Clover Conversations 01: Lauren Padovano
Hello, friends! Today is a special day. It’s Earth Day! To celebrate, I’m launching A new Interview series called CLOVER CONVERSATIONS.
This is a special monthly interview series featuring a breadth of topics with health and wellness experts, fellow entrepreneurs, creatives + beyond! All in the name of giving you the information AND inspiration to live your most vibrant, intentional, joy filled life!
I know you’ll enjoy this first interview with farmer, Lauren Padovano, of Happy Day Farmhaus. Lauren and her partner Bryan started HDFH in 2018. Below, we chat about all things farming, sustainability and CSAs. I can’t think of a better person to feature on Earth Day. Here’s to eating local and organic! Happy reading!
Lauren, thank you SO much for being our first Clover Conversations guest! We're honored to have you. Let's get right into it, shall we? For those who may not know you or what you do, can you give them an introduction to Happy Day Farmhaus?
Happy to be spending time with you! We’re a small 5-acre farm in Germantown, Wisconsin, and we grow vegetables and flowers using organic practices. My partner, Bryan and I moved back to Wisconsin about four years ago after spending time in the Pacific Northwest, and this will be our second year actually farming the land. It’s taken a bit to get to where we are now, and this whole dream started when we were living out West. Our goal with starting Happy Day Farmhaus was to live more intentionally, being a part of and serving our community in ways that are healthy for our bodies and environment.
I think it's incredibly cool that you have such a deeply rooted tradition of farming in your family! You grew up hearing stories about your Great Grandparent's veggie farm in Menomonee Falls, but did you have an interest in farming as a child? How was this interest in farming cultivated?
I feel like a lot of Wisconsinites have similar family ties to farming. People have told us about their aunt, uncles, cousins, grandparents, or siblings that were dairy or livestock farmers. It’s something so rooted in the culture and history of Wisconsin and it’s crazy to think that we’re a part of it now too. As a kid, my mom would give me a little area in the garden to plant… we’d try carrots, chives and flowers. It’s been a tradition on Mother’s Day to help my mom in the garden. While my dad’s side had that veggie farm you mentioned, it was more with my side of the family where I fell in love with the gardening. I remember my grandpa teaching me how to water a plant at the roots, not to get the leaves wet. And going to farmers markets with my mom. I loved being outside, getting dirty, and long, hot summer days as a kid. That appreciation for the outdoors definitely laid the foundation for wanting to start our farm.
What were you doing prior to Happy Day Farmhaus? Do you have a background in sustainability? What ultimately made you want to become a farmer and what was this process like?
I wish I had a background in sustainability :) But actually I went to school for advertising and public relations, and both our careers in that world helped us start HDFH. So I’m not as well versed in agriculture as most other farmers. It may be my perception, but it seemed like it was when I was in college about ten years ago that awareness of “sustainability” really blew up. These days, I’m taking classes through UW-Madison for plant pathology and diving into certain farm topics in my free time as much as I can. Really though, the best learning I did was as an apprentice on an organic farm out West, and starting our farm has helped us learn a lot really really quick. My path into farming had a lot to do with mixing all our passions together, and we’re still doing lots of homework on sustainability every day.
Your farm focuses on "sustainability vibes". The word sustainability is thrown around a lot and can mean so many things, causing some confusion for the average consumer. What does sustainability mean in terms of farming and how do you practice this at HDFM?
Ahhhh, yes. Nomenclature for products and businesses is such a tough thing. For HDFH, we use organic practices but are not certified. We try and articulate what this means to our customers on our website where we have a whole section on our growing practices. We’re not certified for a bunch of reasons: the expense, the prior land use, the time investment. There’s a saying that “Farms can be organic, but Organic Certification is the record keeping side of it”, and right now we’re working on getting records put together. Using the word sustainable allowed us to open the door to conversations about our farming practices with our customers and community. We don’t use chemicals, we focus on soil health, we add biodiversity to the land through crop rotations, flower and vegetable versatility, and maintain a connection with our community.
You offer a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program through your farm (currently full for the season, congrats!). Can you explain what a CSA is? How does this program work?
A CSA is a way for you (the customer) to buy into a farm’s harvest for an entire growing season. Personally, I think it has so many pluses. It allows you to be part of a farm community for a year-- many farmers will give updates on how the season is going, share recipes and answer any questions. It also allows you to really support and commit to the farm-- as produce grows, having a program of folks ready to receive all the goodies helps farmers plan and invest in the season correctly. Also, since CSA’s are offered in locations accessible for farmers, these programs truly are the definition of buying local and good for the environment-- farmers don’t travel long distances to get you the food and typically don’t use much if any packaging for the item.
CSA’s have been around for a while, especially here in Wisconsin. But they’ve evolved over the years as folk’s grocery buying habits change. We try and give our customers a bunch of options. Our CSA is offered once a week, or every other week. You can pick from the list of available veggies for the week, and build a custom shopping basket. That way, you get items that you want, and maybe leave those unique veggies (like kohlrabi or turnips) for weeks that you’re feeling adventurous.
I know from previous experience at an urban farm in Milwaukee that there's nothing quite like getting your hands in the dirt to have a true appreciation for the food on one's plate. Can you share with us the opportunities you have at HDFH to get more involved? What are ways the community can support you physically as well as monetarily?
Yes! Well, we are a working farm, so our opportunities to dig in are limited to work groups throughout the season. Folks can sign up for those by emailing us, and we then reach out when we have a task coming up that needs a group, for example garlic harvest in July or bean harvesting in the summer. Farms all have different missions, and teaching farms may offer many more opportunities!
As for other ways to get involved:
You can visit the farm during our flower U-Pick season. We’ll have a tulip season coming up, and then our biggest time is when the sunflowers are in bloom in August and September. You’ll get to hang out in the fields, pick flowers and put a bouquet together for $10 a bouquet.
Our CSA (we call it a Farm Share) program opens in February for sign ups, so you can sign up for our newsletter to receive those updates for 2022.
We’ll also be at the Tosa Farmers Market this year, and the Oconomowoc Winter Farmers market. Having friendly faces each week is a great way to get involved and meet farmers.
What is the process like in becoming certified organic? How many years out are you from this certification?
There’s a nice long guide on the Moses Organic website for your spare reading pleasure. Each farm is unique with why they may choose to or not to participate, even if they practice organic methods. Right now, we’re probably about three years out from certification.
What is the difference between regenerative farming and organic farming?
Love this question. Organic is more than just the label on your produce, it’s about how the piece of food your buying is produced. Organic is the practice of soil fertility, promoting biology diversity, rotating animations on pasture, improving the sustainability of the farm system and building community. However, over the years as the organic movement has become a financial powerhouse for businesses, some of these principals have taken a back seat.
My interpretation is that regenerative farming is core of what organic farming is/should be. It takes into account all systems and practices that go into farming. It’s a holistic approach to farming that treats healthy soil as the foundation of good farming, while taking good care of the farmers, farm workers and farm animals who work and live on the land.
Other “labels” to look for are:
Certified Naturally Grown: Certified Naturally Grown farmers don't use synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicide, or GMOs, just like certified organic farmers. The main difference between CNG and organic is our certification model, which relies on peer inspections, transparency, and direct relationships.
Real Organic: maintains a focus on the health of soil, and that produce is grown in soil.
Real organic farming is a circle of endless renewal and it can succeed wherever there is soil.” – Elliot Coleman
For someone who wants to start their own garden, what are some resources you'd recommend? I.E. podcasts, books, websites, etc.
Inspiration-wise, my favorite farm book is Epitaph for a Peach. I love listening to podcasts about farming as well. I check out “Garden Talk” once in a while, it’s a local Wisconsin Public Radio podcast about gardening. It’s super practical and gives great advice to how-tos. I also use the Farmer’s Almanac website a lot for timing and quick questions.
As a plant-based diet advocate, I'm always encouraging others to get more veg onto their plate. With that said, what's your favorite vegetable/s and how do you like to prepare them?
Oh em gee. Kale is still my fave, I thought after growing veggies myself that I’d find a new go-to. But Lacinato Kale, sauteed down with chili flakes, topped onto a sandwich is the bees knees.
When I’m in a pinch and just want some greens, spinach or lettuce mix. We always have it in our fridge. I always prefer to throw together a quick salad, instead of diving into the pantry for something processed. It’s a bit harder to do in winter though, since we don’t grow year-round.
Today is Earth day, with that said, what is one simple step people can take to reduce their environmental footprint?
I would say, spend the day looking at your purchasing decisions through the lens of supporting local. Local usually means less of a carbon footprint in transportation, keeping your monies in your local community and potentially less packaging. This past year of Covid really brought to light the importance of our local food systems. I love seeing Wisconsin, or even Milwaukee-made products on shelves at grocery stores, and they’re usually the first I reach for.
Thanks so much for spending time with us, Lauren!
Want to learn more or get involved with HDFH? Check out their website or IG. They also have the BEST garlic for sale on their website, check it out HERE.
How did this interview land for you? Let us know in the comments below! Have an idea for a topic or guest? Send us an e-mail: hello@cloverwellnessco.com