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    Soil Sisters’ Roots                                        “We started planning the business a few months before
                                                                   the pandemic,” says Storm, “By the time the country was
                                                                   in lockdown, we had received such huge support from
           In 2012, Soil Sisters began hosting an on-farm event the   our fellow Soil Sisters that we couldn’t press pause. They
           first weekend in August. It began with tours on six, women-
           owned farms. Garnering community praise, it grew into the   were counting on us to be ready for fall harvest, and their
           largest women-farmer led event of its kind in the country   enthusiasm was the security we needed to carry on.”
           and now includes a full weekend of on-farm workshops,
           culinary experiences and bus tours, involving over 20   Stepping up to Leadership
           women-owned farms.
              The groundswell of interest, from a growing contingency   Soil Sisters has also inspired several of its participants to run
           of women, meant the project needed support. It found it   for public office, including county board and county clerk.
           this year with Renewing the Countryside,                                    “My motivation to run for county
           a Minnesota-based nonprofit that helps                                   board came when there was a large
           bolster local farming communities. The      The hard-working             industrial dairy angling to start in my
           new partnership brought grant-funding                                    area. I started attending related meetings
           opportunities and other resources to      women of Soil Sisters          to voice my environmental concerns over
           continue Soil Sisters’ grassroots cultivation.  won Edible Madison       the impact this operation would have,”
              With potlucks and farm events on                                      shares Erica Roth of Ewetopia Hill Farm
           hiatus during COVID-19, Soil Sisters’     magazine’s 2018 Local          in Albany, Wisc.  “But my inspiration
           listserv operates as a lifeline for its                                  came from the women in our Soil
           members—with ideas on everything          Food Hero award for            Sisters community who enthusiastically
           from pivoting to new markets when                                        supported me from the start. Knowing
           restaurant sales dry up to finding local   their work in producing       they had my back gave me the
           meat processors.                           food and fiber while          confidence to take on—and successfully
                                                                                    defeat—a long-time incumbent.”
           Budding Business Opportunities                stewarding the                Kriss Marion of Circle M Farm
                                                           landscape.               in Blanchardville, Wisc., found similar
           When they are in full swing, Soil Sisters                                motivation from Soil Sisters. She
           gatherings are far more than stereotypical                               hopes to bring a new voice to the State
           potlucks. They create a collaborative space from which new               Assembly, as she looks to win a seat held
           businesses emerge, like Landmark Creamery, an award-    by a long-term incumbent.
                                                                      “Campaigns can be brutal when you’re in the public
           winning cheesemaking venture in Paoli, Wisc., between Anna
           Landmark and Anna Thomas Bates.                         eye and have all sorts of criticism and negativity thrown at
              Landmark and Bates met at a Soil Sisters potluck     you, especially when you are promoting change that would
           while Landmark was earning her cheesemaking license and   shake up the agricultural status quo,” says Marion. “Our
           launching her own operation. She needed a partner to help   Soil Sisters group is my lifeline of positive energy to keep
                                                                   advocating for change.”
           with the business and marketing. Bates, a savvy food writer,
           gladly filled that role.                                   As our rural communities evolve and adapt, the need
              “We’re both moms with kids in the same school district,   for local connections and supportive colleagues remains
           but we never met until these women-in-agriculture potlucks,”   higher than ever. Groups like Soil Sisters play a vital
           recalls Landmark. “Even if we had met in a school setting,   role in stewarding the land, championing local food and
                                                                   shaping the future. To learn more about how Soil Sisters
           I’m not sure we would have had the opportunity to connect
           in a way that we did over cheese and wine. The potluck   is celebrating rural life and meeting community needs,
           provides a welcoming, supportive setting through which   visit renewingthecountryside.org/women_in_ag and
           women like myself and Anna feel comfortable sharing our   soilsisterswi.org.
           big-picture visions and dreams.”
              The latest Soil Sisters-inspired start-up is Driftless
           Traditional Tannery, a venture offering natural tanning for   Lisa Kivirist was a founding member of  Soil Sisters and currently serves
           sheepskins and goat hides. Bethany Storm, Brandi Bonde,   as project director. She and her family run Inn Serendipity Farm and
           and Danielle Dockery, the visionaries behind the tannery,   B&B in Wisconsin, completely powered by renewable energy. She has
           recognized an opportunity because of increasing numbers   also co-authored a range of  books on food and sustainability with her
                                                                   husband, John Ivanko, including Homemade for Sale, Farmstead Chef,
           of small-scale farmers and homesteaders looking to preserve
           the skins of their animals.                             and Soil Sisters.

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