From Field to Market: ‘Brule River Farms’ Gears Up for Farmers Market Season

BRULE, Wis.– What started off as a personal hobby garden for Brule River Farms, has grown into an impressive 4-acre plot for growing just about anything you can think of.

“We have asparagus, that’s kind of been a staple right now and soon to come. Oh, we’ve also had lettuces and then spinach, more lettuce, Bok choys, a lot of the, you know, early season greens, kale,” said Sue Ann Dumke, Gardener, & Douglas County Farmers Market Assoc., Market Manager.

And before any of that becomes a part of your next meal both Sue Ann and her husband work around the clock to get everything ready.

“So, I would say the three major hurdles that we have to focus on being resilient for are weather, water and weeds and all of that is a big operation. You can kind of see from, you know, the structures that we have here, all of the materials we have to help us with weed, we have drip tapes everywhere to help us with water,” said Dumke.

And by working with the produce, the pair has learned to tackle anything mother nature sends their way.

“And then, of course, there’s always the weather, whether it’s too cold, too hot, too windy, too wet, too dry, and then Weeding is, you know, a constant labor-intensive chore, absolutely,” said Dumke.

But most of all, they’ve learned from fellow gardeners at the market.

“And so, everything that’s on the table has to be grown, raised or made by that vendor. They can let you know their processes. They can let you know how their meat is raised, how their vegetables are grown. Give you some tips for how to use those products so they you know the vendors themselves are a wealth of information,” said Dumke.

So next time you’re at the Farmers Market grabbing something yummy, consider staying a while to chat about the hard work, it took to harvest.