We Are MVEG
MVEG supports Midwestern diversified vegetable farm employers and employees through a peer-to-peer network of farm employers, farm employees, and service providers that provides accessible and welcoming training and technical assistance with an emphasis on organic production practices, farm management and business skills, organic certification and other endorsements, and quality of life resources.
MVEG envisions a prosperous and equitable future where diversified vegetable farmers of all races and statuses, including both employers and employees, are empowered and nurtured by a comprehensive network of support service providers, leading to improved profitability, environmental stewardship, and wellbeing.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDERS
FairShare's mission is to support and connect farmers and eaters through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). We envision a future where CSA is the backbone of a strong local food system and where all families have access to locally-produced, organic food from small-scale farms.
Farmers Rising builds sustainable local food and farm systems through experiential education and training programs in partnership with rural and urban people. Our focus areas include hands-on farm education, sustainable farmer training, and urban agriculture.
HAFA believes the best people to support Hmong farmers are Hmong farmers themselves, and that we are all lifted up when those who are affected by an unfair food system lead the change we seek. HAFA’s mission is to advance the prosperity of Hmong American farmers through cooperative endeavors, capacity building, and advocacy.
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The Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) program of Iowa State-Extension and Outreach has a fundamental role in the land-grant missions of teaching, research, and extension. We provide research-based information and resources to educate Iowa’s farmers, producers, and agribusinesses.
OEFFA cultivates a future in which sustainable and organic farmers thrive, local food nourishes our communities, and agricultural practices protect and enhance our environment. OEFFA hosts an annual sustainable agriculture conference, offers organic certification, and has a Policy Program and Begin Farming Program to advocate for and increase the number of sustainable farmers.
Taste the Local Difference is Michigan’s local food consulting, media and marketing agency. Our goal is to sell more Michigan grown and produced food across the state. Our work also involves educating consumers about the value of local food and how they can better support their local economy by supporting local food systems.
Land Stewardship Project (LSP)
The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) fosters an ethic of stewardship for farmland, to promote sustainable agriculture and develop healthy communities. LSP works to create transformational change in our food and farming system with a broad and deep impact, from new farmer training and local organizing, to federal policy and community based food systems development.
The mission of Ohio Earth Food has always been to serve the needs of ecologically minded organic growers. We provide natural, organic growing products for farms, greenhouses, lawns and gardens. Our goal is to aid growers of all kinds in producing good, healthy food, while improving the quality of the soil and environment for future generations.
Formerly known as the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), Marbleseed is committed to supporting farmers in their transition toward sustainable, organic farming systems that are ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially just. We work with small and medium-sized farms, to support peer-to-peer learning with free and farmer-led programs, resources, and events.
The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement created to distinguish soil-grown and pasture-raised products under USDA organic, to provide more transparency on organic farming practices and allow farmers and eaters to connect in the stores. Our mission is to grow people’s understanding of foundational organic values and practices.
University of Wisconsin-Madison,Extension brings research-based information to farmers. From trials on cover crops and reducing tillage in organic vegetable systems to programs on farm business and labor management, extension researchers work hand-in-hand with producers to address their needs. Our work supports people, communities, and businesses.
Urban Triage aims to lower the barrier to entry for Black Wisconsin farmers to be successful in agriculture, and support them in building financially stable farm businesses. Our mission is to bring sustainability back into agriculture while providing bonding time and healing space for Black families, and opportunities for community members to learn about agriculture from the Black experience.
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The Economic Development and Innovation Center at Wisconsin DATCP supports the growth and success of local and regional food systems. The Organic program supports organic food production and sales in Wisconsin. The Specialty Crop Market Development program connects small to mid-scale diversified crop producers with information and resources to help them overcome challenges, increase profitability, and grow.
FARMERS
Fresher Together
Fresh Roberson
Chicago, IL: Founded in 2018, we are a Black and LGBTQ+ owned food and farming collaboration dedicated to serving the people in our community with fresh, nutritious foods and restorative spaces. We serve local residents and collaborate with community organizations and businesses. Our mission: from soil to humans, we create nourishing food and spaces that are restorative and support well-being. Fresher Together envisions thriving land with accessible nourishing food, and community wealth. We have four main pillars that frame our work: Build. Grow. Cook. Heal. Each focuses on an area that we feel is critical for food system shifts and fostering our pathways to collective freedom.
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Humble Hands Harvest
Hannah Breckbill
Decorah, IA: We are a worker-owned co-operative farm. We grow 2+ acres of organic vegetables, grass-finished sheep, pastured pork, fruit and nut trees. We distribute both our veggies and our meat at a farmers market and through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. We practice un-conventional, organic, visionary, slow-growing agriculture with a wide diversity of crops, and strive to create a resilient landscape that grounds a vibrant local culture. We are committed to regenerative agriculture that feeds our community, improves the soil, and connects people intimately to the food that we eat, and so to this piece of our earth.
Maiv Harvest
Pa Thao
Eau Claire, WI: We are a family-owned, local and sustainably grown small-scale flower and vegetable producer, bringing seasonal flowers and produce to the Chippewa Valley since 1997. We distribute our produce and flowers through local farmers markets, along with wholesale partnerships with other local businesses. In summer 2022, we broke ground on new expanded land for our vegetable and flower farm. Our future vision is to bring our local community a one-of-a-kind farm-to-community experience with farm visits, pick-your-own opportunities, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, on-farm events, and more.
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Mile Creek Farm
Ben Jackle
New Lebanon, OH: We are in our 15th season growing real, fresh, certified organic produce on our farm in the Miami Valley, outside Dayton, OH. As stewards of the land, we use biological and mechanical practices that replenish, promote and conserve soil health, ecological balance, and biodiversity. The main market for our organic produce is our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, though we also sell at the local Dayton farmers market. Our hope is for CSA members to enjoy all the produce and variety, make new recipes, and at least once declare “This is the best [insert veggie here] I’ve ever had!”
PrairiErth Farm
Katie Bishop
Atlanta, IL: The Bishop Family has been farming our 450 acres for about 35 years. Our fields are very diversified and include vegetables, herbs, and fruit, as well as organic grains. We work to regenerate the land because caring for the land is important not just for us, but for future generations as well. Organic production takes hard work, but we feel the nutrient-rich food, healthy communities, and thriving land make it worth it. Beyond our production fields, we have dedicated space to restored native Illinois prairie, a young food forest, mushroom orchard, small honey bee apiary, and restored woodlot along our creek access.
Waylon Wolf
Meskwaki Settlement - Tama, IA: We are an organic teaching farm committed to growing food in a way that was taught to us by our ancestors. We grow vegetables, herbs, flowers and fruit, nourishing Mother Earth through environmentally sustainable practices. We began in 2013 from the Meskwaki Food Sovereignty Initiative, motivated by the desire to improve the health of tribal members, develop the next generation of the tribe’s workforce, and nurture the Meskwaki community’s deep connection to the land and one another. We do this by growing food, gathering around meals to celebrate the seasons, and hosting events with other tribal departments to promote healthy living on the Meskwaki Settlement.
Sunlight Gardens
Devon Wilson
Battle Creek, MI: We are a two-acre urban farm, started in 2020 as a way to not only increase accessibility to healthy food, but also inspire and educate the next generation of Black farmers. We sell produce to local restaurants and at farmers markets, with a focus on keeping prices low and accepting food assistance programs. We accept youth from the community into our Farm Squad Program, which equips participants with knowledge and skills to be efficient in urban farming, and supports our sustainability plan to create a talent pool of Black farmers. Sunlight Gardens is working for equitable food systems and supporting sustainable change.
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Yang's Fresh Produce
Phil Yang
Madison, WI: The Yang family farm has been in operation outside Madison, WI, for 30 years. It is our mission at Yang’s Fresh Produce to provide fresh, nutritious, high-quality pesticide-free produce to our local community. We are committed to sustaining relationships with our members to create a more sustainable future for our community. We go above and beyond organics, placing great value on soil fertility and on an integrated, healthy, natural growing environment. Yang's Fresh Produce plants a wide variety of vegetables and fruits to offer a diverse, seasonal cooking and eating adventure to our CSA members and farmer market customers.