Welcome back to Field Notes, our new monthly update that shares Groundswell’s boots-on-the-ground work. Each month, I’ll fill you in on what our team is working on in the field.
Today, I want to share some background about Groundswell’s work to provide equitable access to land. And, I have some exciting updates about what’s been happening at Westport Farm!
Cover Crop Workshop at Westport Farm — Photo by Yimmuaj Yang
Protecting farmland has been part of Groundswell’s work for many years. We’ve formed relationships with local farmers and learned about the challenges they face. Groundswell aims to support these farmers and to help remove barriers. You can read more about this work here.
Farmers in our community struggle to find land with fair leases and long-term tenure. Some farmers have lost access to their fields halfway through a growing season. Others grow vegetables in the heat of summer without easy access to water. And, despite their contributions to the local agricultural economy for decades, HMoob-American farmers still struggle to access land in the face of language barriers and racism.
Groundswell purchased two farms in 2018 to tackle this challenge head-on. At Westport Farm, we took on the stewardship of a community farm. We’ve now surpassed the initial goal of ensuring that the HMoob farmers on site were not displaced.
2024 Westport Farm Tour — Photo by Ben Lam
Today, Westport Farm operates much like a community garden, but with infrastructure tailored to farmers rather than gardeners. The farm provides growers with long-term leases and large plots. We don’t stop at access to land, but also provide resources like irrigation, education, and farm infrastructure designed to help farmers thrive.
Field day participants learn about the use and design of the wash station at Westport Farm. — Photo by Paul Huber
For example, we recently built a vegetable-washing station for the Westport Farm growers to use. We hosted a field day so other farmers from the area could learn from our project and take lessons back to their own farms.
Participants visited two affordable structures used for washing and packing produce. The field day covered efficiency and food safety, and we ended the day with a shared meal. Our thanks go out to event participants, as well as our event partners: Rooted, GoFarmConnect, and UW-La Crosse.
Presley Chang and Yimmuaj Yang of Live Jewelry Farm pose with their new high tunnel.
And this month, we’re celebrating the completion of the first high tunnel at Westport Farm. This high tunnel was built by farmer Presley Chang, a carpenter and vegetable farmer who has leased a plot at Westport Farm for 12 years. Live Jewelry Farm, Presley’s farm business, was awarded cost-share funding for this project through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Building permanent infrastructure on rented land can be a risk for farmers. (It’s hard to justify major expenses when you’re not confident in your long-term land tenure.) To me, this high tunnel project demonstrates the trust and strong relationships between Groundswell and the farmers we work with.
I’ll leave you with this video from a high tunnel build we helped coordinate last summer. You’ll see some familiar Groundswell faces. This video also shares a glimpse of what it looks like to participate in a bilingual farmer workshop. Enjoy!
HMoob vs. Hmong Terminology:
Throughout written work, the HMoob people and language have been categorized under the generic term “Hmong.” However, the HMoob people and language represent a diverse group of communities and identities. The term “HMoob” was created by community members as a more inclusive word that encompasses two main dialects, Green and White.
To be more inclusive of the different communities within the larger HMoob community, Groundswell will use the term “HMoob” in writing going forward. Even though the spelling is different, the English pronunciation is the same (muhng).
To learn more about how and why this term was created, check out this article from UW-Extension.