About Four Winds Farm
Preserving a Piece of Fitchburg Legacy
Origins
History of the Land
Four Winds Farm recognizes its location within ancestral territory of the Ho-Chunk people: Teejop, or “Four Lakes.” Decades of forced removal began in the 1830s, but the Ho-Chunk proved resilient and continued returning to Wisconsin. Many settled on 40-acre homesteads, with no protected “rights to hunt, fish, or gather on their ceded lands.”1
Today, Four Winds Farms draws inspiration from the deep cultural connection the Ho-Chunk people had with the land, and is taking steps to ensure it will be a place for community, celebration, and connection with nature and agriculture for future generations.
1 – “Ho-Chunk Treaties and Treaty Rights” https://www.mpm.edu/content/wirp/ICW-105
In the post-colonial era, this farm has been under the stewardship of only three families. Philip Barry, son of Michael and Mary who emigrated from Ireland in the 1840s, was in possession of the property until the 1930s. Barry served several terms as Town Chair for Fitchburg.
The farm then passed into the hands of the Doerfer family, who managed the property as a thriving dairy farm for nearly 100 years.
In 2017, Mary Ann McKenzie took ownership of the property, beginning the transformation that continues today. Protecting and restoring the land’s wild spaces is a priority, as is managing the farm’s agricultural activity through the tenets of sustainability and permaculture.
The barn has been restored and modernized, becoming a space for the community to gather for arts, culture, and celebration.
Four Winds is a working farm dedicated to producing high-quality agricultural products that are good for people and the land.
With soil health and longevity in mind, farmers here use permaculture and rotational grazing practices to produce hops, Kernza®, wool, and pasture-raised lamb.
Beyond stewarding our staple crops, farm work at Four Winds is highly diversified. A walk around the property will reveal prairies, oak savannah, silvopasture, orchards, lavender beds, an apiary, and annual herb, flower, and vegetable gardens.
We take pride in the bountiful oasis we are establishing here and the ways we share it with our community. Seasonal harvests can be enjoyed at one of our many farm-to-table events hosted throughout the year. Goods like honey, Kernza® flour, wool, and eggs can also be purchased at the Four Winds Farm Store.
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