More and more people are coming back to the Sinsinawa Mound Center post-pandemic. And the center encourages more folks to come out to enjoy the history, 3 miles of nature trails and 5-acre vegetable farm.
Laurana Snyder is the horticulturist and farm coordinator at Sinsinawa. She manages the oak savannah, prairie and collaborative farm, which is land set aside for beginning farmers. The Collaborative Farm was started in 2017 with six farmers.
Some of the farmers that she’s worked with have been able to purchase their own land; some decided to transition to urban farming in Dubuque, Iowa; and some were utilizing the land to help supply and support extra produce needs for local churches. She’s working with three farms this year. Two are five year veterans: Sandhill Farm and City Girl Farming. And the third is a new farm called Dropseed Farm.
“We’re really excited to be working with them,” Snyder says.
Farms have to apply to be a part of the Collaborative Farm and must have a business plan, which Snyder can help with. The first year is free, and water is provided. You can have between and eight of an acre to two acres. The second year requires a small land fee that increases every year until the fifth year, which is capped at $800 per acre for the year.
“We also are hosting again this summer a monthly farmers market,” she says.
The Sinsinawa Mound Market will start May 24 from 4-7 p.m. It will be the fourth Wednesday of the month through September. The market is on site at 585 County Road Z, Sinsinawa, WI.
“People can come in, purchase vegetables from our vegetable farmers. Literally it will be one of the freshest things you’ve ever had because it got picked maybe an hour ago out of a field that’s 500 feet away,” she says. “And then we have some other local vendors that come in, as well.”
Snyder is also looking forward to hosting talks in-person and virtually. She’s hosting a Legacy of Agriculture talk on site which will walk through the farming history at Sinsinawa Mound. You can find all the events here: https://www.sinsinawa.org/moundcenter/events/
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