On Saturday, October 1st, Tall Pines Conservancy hosted its first ever Concert on the Farm as part of their annual Fall Harvest festival. For the past 3 years Tall Pines has been gathering at a local barn to celebrate the results of their work over the previous year.
This year, the Fall Harvest is at one of the first 16 farms chosen to participate in the PACE program to highlight the importance of working lands in Southeastern Wisconsin and across the state. The inaugural Concert on the Farm was held at the Zwieg Maple Acres farm. Zwieg Maple Acres is a 6th generation Dairy farm operating in Ashippun and Lebanon since 1856.
After Tall Pines worked to establish an Agricultural Enterprise Area in the Towns of Ashippun and Oconomowoc, Joe Zweig was the first landowner to step up to enroll in the PACE Program. “He and his son, Kyle, contacted me and said they wanted to preserve their farm and do it with Tall Pines and through the PACE program,” notes Susan Buchanan, Tall Pines’ executive director. Kyle is the 6th generation working on the farm and plans to continue the agricultural tradition.
Adds Buchanan, “This family just gets the importance of combining working lands with conservation to protect Wisconsin’s specialness. They have an absolutely picture perfect 250-acre working farm that is a great model for PACE and, with three generations currently living on the farm, they are great spokesmen for the program. They have hosted a variety of meetings and events on their farm for us, including our “Ride to the Barns” for the last two years.”
This year’s event featured a book signing and concert by Michael Perry and the Long Beds. Michael was the perfect fit for an event like this. His books, most recently, Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting, chronicle the highs and lows of farm life in rural Wisconsin.
Additionally, Fall Harvest showcased local food prepared by a local chef in the town of Lebanon. Bodhi Personal Chef and Catering specializes in sourcing local & seasonal food and in 2010 Bodhi won the Milwaukee Iron Chef Competition. One of this year’s features will be beef burgers made from Scottish cattle raised in the area and seasonal vegetable salads.
We at Gathering Waters are very excited to announce this marquee event for Tall Pines Conservancy. It is just another example of the great work being done by Wisconsin’s land trusts and another reminder that we can all play a role in helping protect the places that make Wisconsin special.
