Located approximately 20 minutes south of Ashland, Wisconsin, in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest is the small, unincorporated town of Highbridge. This is the home of Hermit Creek Farm and owner-operators Landis and Steven Spickerman. Named for a nearby creek that is home to nesting Hermit Thrushes, this Certified Organic farm has been growing food in a “commercial” sense since 1993, when they began selling produce to Ashland’s Chequamegon Food Co-op. In 1995, they expanded to offer CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares that included produce, pork, and lamb.
Whole Foods Co-op began purchasing from Hermit Creek Farm in 2017; they’ve quickly become one of our strongest Local producers. For the past five seasons, they’ve been the Co-op’s primary grower for green beans, green-topped red beets, green onions, bell peppers, chard, and yellow, sweet, and red onions. Their produce is some of the first locally grown spring and summer veggies we share with shoppers.
This past spring, Hermit Creek received a $7,000 Grow Local Food Fund (GLFF) grant, a Whole Foods Co-op program that is funded by shopper round-up donations to support local growers and producers. The farm used the grant money to purchase an onion topper designed to mechanically remove the tops, roots, loose skin, and dirt from onions, a process previously done by hand. This project will help them fully realize their onion crop and expand it.
Steven and Landis find fulfillment in farming: “We really like growing food for people and get a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that hundreds of families across our region sit down to wholesome food from our farm. We also like the variety of daily tasks and the challenge of working with a living system (soil, plants, critters, chemistry, biology, weather, climate). All of these variables make for an infinite set of challenges and likely scenarios that play out across our farm. With having farmed here for over 30 years, we feel we’ve seen nearly every challenge nature can throw at us, from flood (our road closed for four years after the 2016 rain event and subsequent flooding), late and early freezes, hail, wind, drought, etc.”
Hermit Creek Farm’s attention to detail carries all the way to the shelf. Their beautifully bundled produce is easily visible with their distinctive bright yellow and green labels.
As more and more Local seasonal offerings come to market, shoppers will find an extensive selection of Hermit Creek Farm offerings at both Whole Foods Co-op stores. Enjoy!
At Hermit Creek Farm, everything Steven and Landis do is intended to improve the small part of the world they farm and inhabit. Three key phrases stand out as their daily mantra:
We strive to create positive change
Through farming practices, we are providing employees with a livable wage and a safe environment and delivering fresh organic food to the community.
Our primary crop is our soil
This effort began when they converted farmland used for growing conventional GMO corn to Organically certified fields. It continues through planting trees and pollinator habitats. Hermit Creek Farm focuses on building up and preserving the integrity of its land, which ultimately impacts the food they grow in positive ways.
We believe food to be a language spoken by every culture
By providing locally grown organic food, they help others partake in both cultural and biological conservation.