LUCK, WI – After three years of dedicated work and determination building the foundations for local food advocacy, farmers from the Polk-Burnett Farmers Union have achieved a crucial milestone for their primary initiative—the St. Croix Valley Food Alliance (SCVFA). By partnering with Wisconsin Farmers Union state office for fiscal sponsorship, they have received their first substantial grant to help realize their mission: “To strengthen and promote a thriving, resilient, and equitable local food economy in the St. Croix River Valley.” As they move steadily into this work, they have identified three strategic goals to achieve this mission. They aim to bring more economic opportunities to the region, build local food connections, and make local food more accessible to residents.
Member farmers in the SCVFA grow food using sustainable farming practices and sell directly from the farm to consumers. The driving force behind this collective of more than 27 local farm members is a commitment to keeping products local—sold at farmers markets, farm-based retail stores, and directly to people who want to know where their food comes from. In addition, the SCVFA is working to expand access to farm goods in schools, hospitals, food banks, and other wholesale outlets. Currently, many of these farmers must drive past their neighbors on the way to Minneapolis/St. Paul markets just to generate enough sales to stay in business.
Locally grown food is a powerful driver of sustainable rural development. When dollars spent on everyday essentials stay local, they circulate through the community instead of being extracted by urban financial districts. That is why this local food advocacy effort aims to relieve direct-market farmers of the burdens of marketing and brokerage so they can focus on growing food while ensuring financial sustainability. At the same time, SCVFA seeks to increase the presence of fresh, locally grown foods in stores, restaurants, schools, care facilities, and everywhere people want to eat healthy.
With the support of their first big grant, the SCVFA has hired a Local Food Coordinator who will be dedicated to connecting the dots between sustainable farms and the broader community. They have also secured office space above the Luck Food Co-op in Luck, WI, and are partnering with Whole Farm Strategies to conduct a feasibility study of local farms and markets.
"This grant is a game-changer for this effort," said Kristy Allen of the St. Croix Valley Food Alliance. "For too long, small farms in our region have struggled to compete in a system that prioritizes large-scale distribution. With this support, we can focus on building stronger connections between farmers and our community—making it easier for people to access fresh, local food while ensuring that our farmers can thrive."
The SCVFA is also hosting two more of its popular winter farmers markets on February 16 and March 16 from noon-3pm in the greenhouses of the Acreage in Osceola. Each event will feature two dozen vendors, a pop-up restaurant, and a coffee shop, complete with live music—creating a neighborhood-like space conducive to shopping and catching up with friends. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.