audience:
A few weeks have passed since the
Farm/Art Dtour. Are there any
impressions/impacts of the event that
have stuck with you? What did you
“take away” from the event?

103. “Enjoyed farm art. Visited Carr Valley
Cheese and have since taken the drive to
return for more yummy cheese.”
“I loved the drive out to a part of the
County I had never gone through before.
It made me see this County in a
different light.”

104. “I was struck by how interesting it was to
see the different forms of art put into rural
and farming landscape. I have 3 children
and being able to have them see many
artforms and going for a great drive on a
beautiful day was all indescribable. They
also learned some pretty interesting facts
about farming, crops, etc.”

105. “The interplay of art and nature, the
marrying of my two favorite things!”

106. “Two things stick out in my mind. The first
was the incredible beauty of the area and
the blending of the artwork with that
beauty. The second was the
conversations at the farm markets and
especially with the dairy farm family.
They were a refreshing revelation of a
young family apparently succeeding in
dairy farming when all the odds seemed
to be stacked against them. They alone
were worth the whole trip.”

108. Creative Placemaking
In creative placemaking partners from public, private,
non-profit and community sectors strategically shape the
physical and social character of a neighborhood, town,
city or region around arts and cultural activities. Creative
placemaking animates public and private spaces,
rejuvenates structures and streetscapes, improves local
business viability and public safety, and brings diverse
people together to celebrate, inspire and be inspired.