Cultivating Food, Farms and Community

Cultivate: A Gathering for Food and Environmental Justice brings together the best of local food, local drinks, and local support to cultivate new ideas and celebrate the stewardship and conservation efforts of the Valley Stewardship Network (VSN). Hosted by Organic Valley and co-sponsored by Edible Madison, Cultivate takes place Friday July 27th at the Organic Valley Headquarters in La Farge.

"Cultivate will bring together our community to celebrate how we work together as neighbors, friends and citizens to ensure that we have clean water and healthy food and farms for everyone,” says Cynthia Olmstead, chair of the VSN board of directors. “We in the Kickapoo Valley are, above all, resilient in our passion to keep our community sustainable, our small farms economically viable, our elders and children healthy, and our beloved river flowing and clean for generations to come.”

The evening begins at 6 p.m. with a “Farm to Bar” cocktail hour and dinner begins at 7 p.m. The five-course family style meal will be prepared by Rooted Spoon Culinary. The evening’s special guest is Raj Patel, an award-winning writer, activist and academic. He is the author of the New York Times best-seller The Value of Nothing. Tickets are $60 and proceeds benefit Valley Stewardship Network. Reservations can be made at the Viroqua Food Co-op or at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/249675.

VSN is a nonprofit dedicated to the goals of clean water, healthy food and farms, and connecting communities. VSN supports 50 volunteer water quality monitors throughout the Kickapoo River Valley and collaborates to build new markets for local food producers. It delivers gleaned, local produce to food pantries and provides recipes to the community that feature seasonal foods. Currently, VSN is working with a regional partnership to promote grass-fed beef production and marketing to benefit producers and keep the land in working farms that promote biological diversity, build soils, and protect the fresh water streams. VSN is supported by 200 members and Organic Valley, Gundersen Lutheran Health Systems, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Wallace Center at Winrock Foundation.