The Wisconsin Historical Society Press published ‘Hope Is the Thing: Wisconsinites on Perseverance in a Pandemic’. In this series, we feature five writers who share their experiences as they explore hope in the era of Covid. Yia Lor contributed an essay to the book. I am from Chippewa Valley. I spent much of my childhood
“How can I be that seed that continues.” Read More »
If you see a large sculpture of a mouse holding a slice of cheese, you know you are in Wisconsin. Across the country, we are known as Cheeseheads, but how much do you actually know about the “dairy” in America’s Dairyland? Back in 1841 Anne Picket used milk from her neighbors’ cows and established one
“Life changes and takes you to different places for a reason.” Read More »
I am a fifth generation farmer. I operate Full Circle Farm, an Organic farm in Seymour. We have about 320 acres, mostly perennial rotationally grazed pasture for the cows. Photos courtesy of Andrew Adamski Our farm has about 1,000 laying hens, a little over 100 pigs a year that we send to butcher, a herd
“I am a fifth generation farmer.” Read More »
I was born in Rhinelander and grew up there, so I’m a Wisconsinite to the core. My family lived on a small lake, so our lives revolved around water. There were five of us siblings, we’re all only a year or two apart so we would do everything together. Photos by Megan Monday “My mom
Called to the Greatest of the Great Lakes Read More »
I am a fifth generation cranberry farm owner of King Cranberries in Augusta. My great great grandfather, Charles Dempze, started growing cranberries in the year 1900 when he was 12-years-old in central Wisconsin. Photos courtesy of Rochelle Hoffman He eventually became the owner of what is now Dempze Cranberry in Wisconsin Rapids. He also invented
“I want to keep the family business going and growing for years to come.” Read More »
I am in awe of the local food system here in Mount Horeb. Sometimes I can’t believe I’m a part of it. It is one of the most beautiful, amazing things I’ve ever witnessed. My quality of life as a farmer is so much better than I could have ever imagined. I’ve never felt more
Farming During the Pandemic Read More »
In college, I was a music major. I went to the Interlochen Center for the Arts as a camp counselor, thinking I would end up being a music teacher. When I was there, I realized I was a mediocre musician, but I really loved the forest. That changed my life. Photo courtesy of Tina Gohr
Environmental Education During a Pandemic Read More »
I’m from Beloit. Even though I grew up in the city, I still grew up with a really strong influence from my mother to love and appreciate nature. We didn’t have a lot growing up; we were on the poor side. But my mother made the best of any situation for us. Photos by Kathy
A Passion for Saving Birds of Prey Read More »
I came to Green Bay to be the Brown County Community Garden coordinator. I’ve always loved being outside, and I started gardening as a kid. From the age of eight or nine, I volunteered with my family for the Madison Area Food Pantry Gardens. Weekly, throughout the summer, we’d go help take care of a
From Reluctant Gardener to Garden Coordinator Read More »
My parents first came to Wisconsin as migrant workers back in the ‘40s. My father’s heritage is Hispanic and Comanche, and we think my mother was Apache and Hispanic. Their prior place of residence was San Antonio, Texas, which they tried to escape because they were so poor and food was so scarce. Photo taken
When Farming Gets in your Blood Read More »
The city made the decision to knock down houses, then leave our community with vacant lots. Nobody’s built a house on it, nobody wants to develop it. We call it a snaggletooth community. We have people driving up just dumping tires and old furniture and TVs on our vacant lots. How are we supposed to
From Vacant Lots to Flourishing Gardens Read More »
I remember back in ’62 we had to leave our village because the Communists came. You hear they are coming and you have to leave. Photo courtesy of The Lands We Share project “My family lived far away from the city, in the highlands of Laos. We had to work very hard doing slash and
Working the Soil, from Laos to Wisconsin Read More »
