The document outlines a proposal for a Wisconsin Farm to Government program aimed at sourcing 25% of food from local farmers and artisans by 2030, enhancing the agricultural economy, and promoting sustainable practices. It highlights the impact of Wisconsin agriculture, the need for local food sourcing in governmental institutions, and provides policy recommendations including the implementation of edible garden programs and waste management systems. The initiative is positioned to boost job creation and improve the health and welfare of communities in Wisconsin.

1. Adopt A Wisconsin
Farm to Government Program
Buy local, grow on the farm jobs and
support the WI agricultural economy
Our Mission
NLC recruits Fellows from
outside traditional power
structures and equips them
with the skills necessary
to be civic leaders in their
communities and workplaces.
Our mission is realized primarily
through the NLC Institute;
the nation’s premiere political
entrepreneurship training
program. NLC Madison was
founded in 2013.
Policy Recommendations
• Create a Wisconsin
Farm to Government
Program.
• Source 25% of all
food purchased from
Wisconsin farmers,
artisans producers.
• Implement an Edible
Garden Program for
all Governmental
Institutions.
• Implement a waste/
resource management
program for all
Governmental
Institutions.
Madison
Lisa
Geason-Bauer
NLC Madison Fellow Summary
Wisconsin agriculture is a $59 billion a year industry and is responsible
for 354,000 jobs and 10% of the state’s overall employment.1
Wisconsin
currently ranks second in the nation in number of farms transitioning
to organic farming; and first in the nation in number of organic dairy,
beef, hog and pigs, layer chickens and turkey operations in the nation. 2
Today, Wisconsin farmers are quite literally “feeding the world” through
exportation of agricultural goods and commodities to 149 countries.3
Recently Wisconsin farmers have faced a series of ecological challenges,
a severe drought during the summer of 2012, a very long and hard winter
in 2013-14 which made it very difficult for farmers to get into the fields
to plant in spring of 2014. Increased extreme weather events that bring
flash floods, heat waves in February and late frosts in May all can have
devastating repercussions on Wisconsin grown produce (i.e. fruits,
vegetables, herbs and animal feed crops), in addition to increasing the
price for food. Grocery store prices have risen on average since 1990
by about 2.8% per year.4
According to a recent National Geographic
article, the federal government expects American food costs to rise by an
additional 3.5% due to disease and environmental factors, this year.5
In 2009 the State of Wisconsin passed Act 293 which created a farm to
school council at the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer
Protection (DATCP).6
The purpose of the Council is to advise DATCP
and report to the legislature about the opportunities and needs for the
Wisconsin farm to school programs. Farm to school programs are defined
1 “Wisconsin Agriculture by the Numbers.” WI Dept. of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer
Protection. http://www.privacy.wi.gov/Newsroom/Facts_and_Figures/ (accessed May 22nd,
2014).
2 2014 Wisconsin Farm Facts, Wisconsin Farm Bureau & Wisconsin Agriculture in the
Classroom Brochure (January 2014).
3 “Wisconsin Ag Exports Reach Record Value in 2012,” News Release WI Department of
Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (February 22nd, 2013) http://datcp.wi.gov/
uploads/Press_Releases/pdf/02.13Exports2012.pdf (accessed May 22nd, 2014).
4 “Food Price Outlook, Summary Findings 2014.” United States Department of
Agriculture Economic Research Service. http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-
price-outlook/summary-findings.aspx#.U9Fjn6hZDEW (accessed July 24th, 2014).
5 Stone, Andrea, “Hefty Prices Hikes for Fresh Food Amid Drought, Disease.” National
Geographic. June 27, 2014, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/06/140627-
food-prices-california-drought-consumer-price-index/ (accessed July 24th, 2014).
6 “Wisconsin Farm to School.” Wisconsin Briefs from the Legislative Reference Bureau
(October 2012). http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb/pubs/wb/12wb8.pdf (accessed May 22nd,
2014).

2. Page 2NLC Madison: Adopt A Wisconsin Farm to Government Program
as the “efforts that bring local or regionally
produced foods into school cafeterias and
classrooms; hands on learning activities
such as school gardening, farm visits, and
culinary classes; and the integration of food-
related education into classroom curriculum,”
according to the Wisconsin Department of
Instruction.7
Establishment of successful
farm to school programs, promote health and
wellness of children by providing greater access
to more fresh nutritious local food.
According to the United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition
Service’s Farm to School Census for the 2011-
2012 school year: 51 to 76 percent of the
Wisconsin public school districts were participating in some of the farm to school activities. Additionally 19% of all
districts in Wisconsin had edible gardens.8
In 2009 inmates in the Horticulture Program at Oshkosh Correctional Institution (OSCI) harvested 22,500
pounds of produce from the prison’s two-acre garden. The majority of the 35 different crops produced were
used to feed the inmates, while 4,700 pounds of produce was donated to twelve area food pantries.9
A successful
vermicomposting program was also put in place at the OSCI, during the 2009 to 2010 fiscal year over 37,200
pounds of waste was consumed by worms which generated 10,844 pounds of worm castings.10
Currently the
Wisconsin Bureau of Correctional Enterprises operates businesses within eleven correctional facilities along
with four major farming operations and a dairy.11
Several of the farms produce milk, which is processed at the
Waupun Dairy Processing Plant into a variety of dairy products (milk, ice cream and sherbet) and then supplied to
all of Wisconsin’s correctional institutions.
Policy Recommendations
(1) Create a Wisconsin Farm to Government Program
Looking to the future, Wisconsin agriculture has the opportunity to be a national leader in adoption of local
and regionally based sustainable food systems. Wisconsin agriculture, food & beverage manufacturers and our
residents could all benefit from the creation of a comprehensive Farm to Government program, which would
create a regionally based local food supply chain sourcing network. An effective Farm to Government
policy would provide increased opportunities for Wisconsin producers to sell their seasonally grown products
directly into the Wisconsin marketplace, specifically as product that is sold for direct human consumption.
This means that Wisconsin governmental entities would find it much easier to directly source fresh produce,
7 “What is Farm to School?” Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Farm to School (F2S). webpage http://fns.dpi.wi.gov/fns_f2s
(accessed May 22nd, 2014).
8 “The Farm to School Census.” United States Department of Agriculture interactive map Farm to School. http://www.fns.usda.gov/
farmtoschool/census#/map (accessed May 21st, 2014).
9 Woldt, Jennifer K., “Horticulture program at Oshkosh Correctional benefits inmates and others.” The Northwestern. November 9, 2009.
10 “Annual Report July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010,” Oshkosh Correctional Institution http://doc.wi.gov/documents/web/familiesvisitors/
findfacility/osci/osci%20annual%20report.pdf, page 10.
11 “Bureau of Correctional Enterprises.” Wisconsin Department of Corrections. http://doc.wi.gov/about/doc-overview/operations/
division-of-adult-institutions/bce (accessed May 21st, 2014).
http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/census#/state/wi

3. Page 3NLC Madison: Adopt A Wisconsin Farm to Government Program
meats and artisan goods into their kitchens. Currently barriers exist which make it incredibly difficult for
farmers to establish a direct relationship with the end users, through the creation of a regionally based local
food supply chain sourcing network Wisconsin farmers/producers would be better able to interact with
governmental entities food service chefs and staff. Substantial research into the issues surrounding increased
local food sourcing for governmental entities has been conducted by the Farm to Institution New England
(FINE) project, which is a six-state (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and
Vermont) collaborative effort aimed at encouraging farmers and institutional buyers to develop sustainable and
mutually-beneficial relationships that enhance the well-being of the institutions food consumers and the regional
agricultural economy.12
The FINE project has generated comprehensive recommendations and user-friendly
reports, tool kits that educate institutions regarding how to overcome barriers associated with implementation of
farm to institution programs.13
Additionally increasing the amount of Wisconsin grown/made products that are sourced directly for human
consumption can further strengthen the Wisconsin economy and create more jobs within the agricultural sector,
according to recently released 2012 Census of Agriculture research that highlights the impact of direct sales from
Wisconsin local food. Steven Deller, Professor and Community Development Economists with the Department
of Agricultural and Applied Economics at UW-Madison, reports, “We find the net shift in consumer dollars away
from traditional food retailers to local farmers ($46.9 million) generates 285 jobs with labor include of $48.4
million, total income of $40.1 million and industry sales of $76.3 million. There is also about $1.7 million in tax
revenues flowing to the state and local governments.” Deller further explains his research, “If we decompose the
multiplier effects we can conclude that for every $1 million in direct sales for human consumption the net impact
will be about six jobs, $1,032 in labor income, $854 in total income and $1,625 in industry sales.” 14
(2) Source 25% of all food purchased
from Wisconsin farmers, artisans
producers.
All Wisconsin governmental facilities that
offer food service (i.e. k-12 schools, technical
colleges, University system, correctional
facilitates, etc.) will source at least 25% of the
food served in their cafeterias from Wisconsin
farmers and artisan food makers (i.e. grown
or produced within the State of Wisconsin) by
2030.
According to United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition
Service’s Farm to School Census, during the
2011-2012 school year Wisconsin schools that
participated in the Farm to School program
12 “About Us.” Farm to Institution New England. http://www.farmtoinstitution.org/about-us.html (accessed July 23rd, 2014).
13 “Research Reports.” Farm to Institution New England http://www.farmtoinstitution.org/reports.html (accessed July 24th, 2014)
14 Steven Deller, email message to author via WI Local Food Network lists, May 17th, 2014.
http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/census#/state/wi

4. Page 4NLC Madison: Adopt A Wisconsin Farm to Government Program
spent about 16% of their food dollars locally. 15
By sourcing locally grown in season produce and food products all Wisconsin government agencies (school
districts, hospitals, correctional facilities) will be able to better control rising food costs. Limiting the number of
food items, which need to be shipped/transported across the county will decrease the cost for institutional food
purchases as well. In addition, shortening the length of time from harvest to preparation and consumption will
further allow food service staff to stretch their food dollar, while providing a healthier option to their consumer
(due to freshness).
According to the UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems Wisconsin Farm to School: Toolkit for
School Nutrition Programs, one of the many benefits associated with local food sourcing is the increased local
economic impact. According to the updated 2014 program overview, “Each dollar invested into Farm to School
stimulates an additional $2.16 of local economic activity.”16 Expansion of the Wisconsin Farm to School program
will benefit Wisconsin family farmers as well as artisan producers and help to grow the Wisconsin agricultural
economy.
(3) Implement an Edible Garden Program for Governmental Institutions.
Wisconsin governmental facilities that offer food service will grow or produce at least 10% of the food served
through their institutional food service on site (i.e. within the buildings or grounds of their facility), in an
environmentally sustainable manner by 2030.
By utilizing governmental grounds to grow food, institutions will be able to better manage and plan for increases
in future food costs as well as potential scarcity issues. In additional they will be better situated to deal with issues
of severe weather activities. An example would be a drought impacting commercial lettuce production, with a
garden on site the institution could opt to plant leaf lettuce, which could be substituted into the menu offerings.
(4) Implement a waste/resource management program for Governmental Institutions.
Wisconsin governmental entities that own and operate green space will implement a waste/resource management
system for all food residuals (i.e. compostable food waste, coffee grounds) and biodegradable yard waste (i.e.
grass clippings, pruned tree branches, infected trees etc.) by 2030. The waste/resource management program
will use a variety of composting methods to turn the green waste into high quality nutrient rich fertilizers. The
State, along with local and regional units of government, will decrease their landscaping and maintenance budgets
significantly, they will replace commercially generated toxic chemicals with natural biological nutrient rich inputs
derived from onsite waste/resource management systems.
In 2011, more then 36 million tons of food waste was generated in the United States with 96% of that waste
going into landfills.17
Implementing a food residuals (composting) program within all Wisconsin public schools,
technical colleges, Universities and correctional institutions is an effective way to save taxpayer dollars (i.e.
reduced waste management fees) while generating high quality compost. The compost can be used to replace
and/or reduce the amount of pesticides and insecticides required to keep the grass green and weeds at bay, further
cutting landscape costs.
15 “The Farm to School Census Wisconsin.” United States Department of Agriculture Farm to School Census. http://www.fns.usda.gov/
farmtoschool/census#/state/wi (accessed May 21st, 2014).
16 Wisconsin Farm to School: Toolkit for School Nutrition Programs, Overview (updated March 2014), page 5. http://www.cias.wisc.
edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/2-overview.pdf (accessed July 21st, 2014).
17 “Food Recovery Challenge.” US EPA. http://www.epa.gov/foodrecoverychallenge/ (accessed April 24th, 2014).

5. Page 5NLC Madison: Adopt A Wisconsin Farm to Government Program
Results
In 2014 approximately 132,000 jobs were in on-farm production and 251,800 jobs were in agricultural
processing in the State of Wisconsin.18
Southeastern Wisconsin’s workforce is uniquely skilled within the food
and beverage manufacturing sector and is primed to continue expansion of made in Wisconsin food products.
Wisconsin has the potential to lead the nation in job creation within the local food and sustainable/organic
food movement. Building on the strong Wisconsin traditional of family farming, sustainable agriculture and
artisan entrepreneurialism, Wisconsin governmental entities (k-12 schools, technical colleges, University
system, correctional facilities, etc..) are perfectly positioned to take greater advantage of the diverse quantities
of Wisconsin grown and made products within their operations, through the adoption of a Wisconsin Farm to
Government program.
18 “Wisconsin Agriculture by the Numbers.” WI Dept. of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection. http://www.privacy.wi.gov/
Newsroom/Facts_and_Figures/ (accessed April 24th, 2014).
About the Author...
Lisa is the President of Evolution Marketing (www.evmkting.com), an environmental
marketing and communications firm located in Oconomowoc WI.
Ms. Geason-Bauer holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of
Wisconsin Whitewater and she is an advocate for sustainable agriculture and local food.
She can be reached at Lisa@evmkting.com.