VIDEO: Fresh From Their Family Farm to Your Front Door

After leaving their corporate jobs behind, Riverwoods residents Jamie and David Baker decided to take up farming instead.

“Food travels about 2,000 miles to get to our refrigerators,” Baker said. “That’s pretty irresponsible we felt.”

So, the couple bought 83 acres of land in Belleville, WI, and transformed it into a community supported agriculture (CSA) farm.

“What it means is we sign up families as subscribers for a season; then every week during the growing season, they get a delivery,” Baker said.

The Bakers make weekly trips back to the North Shore and drop off boxes filled with fresh fruits and vegetables for residents to enjoy. The concept revolves around families being able to buy directly from local farmers.

“This is a movement that started in the '60s, worked its way to New England in the '80s and by the time we started it was in the Midwest,” Baker added. 

But just because CSA has become more popular doesn’t mean it’s easy. The Bakers had to go back to school and learn how to actually farm. They also had to start from scratch when it came to purchasing equipment, tools and hiring personnel. Plus, with two daughters still at Stevenson High School, they're clocking long hours commuting back and forth, with Belleville being about 130 miles from their Riverwoods home. 

To find out more about the Bakers' life on the farm and community supported agriculture, click on the video link above.

Editors Note: This is the second part of a series on community supported agriculture and the Bakers’ farm in Wisconsin. to find out why the Bakers originally made the choice to switch from the corporate world to a farming lifestyle. Stay tuned to hear from a Deerfield resident who signed up for the program on Friday. Plus, a final piece will explore how the Bakers’ religious beliefs have affected their farming techniques on Saturday.