Wisconsin farm adds mill built from community, for community
It’s been a busy time in Ridgeway, Wisconsin. On Wednesday last week, the first kernels of grain hit the mill stone in the newly built and now up-and-running Meadowlark Community Mill, the latest endeavor of farmer and chef-couple Halee and John Wepking of Meadowlark Organics farm.
The mill story at Meadowlark began years ago, when a Craigslist ad brought Halee and John together with their now-partner Paul Bickford (read more about their transition story here or listen to this podcast). In the growing seasons since, Meadowlark Organics has become an increasingly diverse agroecosystem; this past summer, Einkorn waved in the breeze on a flat part of the farm, while oats and rye grew on the ridgetops. The increased diversity on these 900 acres has changed the face of the landscape. But getting grain to people’s plates—as the Wepkings, like other AGC farmers, strive to do—requires much more than putting seeds in the ground.
We realized that if we wanted to grow our business and make our farm transition work, we needed to take over more of the post-harvest processing.
- Halee Wepking, Meadowlark Organics & Meadowlark Community Mill Co-Founder/Co-Owner
John began their farm's behind-the-scenes efforts of building local grain systems when he, Halee, and Paul put in a grain cleaning facility three years ago. Capturing as much value from their grains as possible is necessary for the Wepkings to cover their mortgage, while providing for Paul’s pension, too. “We realized that if we wanted to grow our business and make our farm transition work, we needed to take over more of the post-harvest processing,” said Halee.
This development required the team to pause and consider efficiencies of scale, and they chose to build a cleaning facility which could provide beyond their farm’s own need; scaling up to handle a larger volume would not be much more expensive than a set-up sized only for their 900 acres. Stretching their budget and the size of their cleaning operation was an easy choice in the end. These farmers want to leverage their resources to serve other farmers, and offer a simpler path to high-value market access. This same thinking applied as they planned their milling set-up over the past year. Kitting themselves out to mill just what they grew would be costly, and only proportionally more expensive to make a bigger mill and create more opportunity for those producing grains throughout the Driftless region.
This mill demonstrates the heart of local grains, and the truth that many people are behind a loaf of bread. The project was an all-hands-on-deck adventure that brought together a range of resources to create one necessary lynchpin of local grain infrastructure. Skilled family members offered their hands and minds to create and outfit the mill structure; dedicated WI farmer Rink DaVee (pictured at left, and above right, with Halee & John) took an interest in the project a year ago and learned the trade of milling from Gil Williams, now retired miller of Lonesome Stone Milling in Lone Rock, WI; and Paul’s financial track record allowed for sufficient collateral to finance the whole ordeal. A Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin grant from the state Dept. of Ag, Trade and Consumer Protection is helping offset costs in this first transitional year of operation, and the mills themselves have moved in from around the state, several from Lonesome Stone plus one purchased from Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in East Troy. In the coming weeks, John, Halee, and family will be heading east to Vermont to pick up two New American Stone Mills and a sifter, as well as dehulling equipment and another 24" Meadows mill from Butterworks Farm.
This has been a long process, and like all farm work, the finish line is not the end, just a milestone. (Though one worth celebrating!) One goal of this mill is to make the work as automated as possible, to minimize the risk of repetitive strain on the human body—don’t think robots, but rather simple machines to help carry the heavy load and keep grain moving on its way into bags right-sized for bakeries, restaurants, and home kitchens. The team will still need to install the new mills and sifter once they arrive, and make improvements to their flour bagging system. A dedicated corn mill and a roller mill for oats will be added in time, and the oat dehuller and paddy table need to be set up in the seed cleaning facility, all just as spring crop work is quick approaching!
There's plenty of work to be done, and the new mill is looking to grow their core team. Reach out to Halee at team@meadowlarkmill.com if you'd like to learn more and apply. And for everyone else, follow along with this new mill’s story and progress (and find their products) using the links below!