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Talking Through Tough Choices

Transforming a Wish List into a Viable Farming Operation

By Brian DeVore
July 12, 2023

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There’s a bit of a disagreement over how many enterprises were originally on a certain wish list when Hannah Frank and Justin Thomas were considering launching a farm.

“Didn’t we have, like, 40 different enterprises on our goal sheet?” Thomas asks Frank on an overcast day in July while the couple stands next to a hoop house on Rue de Bungaloo Farm.

“Oh, we did not!” Frank shoots back. “I’m going to have to go back and count them. I still got the binder. I think it was more like, maybe, seven. Not 40.”

“It was a lot,” says Thomas.

“Well,” concedes Frank with a laugh, “you have to work through them all and see what you like.”

Apparently, a dinner wager is on the line as to whose number is right. But one fact is clear: Frank and Thomas have used the holistic training they received through the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings course to narrow down what they will focus on, and to figure out how to balance profitability and environmental sustainability, along with a little fun.

Since purchasing 12 acres of a former dairy farm from Hannah’s father, Dale, in 2021, Frank and Thomas have been busy building an agricultural business in north-central Wisconsin’s Marathon County. After just two years, their farm is already showing signs of being relatively diverse, even if the enterprises can’t be counted in the dozens.

Justin Thomas and Hannah Frank on their farm in Marathon County, Wis.

 

As the couple’s good-natured argument makes clear, striking items off the wish list hasn’t been easy. But it was a particularly heart-wrenching decision for Frank when it came to one enterprise they had to put into the “no”column: a small dairy. That choice came laced with economic, quality-of-life, emotional, and familial repercussions.

“It’s kind of hard to have a normal conversation about that kind of thing. It’s stressful,” she says. “But when we were doing it as an exercise in the Farm Beginnings class it was really helpful for both of us to kind of lay out the things that we wanted to be happy, to not be totally stressed.”

Local Roots

When she was younger, including anything related to agriculture on a wish list was pretty much out of the question for Frank. In fact, she grew up on a small dairy just across the fence-line from her current farming operation. When she was about 15, her family sold the 32-cow herd because they, like many small dairies, were unable to make it financially anymore.

“I did not want to farm at all,” recalls Frank, 27. “I didn’t really like it, so I didn’t really pay very good attention.”

But she increasingly became interested in the source of her food and how it could be produced in an ecologically healthy manner. There are three well-established organic vegetable operations in her community — Stoney Acres Farm, Cattail Organics, and Red Door Family Farm — proof that a living can still be made in agriculture. Frank eventually majored in agriculture studies with an emphasis on environmental science at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

Thomas, 44, grew up 15 miles away and although he didn’t come from a farming background, always had an interest in plants and vegetables. The couple met while they were both working at Stoney Acres, and eventually set about gaining as much farming experience as possible. Frank was particularly interested in “reviving the family farm” by starting a micro-creamery on her family’s land. She worked at the River Falls dairy plant and got cheesemaking experience at a micro-dairy in western Wisconsin. She and Thomas eventually enrolled in the Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms program and worked on two farms — one in Italy and one in France — that produced farmstead cheese.

Cheese Dreams

At one point, their plan was simple, if a bit full-to-the-brim: launch a micro-dairy and market cheese off the farm, all while raising market vegetables. They had the hands-on production experience in dairy and vegetables down, but knew such an audacious plan would require business acumen as well. Kat Becker, the owner of Cattail Organics, suggested they enroll in LSP’s Farm Beginnings course, which, among other things, provides in-depth training on holistic business planning and goalsetting. During the winter of 2019-2020, the couple drove to the class in Menonomie, Wis., where they were able to crunch the numbers with the help of trainer and northeastern Minnesota farmer Cree Bradley, gather resources on regenerative agriculture, and, perhaps most important of all, run an increasingly lengthy wish list through a gauntlet of questions. Are their markets available in the area? How much infrastructure is involved? What is the up-front investment? Will we enjoy doing the kind of work involved with this kind of enterprise?

“Just how you envisioned your lifestyle, what you wanted your life to be like, in the community and as a person, and what would make you a happy person?” says Frank of the questions they considered during that part of the training. Then, turning to Thomas, she adds, “Just seeing what you had to say in response to those questions was good for us and our relationship. It’s not something that would always come up in conversation if you didn’t actually sit down and talk about it and put it on paper. If we’re mentally broke down by farming, then we definitely can’t do it successfully or well, and then we can’t feed people, and that’s not good.”

Thomas concedes that he had not really had much experience with big-picture, holistic planning. “We just farm and get everything done, and not plan for the future,” he says, explaining his approach to agriculture previously.

The Farm Beginnings course also put them in touch with other farmers who were stepping off the conventional path to make a living in agriculture. Frank and Thomas say that through Farm Beginnings and other groups like Marbleseed and the Savanna Institute, they’ve greatly benefited from visiting various farmers in the region and seeing what they’re doing to make a go of it — warts and all.

“When I see their farms are not perfect, it makes me feel very good in a way, because it’s like, ‘Oh I don’t have to do everything right and I can still be successful and there’s no one set way of doing things,’ ” says Frank. “It makes me feel you don’t have to attain every standard of perfection.”

One question the couple mulled over at length was whether operating a micro-dairy was viable. Eventually, they realized after going through goalsetting and planning that they really like working with plants outdoors. In addition, having a livestock enterprise would tie them down to the farm more than they’d like; they love traveling. Finally, Frank and Thomas found the regulatory, economic, and marketing environment for on-farm cheesemaking not as accommodating in Wisconsin as it is in, say, France.

“It’s very dreamy to make cheese in Europe,” says Frank. “It is not as dreamy here.”

But Frank admits she fantasized for a long time about dairy cows returning to her family’s land.

“People were excited about it, and for awhile I felt like I was letting people down and I felt guilty about it,” she says. “But there’s a reason there’s not a lot of micro-dairies. Going through the Farm Beginnings course, doing the holistic analysis of what we wanted, we realized we shouldn’t do it just to do it. It has to be something that meshes with our lifestyle, that we’re going to be happy doing.”

What they did figure out they’d be happy doing is creating a farm centered around such enterprises as fruit and mushroom production. It turns out those enterprises make sense from a marketing point of view as well. Although there are plenty of vegetables being raised in the neighborhood, farmers’ markets and other outlets lack access to locally produced fruit and mushrooms.

After buying a piece of the original dairy farm, the couple set to work planting an orchard. They put up a deer fence scrounged from a neighbor’s scrap pile, and planted in a former hayfield dwarf and standard apple trees representing 40 or 50 different varieties. They’ve also planted raspberries and currants, and have over 500 mushroom logs — harvested from the property — representing various varieties, including shiitakes.

The farm now has two hoop houses, one built with funding from the USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The EQIP funding was key, given that the hoop house was erected when steel prices were exploding.

The sale of mushrooms through a local farmers’ market and a small Community Supported Agriculture share arrangement has been brisk, and is providing income for the farm at a time when other enterprises are still in the “potential” stage.

Home is Where the Farm is

While providing a tour of their orchard and hoop houses, Frank and Thomas talk about the support they have in the community. Despite some disappointment that cows won’t be milked here, family members are excited to see a new farm business of any type get launched in the neighborhood and have stepped up to help.

Frank’s father has provided tractor support and helped build mushroom tables, all while sharing insights on soil types and local weather. Her mother, Marilyn, owns a local restaurant and has promised to buy what they produce. Community and family are important — Frank points out her father’s parcel next door, as well as land her grandparents long farmed and still live on.

Now the couple represents a new generation rooted in the community’s past, but also bringing in new ideas. After all, the farm’s name — Rue de Bungaloo — combines local family lore with the couple’s love of the chef and foodie icon, Julia Child.

Both work off the farm on neighboring organic vegetable operations. Hannah is at Cattail Organics, and Justin works for Tony Schultz at Stoney Acres Farm, where, as “the most famous waiter in Marathon County,” he helps serve over 300 pizzas during pizza nights. Their eventual goal is to be able to live and work fulltime on their own operation.

One thing that gives them confidence is the network of people they’ve created through Farm Beginnings and right in their own neighborhood — people who see a future in farming. Such a network is of practical importance.

“We have enough people in the area to help stretch plastic on a hoop house,” jokes Thomas.

But there are also bigger, more quality-of-life issues at stake.

“We should make this a community where people want to stay,” says Frank while standing just a few hundred feet from where she grew up. “I hope that’s what we’re working toward doing.”

This profile was originally published in the No. 1, 2023, Land Stewardship Letter.

Category: Farm Beginnings Profiles
Tags: Farm Beginnings • fruit • Hannah Frank • Holistic Management • holistic planning • Justin Thomas • mushrooms • orchard • Rue de Bungaloo Farm

Give it a Listen

On episode 306 of the Land Stewardship Project’s Ear to the Ground podcast, Hannah Frank and Justin Thomas share how Farm Beginnings helped them whittle their enterprise “wish list” down to a sustainable size.

2023-2024 Farm Beginnings Class

LSP is now accepting applications for its 2023-2024 Farm Beginnings course. For details, click here.

Farm Dreams: is Farming in Your Future?

Farm Dreams is designed to help people clarify what motivates them to farm, get their vision on paper, inventory their strengths and training needs, and get perspective from an experienced farmer. To get started, click here and download the Farm Dreams visioning exercise in pdf format.

Upcoming Events

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October 2025

Thursday October 9

5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Minnesota Women in Conservation Fall Learning Circle
Thursday October 9
5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Minnesota Women in Conservation Fall Learning Circle
Dawson, MN 56232, USA

Participants will walk around a “homestead” farm site, exploring areas and goals the landowner hopes to improve in the future, including pollinator habitat, perennial plantings, windbreaks, privacy/noise screens, water quality improvements, well sealing, and compost placements. Participants will hear feedback and recommendations from a conservation professional on potential programs that could assist the landowner in achieving those goals. This will be an active event.

Please bring a camp chair and a potluck dish. The host will provide the main dish, so think about bringing sides and dessert. For details and to reserve a spot, click here. For questions, contact LSP’s Alex Kiminski at akiminski@landstewardshipproject.org.

Friday October 10

8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Weaving a Wider Community: Seeing & Countering Racism in Our Backyard
Friday October 10
8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Weaving a Wider Community: Seeing & Countering Racism in Our Backyard
111 N 1st St, Montevideo, MN 56265, USA

Join LSP and CURE for a community event at the Land Stewardship Project office in Montevideo (111 N. First St.), from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Friday, Oct. 10. This event includes lunch catered by El Mana; please register by Oct. 3 to be included in the food count.

You can RSVP here.

The Racial Equity Conference, organized by the Greater Minnesota Partnership of the Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative, has been specifically designed to bring engaging content to local communities through a unique pairing of online speakers and in-person local sessions. The morning’s online content will include a conversation focused on seeing and countering racism in rural communities, moderated by Eryn Gee Killough, paired with two outstanding keynote speakers, Jenna Grey Eagle and Ron Ferguson, who have experience working in rural communities. 

This online content will be exclusively available to local community gatherings. Each gathering will gear their in-person activity to their specific community with the goal of extending the impact of the conference to others throughout the following year. Join LSP and CURE for this western Minnesota gathering, or if a different location works better for you, check out all the local gatherings on the FREC site,

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out. LSP’s Nick Olson can be reached via e-mail at nicko@landstewardshipproject.org.

9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Intensive Small-Scale Market Gardening Bus Tour
Friday October 10
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Intensive Small-Scale Market Gardening Bus Tour
Leatherdale Equine Center, 1801 Dudley Ave, St Paul, MN 55108, USA

Explore profitable small-scale farming (1–5 acres) and soil care. Visit a cooperative incubator farm and a thriving suburban market garden. Learn about cover crops, reduced tillage, high tunnel soil health, and support for growers.

This is the second tour in a three-part soil health bus tour series. Participants can sign up for just one, two, or all three tours. Register at https://z.umn.edu/vegetablebustours. The cost is $15 (flat fee, covers 1, 2, or 3 tours). There are more details in the attached flyer.

Saturday October 11

11:00 am – 2:00 pm
LSP-COPAL Visita a la Granja | Farm Tour
Saturday October 11
11:00 am – 2:00 pm
LSP-COPAL Visita a la Granja | Farm Tour
36919 County 57 Blvd, Dennison, MN 55018, USA

Building off the success of last year’s farm event with COPAL in Austin, Minn., this year Land Stewardship Project and COPAL members and supporters will gather at the Young-Walser Family Farm in Dennison, Minn. for a festive and delicious farm tour on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. We invite you to come and meet new folks, learn new skills, and try new food! 
 
This year’s COPAL-LSP farm event offers a little something for everyone: 
 
🍯 Honey sampling and the opportunity to purchase from Homestead Honey Farm. 
 
🍎 Apple cider pressing and tasting. (BTW, we’re still looking for an apple press if you or a farmer friend have one nearby we could borrow for this event!) 
 
🌽 Nixtamalization workshop and fresh, homemade tortillas, made with corn grown by LSP and COPAL members at the Young-Walser Family Farm! 
 
🍅 Salsa making and cricket-eating competitions! Yes, you heard that right —we’ll have the opportunity to sample crickets, a delectable crispy and savory snack commonly enjoyed throughout Mexico and Central America. Stay tuned for details on how to enter either competition. 
 
🥾 A tour of the Young-Walser farm, nestled in the beautiful Sogn Valley not far from Cannon Falls, Minn. Enjoy a tromp through the corn and squash fields and hike in the nearby woods. 
 
🌮 A shared meal and opportunity to hear from LSP and COPAL organizers about our participation in the Immigrant Defense Network. 

Let us know you can make it to ensure we order enough food and supplies! Carpools from Minneapolis and Rochester will be available to all attendees. 

________________________________________________

¡Únete a LSP + COPAL para nuestro recorrido anual comunitario en la granja!
Un espacio divertido para tod@s donde exploraremos la agricultura, aprenderemos sobre el campo y participaremos en actividades prácticas. ¡Uno de los momentos más especiales será hacer tortillas frescas junt@s!

Compartiremos un delicioso almuerzo comunitario, preparando tacos en estilo potluck (tipo convivio). Te invitamos a traer un platillo o acompañamiento para compartir.

También estás invitado@ a llegar temprano (desde las 9 AM) para ayudar a cosechar calabazas que sembramos. Puedes llevarte algunas a casa, y el resto se donará a un banco de alimentos local.

El Land Stewardship Project (LSP) es una organización aliada de COPAL que trabaja por sistemas alimentarios y agrícolas más sostenibles y justos. LSP y COPAL están unidas en su lucha por instituciones democráticas sólidas, comunidades saludables y acogedoras, y una ética de cuidado hacia la tierra y las personas que nos alimentan.

Tuesday October 14

11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm
Tuesday October 14
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm
Online

This 10-lesson Wild Farm Alliance virtual course teaches agricultural professionals and farmers how to support beneficial birds and manage pest birds on farms. By learning how to assess the farm’s avian needs and opportunities, farms can be designed to provide for a diversity of beneficial birds. 

If pest birds are a problem, they can be discouraged with specific practices during the shorter periods when they cause damage. The sessions cover the latest research, tools and resources, and are given by experts in avian pest control, entomology, ornithology and conservation. While many topics and species are specific to the Midwest, most of the principles discussed are applicable across regions. 

Continuing Education Credits have been requested and are expected to be approved from American Society of Agronomy.

For details and to register, click here. 

The Course Schedule:

LESSON 1

Why Birds Belong on the Farm: Biodiversity, Pest Control & A Thriving Landscape

Tuesday, September 23, 2 p.m. CT


LESSON 2

Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm

Tuesday, October 14, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 3

Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types

Tuesday, November 4, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 4

Integrating Habitat into Croplands: Prairie Strips and Bird Conservation

Tuesday, December 2, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 5

Birds on the Farm: Balancing Biodiversity and Food Safety

Tuesday, January 13, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 6

Beyond the Crop: Birds, Biodiversity, and the Power of Edge Habitat

Tuesday, February 3, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 7

Bridging Forestry, Farming, and Habitat

Tuesday, February 24, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 8

Perennial Pathways: Agroforestry for Birds and Biodiversity on Farms

Tuesday, March 17, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 9

Birds on the Range: How Grazing Practices Shape Habitat for Grassland Species

Tuesday, April 7, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 10

Birds at Risk: How Pesticides Shape Safety on Agricultural Lands

Tuesday, April 28, 11 a.m. CT

View Full Calendar

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