Want to learn more about Nelson's Berry Farm? Visit their Web page detailing their history.

Find out how you can buy locally. Visit All About Wisconsin's Web page on farmer's markets and find one near you. 

Interested in finding out more about the WIC program and it's local produce support? Visit the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services for more information.

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Nelson family growing and selling their goods locally

Audio version of this story The Nelson family have been growing and selling their produce since 1995. (Photo by Judy Nelson)

When the John, Judy and son Ryan Nelson switched from milking cows to growing berries in 1995, they admitted they were taking a big risk.  They were making a big investment into a venture that may not work out.  Being a small dairy operation to begin with, the Nelson family knew they had little room for error. 

The switch from dairy farming to growing produce was a result of the changing dairy industry.  With the increasing number of large dairy farms, the Nelson family felt that they could no longer keep up and felt that growing and selling produce would be their best option to stay viable.

The change from dairy to growing berries and produce did not occur all at once.  The Nelsons gradually phased out the dairy operation while increasing the amount of acreage devoted to growing their produce. 

The first few years of business were rocky as they were learning about how the produce business works and trying to encourage people to buy from them.  They started selling their goods on their farm and at local farmers markets.  According to Ryan Nelson, they eventually became successful by working to produce quality goods along with a lot of advertising. However, they could not have done it without people willing to buy local nor without producing a good product.

“They look at our stuff, and if we can get them to come for the first time, they see our quality compared with (the goods in) the store, and it keeps them coming back,” Ryan Nelson said.

However, many consumers are often unable to buy local.  Local foods are often hard to find at the local grocery store.  This is where some are calling for help from the government to make it easier for local producer and consumers to buy local and where some politicians are working on measures to help.

Buying local does not necessarily mean buying organic.  Local buying entails purchasing products produced by people in your area and can include anything from produce to meat. 

Trevor Peterson, vice-president of the Foodlums, a student organization at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, says that buying local is the way to go because buying local offers more variety of food available and it allows consumers to know where their food comes from.

Peterson would like to see the government help producers sell their products in larger stores.  He sees the regulations currently in place by the government on selling food as discriminatory against small producers.

“The government can do away with some laws that deal with local food,” Peterson said.  “It is so set up for large corporations who have a lot of money.” 

There are currently programs in place to help encourage consumers to buy local.  The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children program offers those eligible for the program a one-time check per growing season to buy locally produced goods from farmers’ markets and local producers.  Approximately 1,000 farmers statewide participate in the program. 

However, one local politician is working to help make it easier for local growers.  Wisconsin Rep. Mary Williams, R-Medford, is currently a co-author on a bill that would ease some of the restrictions on local growers and help promote people to buy locally.

A democratic candidate for the 87th assembly district could not be reached for this story, but Phyllis Pope, chairperson of the Taylor County Democratic Party says that there is no set position on this issue and that buying local is a personal decision.

Despite the quality and other factors that some find with locally produced goods, some find it hard to buy more local foods.

UW-Eau Claire junior Kevin McInerney says that he likes to buy local goods when possible, but that it is hard to do.

“Locally grown food is more expensive, and I don’t have the time or the money to go out of my way in order to buy it,” McInerney said.

While buying local may be a nuisance to some, it can be the difference between success and failure for the Nelson family and other local growers like them.  However, Ryan Nelson says that there is even a better reason for buying local.

“It’s good to support your local farmers,” Ryan Nelson said. “You’re going to get better produce nine times out of 10.”