Calendar of Events
BCSL - Safe & Successful TransPLANTs
Stop in for advice on transplanting flower and veggie seedlings between containers or into your garden.
Learn to prevent the spread of invasive jumping worms and other pests when sharing plants.
NEW Master Gardeners Association will give away started plants while quantities last! Bring any extras you have for evaluation.
This FREE event is a collaboration of Brown County Seed Library partners:
Brown County Community Gardens Program; Brown County Library; Green Bay
Botanical Garden; New Leaf Foods, Inc.; Northeastern Wisconsin Master Gardeners;
UW-Green Bay; UW-Madison Extension Brown County.
Community Garden Tour at Maple and Augusta in Green Bay
Some of the oldest Brown County Community Gardens have been active since the very beginning. For example, the garden on Maple and Augusta (1998) is one of the program’s original gardens and continues to thrive. Located in the heart of downtown Green Bay, Maple and Augusta garden is located on the property of Green Bay Plastics—a local company. Nestled in a downtown neighborhood, this garden is a great example of urban gardening. The garden is tended to by multiple different cultural backgrounds and grows a variety of different foods.
On Saturday August 3rd, 2024, New Leaf Foods and Brown County Community Gardens will be hosting a garden tour in which the Maple and Augusta garden will be showcased from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Community members are invited to arrive at their own pace and join an ongoing tour of thegarden; information regarding the Brown County Community Gardens Program will also be provided.
Glen Innish Farm Tour
Join the Green Bay Botanical Garden for a private tour of Kewaunee County’s First Lavender Farm. They will meet at Glen Innish Farm, where the owner, Amber Hewett, will guide you on a walking tour (approximately 1 mile walk) around the farm.
During the walk, learn how Glen Innish Farm works with nature and incorporates their beef and sheep grazing with wildlife and bird habitat. The tour will conclude at the newly planted Lavender Field.
Attendees will have an hour to enjoy the lavender fields, have lunch* and look through the Farm Store. At 12:30, we will meet back in the Lavender Field, where Amber will lead you through a Lavender Weaving Project. Each attendee will be able to pick and weave their very own Lavender Wand.
Please note, there may be bees on the Farm grounds.
Rain Date: Tuesday August 13
*An option to purchase a lunch will be coming soon, or feel free to bring your own lunch.
$39/Garden Member; $47/General Public
Hosted by the Green Bay Botanical Garden
“Searching for Sustainability”: Film and Panel Discussion
Sponsored by: New Leaf Foods, Inc. and the Brown County Seed Library
“Searching for Sustainability”: This 70-minute documentary explores the challenges we face and solutions we seek in our collective search for sustainability. Explore the intersection of food production and sustainable use of soil and water resources. Much of the film was shot in northeast Wisconsin, and it features interviews with local people. Topics include manure pits vs cattle grazing, lake/well water contamination vs clean water, soil pollution vs organic farming, the quality of our food, and how food quality impacts our health.
Leading the panel discussion will be Valerie Dantoin.
2024 Organic Farmer of the Year for the Midwest - awarded at Marbleseed Organic Conference.
Speaker and author on the topic of Creating Climate-Friendly Farms. Using science and experiences of 30 years to explain current organic/sustainable farming practices.
Co-owner and operator of Full Circle Community Farm near Green Bay Wisconsin. Growing organic, grass-fed beef, and pasured pork. This 260-acre farm has been in the family for 130 years and the next generation is adding organic vegetables and laying hens to the mix. She walks the walk; and talks the talk about how farmers can be great environmentalists - how we can feed the world without destroying it.
Developed and taught 20+ courses in the Sustainable Food & Agriculture Associate Degree Program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay. Valerie has been an organic, grass-based dairy and livestock farmer for over 30 years. She has a Masters Degree in Agronomy from the University of Wisconsin Madison.
Valerie was executive producer for this documentary film, "Searching for Sustainability", which draws connections from agriculture to land & water impacts, the environment, food & health. The film explores how farmers are adapting to become better and better land stewards.
Link in Vimeo https://vimeo.com/243924154
Tsyunhehkwa Farm Tour
Amber Powless, Lynn Utesch, and Jordan Powless
Tsyunhehkwa Farm
Meet at Tsyunhehkwa Farm in Oneida
Enjoy a scenic tour of the Oneida indigenous farming operations, including an up-close view of our 100 percent grass-fed and finished shorthorn beef herd, heirloom Oneida white corn fields, and drying and processing community facilities.
Tsyunhehkwa has over four decades of traditional farming operations, including a community chicken processing facility, greenhouse, corn drying shed, and almost 500 acres of healthy indigenous soils.
Participants will have the unique opportunity to participate in our hand processing of our traditional white corn, ending with a sampling of our corn mush dish.
Please note, there may be bees on the Farm grounds.
Rain Date: July 30
Costs $24/Garden Member; $28/General Public
Hosted by the Green Bay Botanical Garden
Sunflower Celebration: An Edible Garden Adventure
Learn fascinating facts about sunflowers and how to grow them in containers or gardens. Plant some to take home, enjoy sunflower science and craft activities, view a short video by Wisconsin gardening expert Melissa Myers, and kids can enjoy storytime at 6:00 pm. Activities indoors and outdoors (weather allowing) in the library’s Cellcom Children’s Edible Garden.
Offered in collaboration with the Brown County Seed Library and its partner organizations. Visit Library website for more information.
WEBINAR: Under-Appreciated Pollinators
The plight of honeybees and monarchs fill the news but many more pollinators are often overlooked yet critical to the production of food, fiber and other raw materials we depend upon. Native bees, moths, bats, beetles, flies, and birds are also important. We will look at a variety of pollinators, their role in the environment, and their impact on people. Plus, we will discuss ways to co-exist with these often overlooked and sometimes feared or dreaded animals.
Register for this free webinar at: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__q1UbmcTTMyyumfGd-o6AA
Full Circle Organic Experience Field Day
Join the 2024 Marbleseed Farmers of the Year for a tour of their farm! Learn from their diversified enterprises including organic vegetables, grass-fed beef, pastured pork and poultry as well as conservation practices implemented on the farm. Come at any point during the day to see these different enterprises and learn more from these amazing farmers.
The Adamski family's roots stretch back five generations on their 240-acre farm in Seymour. Rick and Valerie use managed grazing as the cornerstone method for raising certified organic beef. The farm provides a balanced ecological system to protect waterways, increase soil health and sequester carbon, and increase wildlife and biodiversity.
A chicken taco bar lunch will be available for $5 per person and sponsored by Blue Farm.
There will also be informational tables from other relevant sustainable agriculture organizations, a petting barn and lots of time for networking with farmers and consumers interested in organic agriculture.
This Field Day is put on with financial assistance from the Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP)
WEBINAR: Ornamental Fruits and Vegetables
Increase the nutritional value and beauty of your landscape by incorporating attractive fruits and vegetables into your landscape, garden beds, and containers. Growing varieties that are both ornamental and productive increases the opportunities for creating a beautiful space right outside your door.
Register for this free webinar at:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SFUNmF3LSUmpTXGpRMVbiA
Strategic Social Media for Your Food or Farming Business
Register Here: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJclcuiqqz8tHdJrH7Xnjdh1LEolcGnDWLRl
The UW-Madison Extension Community Food Systems Program will provide no-cost virtual workshops for small-scale food and farming business start-ups during Mondays in April, from April 1st to April 29th. Presenters include experts from DATCP, a food entrepreneur, and Extension educators.
Contact Name Jessica Jane Spayde
Contact Email spayde@wisc.edu
Contact phone 6082255799
Full Webinar Series: https://foodsystems.extension.wisc.edu/2024-webinar-series/
Bountiful Branches Mini-Class
New Leaf Foods is hosting the New Leaf Foods Bountiful Branches Guide: A mini-class for planning, planting, and maintaining your perennial food plants.
Edible landscape plants like raspberries, blackberries, elderberries, apple trees, hazelnuts, and currants not only enhance the beauty of any yard but also provide growers with yummy, healthy options that grow year after year.
If you are purchasing perennial plants from the New Leaf Bountiful Branches project you may have some questions about the best ways to plan, plant, and take care of these special food producers. You have to plan for small plants now, that will grow large over the years.
Typical questions include:
Which plants should I select?
What kind of habitat do they prefer?
How wide apart should I space the plants?
How big will they grow?
What kind of soil fertilizer might I need?
How deep do I plant?
How do I maintain and prune the plants?
What are the best options for weed control?
How long will they last?
When can I expect my first harvest?
How can I preserve the harvest?
What mistakes should I avoid?
Join Dillon Weist, the manager of the Bounty Garden for the Sustainable Agriculture Program at NWTC, as he guides you through the answers to these questions and more on Thursday, April 25th at 5:00 PM. This class is online via Zoom and in-person at the Brown County Central Library downstairs. Please RSVP using the form on this page.
We are partnering with NWTC and Brown County Seed Library on this event and this is the third year we are offering this class.
Food Safety in Wisconsin: Licensing for Your Mobile Food Business
Register Here: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJclcuiqqz8tHdJrH7Xnjdh1LEolcGnDWLRl
The UW-Madison Extension Community Food Systems Program will provide no-cost virtual workshops for small-scale food and farming business start-ups during Mondays in April, from April 1st to April 29th. Presenters include experts from DATCP, a food entrepreneur, and Extension educators.
Contact Name Jessica Jane Spayde
Contact Email spayde@wisc.edu
Contact phone 6082255799
Full Webinar Series: https://foodsystems.extension.wisc.edu/2024-webinar-series/
Seed Sorting and Packing Day
Please join us for our next seed-packing event. We will be gathering at the Brown County Central Library in the basement to clean and pack seeds. Open to all ages. Hope to see you there!
Central Library Address: 515 Pine St, Green Bay, WI 54301
Session 1: 9:30 am - 12:00 pm
Session 2: 12:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Please register below for the session you would like to attend.
Complexities of Partnership: Important Partner Conversations for Your Food or Farming Business
Register Here: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJclcuiqqz8tHdJrH7Xnjdh1LEolcGnDWLRl
The UW-Madison Extension Community Food Systems Program will provide no-cost virtual workshops for small-scale food and farming business start-ups during Mondays in April, from April 1st to April 29th. Presenters include experts from DATCP, a food entrepreneur, and Extension educators.
Contact Name Jessica Jane Spayde
Contact Email spayde@wisc.edu
Contact phone 6082255799
Full Webinar Series: https://foodsystems.extension.wisc.edu/2024-webinar-series/
WEBINAR: Container Gardening Throughout the Year
Use container gardens to boost the color and seasonal interest in any size landscape, garden, balcony, or deck. You will explore attractive combinations of trees, shrubs, flowers, edible plants, and those that attract pollinators. Plus, you’ll learn strategies for extending your enjoyment year-round by transforming all or a portion of the container planting with the changing seasons.
Register for this free webinar at:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SwTJwDSaQgWnm7YU-iY0mg
Making Money with Your Food Truck
Register Here: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJclcuiqqz8tHdJrH7Xnjdh1LEolcGnDWLRl
The UW-Madison Extension Community Food Systems Program will provide no-cost virtual workshops for small-scale food and farming business start-ups during Mondays in April, from April 1st to April 29th. Presenters include experts from DATCP, a food entrepreneur, and Extension educators.
Contact Name Jessica Jane Spayde
Contact Email spayde@wisc.edu
Contact phone 6082255799
Full Webinar Series: https://foodsystems.extension.wisc.edu/2024-webinar-series/
Wisconsin Food Licensing: Getting Your Transient Retail License through DATCP
Register Here: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJclcuiqqz8tHdJrH7Xnjdh1LEolcGnDWLRl
The UW-Madison Extension Community Food Systems Program will provide no-cost virtual workshops for small-scale food and farming business start-ups during Mondays in April, from April 1st to April 29th. Presenters include experts from DATCP, a food entrepreneur, and Extension educators.
Contact Name Jessica Jane Spayde
Contact Email spayde@wisc.edu
Contact phone 6082255799
Full Webinar Series: https://foodsystems.extension.wisc.edu/2024-webinar-series/
Fruit Tree Grafting Workshop
This workshop will provide hands-on instruction on the various techniques of apple tree grafting, the best practices for care and maintenance of grafted trees, and the science behind successful grafts. Our goal is to empower you with the knowledge and skills to enhance the diversity and productivity of your own gardens or orchards.
It will be taught by Dillon Weist and his associate, Will Dickinson. Dillon is the Lab Assistant & Garden Manager for the Sustainable Agriculture Program at NWTC. Will runs a local landscaping business, Wild Inspired Landscapes and apprenticed with master orchard manager. They are both members of the Brown County Food Forest Coalition; this workshop is part of their mission to grow more food where we live.
What You Will Learn:
-Basics of tree grafting and its marvels
-Different grafting techniques for fruit trees
-How to select rootstocks and scion wood
-Aftercare for grafted fruit trees
-How and when to plant them out
What to Bring:
-We will provide all necessary materials and tools for the workshop.
-However, if you have scionwood from your fruit trees, feel free to use that instead of our selection.
-we do not supply materials for storing your grafted tree until it needs to be planted. A container with holes like a milk jug and a medium like sand, peat moss, or potting soil will suffice; other options will be discussed.
- our selection includes dwarf and semi-dwarf apple Rootstock, Pear Rootstock, American plum Rootstock and a variety of different scionwood cultivars.
Registration:
Spaces are limited, so we encourage you to register early to secure your spot. Please RSVP by by replying to this email or paying directly at https://wildterrainnav.com/#grafting2024
Whether you're looking to grow a food forest, expand an orchard, save an old family apple tree, or simply interested in learning a new gardening skill, this workshop is for you.
Cost: $15 for one grafted tree, another $10 for each one after that**
Growing Climate Smart Agriculture in Northeast Wisconsin
Wisconsin Farmers Union's Farm Climate Smart WI event at the Oshkosh Food Co-Op on March 25, 2024 from 6:00pm to 7:30pm.
The event, Growing Climate Smart Agriculture in Northeast Wisconsin, will feature a meet and greet with Wisconsin Farmers Union, a presentation about climate-smart agriculture and the new Farm Climate Smart WI project, and a Q&A session. This event is free, family friendly, and open to the public. The event is especially relevant for small, mid-sized, beginning, veteran, women, and BIPOC farmers; conservation professionals; and interested community members in NE WI.
Farm Climate Smart WI is a project of the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance in partnership with Wisconsin Farmers Union, Pheasants Forever, Outagamie County, and Utah State University, and is made possible through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program. The project is empowering Northeast Wisconsin farmers to implement climate-smart agriculture practices. The project supports farmers by connecting them to innovative tools, knowledge, and resources that help them to remain resilient in the face of climate and market changes. A map of the project area is attached. For more information about Farm Climate Smart WI, visit: https://www.wisconsinfarmersunion.com/fcs-wi
Seed Library Launch
Brown County Central Library, 515 Pine St, Green Bay, WI 54301, USA
The date for this year is Mar 2 from 12-3 at the central library. The purpose is to introduce our new 2024 seeds as well as have a complete restock of the core varieties. We will have booths with multiple activities for kids and adults and educational opportunities, as well as several speakers, and a community seed swap. Local organizations that will have representation there are New Leaf Foods, Northeastern Wi Master Gardeners, Brown County Extension, Green Bay Community Gardens, Green Bay Botanical Garden, Wild Ones, Rooted In, and Green Bay Conservation Corp.
BCSL Seed Packing
UWGB STEM Center - Room 136, 2019 Technology Way, Green Bay, WI 54311
Please join us for our next seed packing event. We will be gathering at the STEM Center in room 136 to clean and pack seeds. Open to all ages. Hope to see you there!
STEM Center address: 2019 Technology Way, Green Bay, WI 54311
Click here to register for the session you would like to attend.
Session 1: 9:00am - 11:30am
Session 2: 12:00pm - 2:30pm
BCSL Pruning Workshop: Fruit, Nut & Flowering Trees
Downtown Central Brown County Library - Combined Meeting Room 1 & 2 - CEN, 515 Pine St, Green Bay, WI 54301, USA
Learn recommended tools and techniques to promote health, aesthetics and production through the “right cut” in pruning various species and cultivars. Dress for the weather! After an indoor presentation, head outside for real-life pruning of the small fruit trees in the library’s Children’s Edible Garden. Plus, get instructive handouts, recipes from Rooted In’s Chef Selena Darrow, and a brief overview of the local Food Forest initiative.
Led by Andy DiMezza, arborist and graduate of the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry. He has taught pruning classes in Milwaukee through the Victory Garden Initiative’s Fruity Nutty Program and the Peoples Orchard, and he now shares his expertise through the local nonprofit Rooted In, Inc.
This workshop is part of a monthly series organized by the Brown County Seed Library. The BCSL is a collaboration of Brown County Community Gardens Program; Brown County Library; Green Bay Botanical Garden; New Leaf Foods, Inc.; NEW Master Gardeners Association; UW-Green Bay and UW-Madison Extension Brown County.