Madison, Wisconsin has among the strongest local food cultures in the midwest. Farmers markets, co-ops, CSAs, restaurants dedicated to local sourcing. And yet 90% of Wisconsin's food dollars leave the state, and small farms continue to struggle. Patrick Randolph, who grew up in Madison and left for a decade, came back with a mission to address this by creating a new direct-to-consumer sales channel for small farms. This summer, he's opening Grandad's Farm Stop – named after his grandfather, a lifelong farmer – in an old gas station on the city’s west side.

In advance of the most recent Farm Stop National Conference, I had a conversation with Bonnie Gettys, Executive Director of the Barry County Community Foundation in Hastings, Michigan. We were talking about her foundation's work to launch a farm stop – called Mill Street Market – as part of a $38 million mixed-use development project. The conversation got me thinking about the role that community foundations could play in the expansion of the farm stop model. Community foundations exist in nearly every corner of the United States, and, while each is different, many share missions that align well with the farm stop concept, as they tend to invest in projects that prioritize economic development, health access, community vibrancy, and local food systems. And it seems like there might be an opportunity, given this, for us to work together more. What follows is a deeper conversation with Bonnie about how Barry County's project came together, what she finds compelling about the farm stop model, and the possibility that other community foundations could follow her lead. We were also very lucky in that, toward the end of our conversation, we were joined by Mill Street Market (MSM) Executive Director Allison Hinton, who was able to speak more directly to several elements specific to the farm stop. (Our hope is to have a longer discussion with Allison in a future issue, once their building has been constructed, and they’re closer to opening.)

If you're thinking about starting a farm stop, you probably have questions: How do I find the right location? How do I identify the right farms to start with? How do I make the finances work? Over the next several months, we'll be bringing you conversations with people who are figuring questions like these out in real time. In this first installment, we talk with Lily Gross about opening Radish Farm Stop in Minneapolis. We hope that you enjoy our conversation, and find inspiration in it.