Veteran-focused CSA has a double mission

[1]When Steven Acheson and Stephanie Krueger moved to Madison in the summer of 2013, they didn’t know anyone. They didn’t even know how to get downtown.

But they had a clear objective: to create an organic produce farm.

Since the end of 2013, Acheson and Krueger’s farm, Peacefully Organic Produce, has begun to draw an increasing amount of Madison residents interested in fresh produce. They had another mission in mind as well, to help veterans (Acheson is a veteran of the Iraq War) transition back to civilian life.

“Veterans can come out to our farm and have a safe place where they can reconnect not only with other veterans but back with the soil,” he said.

The farm—located in Waunakee and within view of the capitol—is also a CSA, or Community Shared Agriculture. Interested consumers can purchase a ‘share’ from the farm and receive produce season long.

“It’s a risk that is shared between the farmer and the member,” Acheson said. “[The member] pays up front and is taking on risks, such as a pest problem or draught.”

Acheson and Krueger, who met as college students, found different paths to the farm.

Krueger attended UW Fox-Valley before transferring to UW-Oshkosh. At UW Fox-Valley, she became involved in a sustainability organization on campus where she helped to start a campus garden and assist local businesses and the nearby Lawrence University.

She first heard about CSA once she transferred to Oshkosh.

“It was very convenient for me in that I could go every Thursday to one location and pick up fresh produce,” she said. “As a single mom that was great. It saved me a lot of time and was very affordable.”

Acheson grew up on a dairy farm, joined the military and fought in Iraq in the mid-2000s. After he left the military, he began to study civil structural engineering.

He realized he did not want a traditional office job.

“It wasn’t for me,” he said. “I felt I wouldn’t really be able to survive in a cubical environment.”

Krueger, who intended to study environmental health but ended up as a microbiology major, always had an interest in food. When the two met, they began to have conversations about starting a farm of their own.

“Wouldn’t this be great to do after we finished our degrees?” they said they both thought.

Once they moved to Madison in 2013, Acheson immediately secured a job managing a CSA. He obtained half of a season’s experience on the farm.

The landowners, however, didn’t want to renew their lease. So Acheson and Krueger jumped at the opportunity to take over the land as Peacefully Organic Produce.

For Acheson, managing the farm is an 80-to-100 hour a week job. He attends as many seminars, workshops, and get-togethers as he can—many of which are through the FairShare CSA Coalition or UW-Extension. Krueger, who works for the Department of Health Services, helps with the farm when she has time.

“From the beginning, we’ve wanted to get to a point where we can focus more on the educational aspects,” Krueger said. “But we have to get to a point where we can make this sustainable for us.”

Yet one of Peacefully Organic Produce’s primary objectives is to foster a learning environment for veterans to learn about agriculture and reconnect with fellow soldiers.

“A lot of us come back and feel very empty,” Acheson said. “This is about providing a space for veterans for veterans to get back and touch with that volunteer spirit and do something really meaningful.”

Entering its second full year of operation, Acheson and Krueger hope to increase their output from last year. The farm produced 100 products last year; this year the two are aiming for 150. They also hope to increase their member shares to 80 or 100, doubling the 40 from last year.

This year, the farm will also trial a market-style share. It will permit members to pay $400 up front and allow $500 of purchasing power. The share will also allow members to receive up to $25 worth of weekly produce.

“You can eat organic food more cheaply than you can purchase food from a grocery store,” Acheson said.

Acheson and Krueger have also worked with a number of local businesses. These include Mad Urban Bees and Conscious Carnivore.

The farm sets up a seasonal, weekly farm stand outside of Conscious Carnivore on University Avenue near Shorewood Hills. Rhonda Goehl Slinde, who works at Conscious Carnivore, said the butcher shop also uses ingredients from the organic farm.

“People love having them out there,” Goehl Slinde said.

She said she expects the relationship between the butcher shop and the farm to continue.

Amidst Peacefully Organic Produce’s growing relationships with local organizations and schools—including the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Waunakee Community School District—Acheson and Krueger hope to continue sustainability practices and educate interested community members.

“America needs a million new farmers over the next 10 years,” Acheson said. “What we have now is a whole generation of people getting out of the service with no job. It’s a niche that needs to be filled. We hope our farm can serve as a transitional mechanism.”

He said their shortest-term goal is to afford Krueger full time.

“We want to become a permanent fixture in Madison and really help our community,” Krueger said.