Meet Tim Zander of Emerald Meadows organic farm near Columbus, WI. Tim fell in love with farming as a young teen from the suburbs helping out at his uncle’s farm. He worked there through college and then bought his own land and started his own organic farm in the ’90s. Today, he grows about 150 acres of organic grain that goes to feed cows at organic dairies near Viroqua and Cashton. And he raises fruit and vegetables — about 20 acres’ worth that he sells via a CSA and at Farmers’ Markets — Eastside (Madison), Verona and Sun Prairie. Tim loves the combination of outdoor work, biology, and engineering that is farming.
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Your family food dollars are Little Green Soldiers for Good. Spend them directly with your local farmers via CSA or at the Madison farmers’ markets. Check out the Wisconsin Farm Fresh Atlas for restaurants featuring local food, farm listings, and farmers’ market info across Wisconsin, or Local Harvest for listings nationwide.
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5 Minutes on the Farm won a silver 2016 Excellence in Journalism award from the Milwaukee Press Club for Best Long Form Feature Story in the Audio category.
Photographs by Julie Garrett. Banjo by Cathryn Herlihey. Logo by Katie Hess.