Winterspring Farm: Fresh, Organic Produce and Community-Supported Agriculture

The West Bend-based organic agriculture farm specializes in growing a wide array of vegetables and herbs that feed families across the Greater Milwaukee Area

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Eat/Drink

At Winterspring Farm, food is the foundation for the symbiotic relationship between the land and the community. The West Bend-based organic agriculture farm specializes in growing a wide array of vegetables and herbs that feed families across the Greater Milwaukee Area by way of the farm’s community-supported agriculture (CSA) program, annual seedling sale and appearances at local farmers markets. While Riveredge Nature Center down the road owns the land Winterspring leases, Caleb Trainer and Roxanne Ramirez co-run the farm.

Across eight acres, Winterspring Farm comprises several fields and plots as well as hoop houses and a greenhouse. Named for its two artisanal wells on-site that allow the farm to grow longer into the season, Winterspring features an irrigation system that can get everything watered in two days. As far as eco-conscious practices go, the farmers use National Organic Program (NOP) standards, fitting their crops with insect netting while spraying less pesticides. They do only limited tillage, strictly use organic fertilizers, engage in mulching and crop rotations, and use landscape fabrics designed to stop erosion. While many growers wage war on weeds, Trainor tries to work in harmony with them, noting, “I believe that they serve a function with the ecology of the soil and holding things down.”

Trainor affirms, “I have a big belief in smaller scale farms because of the resiliency factor of being able to pivot. When you have a scaled farm, systems are usually more limiting. We have over a hundred different plantings in the ground right now, so if one fails, it’s not a big deal and we can make different decisions. The amount you can crank out of a small farm is really amazing. I would like to see a lot of one-to-four-acre farms.”

Collective Work

Including Trainor and Ramirez, Winterspring is run by a team of seven with additional help from folks who come via a work share program for a few hours every week. “The people who collectively work and choose to be in the community here are a big motivator for me,” Trainer continues. “There’s a lot to go around, but the larger you scale as a farm, the margins get slimmer, and it’s usually the workers who suffer the most in those situations.”

In terms of certified organic vegetables, Winterspring’s best sellers are its cherry tomatoes and lettuce mixes. Its repertoire also includes fennel, kale, kohlrabi, brussels sprouts, celeriac, spinach, beets, beans, peas and choy, plus rarer chicory varieties like frisée and radicchio. Herbs grown include basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, dill, cilantro, mint, chives and lemon balm. The full produce guide is available here.

Winterspring’s CSA program works like a subscription to its vegetables and herbs, running 20 weeks from June through October. Once someone opts in, they may pick up their weekly or biweekly box at locations in Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, Greenfield, West Bend, Cedarburg, Mequon or Port Washington. The program currently serves approximately 300 families, according to Trainor. “It’s just a diverse mix of whatever’s the freshest out of the field that week. If lettuce or kohlrabi are good, then that’s what’s in the box.” The farm also has a fall share that runs October through November.

Donating to Community

Trainor and Ramirez can be found vending at the West Bend and Fox Point farmers market throughout the year plus Port Washington in winter. Their annual seedling sale takes place in May, with Trainor mentioning that this year’s was the best yet. Ramirez recommends recipes from partner Better with Lexi on the farm website adapted to whichever crops are being harvested at that time. Though the USDA cancelled more than $1 billion last year in local food purchasing for schools and food banks, Winterspring continues to donate as much produce as they can to community organizations like Nourish MKE, Ozaukee Food Alliance and Casa Guadalupe.

In addition to Winterspring operations, Ramirez occasionally offers workshops on topics like getting started with herbs, mushroom cultivation, backyard chickens, vermicomposting and running a community or school-run garden. She also engages in public speaking events, including about AI data center water usage, which has threatened local water access on top of there currently being a drought.

Trainor and Ramirez met in 2015 and had previously been involved with World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). Originally known as Wellspring, the farm was a nonprofit organization when Trainor came on as farm manager in 2016, with Ramirez joining as education director the following year. Wellspring transitioned from nonprofit to LLC in 2020 when it was renamed Winterspring Farm. While Trainor handles the farm’s field and greenhouse management, bookkeeping and customer service, Ramirez takes care of herb production, deliveries, social media and marketing.

Things at Winterspring will soon change as Trainor recently purchased land in nearby Allenton, where the farm will be moved in 2028. He explains, “We’ve spent the last several years really working to build greenhouses and hopefully have it turnkey ready by the time our lease is up here. Everything here has to move, and it’s a lot of stuff.” The new farm will be 29 acres—almost five times the size of the current campus. In addition to organic agriculture, part of the land will be focused on conservation projects like woodland and wetland restoration. There are also hopes to introduce a “tree-range” project that puts junglefowl back into wild habitats they like and belong in.

For more information or to get in touch, visit the Winterspring Farm website.