Two farms at the River Falls’ Whole Earth Market Co-op will participate in this year’s Co-op Farm Tours. Rising Sun Farm and Orchard and White Pine Berry Farm will make their whole operation available for public visits on Saturday, July 13 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
“I just think it's a good time for people to get out and see new things they aren’t used to seeing,” said Lindsey Baris, co-owner and operator of Rising Sun Farm and Orchard.
Baris and her team will offer apples for pig feeding along with hourly tours of everything going on at Rising Sun. Attendees are also welcome to walk freely.
Rising Sun began in 1974 by Baris’ father-in-law, who also had a helping hand in starting the River Falls Grocery Co-op.
Baris began her work with Rising Sun with her husband in 2012. The two have since grown their operation by adding sheep, pigs, increasing their maple syrup production, adding a summer CSA program, purchasing a nearby apple orchard and participating in River Falls’ weekly farmer’s markets.
Diversification of sales along with the help of two summer interns, family members and loved ones, Rising Sun persists in the wake of declining local, family-owned farms.
“In Wisconsin, we’re losing family farms very fast, especially dairy farms,” Baris said.
According to a 2022 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wisconsin has lost 10% of its farms and 30% of its dairy farms in a five-year period.
From Baris’ perspective and experience, she notes that land access issues and overall noted difficulty with agricultural work deters people from carrying on their family farm or starting anew.
Which is where the tours come into play. For Baris, when people see the who, what, where and how their food is grown they are more likely to continue to stand by local farmers.
“Seeing it helps people support it more,” she said.
Rising Sun Farm and Orchard will be part of the co-op tours for the first time this year. The day’s tours will also highlight other local farms in Western Wisconsin and Twin Cities. A detailed map can be found on the Co-op Farm Tours website, coopfarmtour.com.
“We want people to get in touch with their farm,” said Alysa Malm, Whole Earth Market Co-op Marketing Coordinator said. Whole Earth Market features local items ranging from bread, dairy, soaps, produce and more made throughout the River Falls and Western Wisconsin region.
To learn more about Whole Earth Market, their website is wholeearthgrocery.coop.
“This is also a great time to see different ways of farming,” Baris said. “I’m looking forward to some positive energy on the farm.”
Baris’ work can be found at risingsunfarmandorchard.com.
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