Summer 2026 Impact Update
Rooted in Community, Growing Together
As summer hits its peak, the Food + Farm Exploration Center in Plover, Wisconsin, is buzzing with life and activity. From welcoming eager campers and families through our doors to preparing for upcoming community events and hands-on educational experiences, this season is a beautiful reminder of the many ways people connect with the story of food and agriculture.
Keep reading to hear our updates on recent program milestones, upcoming community fundraisers, and the profound, real-world impact your generosity continues to make across our community. Thank you for being an indispensable part of the Food + Farm story!
Rooted in Gratitude 2026: Join the Celebration
We are excited for our inaugural, premier annual gathering, Rooted in Gratitude (RIG), on Thursday, September 17th. Bringing together community leaders, agricultural champions, and generous supporters like you, this evening celebrates the stories, innovations, and hard work that sustain our world. Funds raised during this vital event directly power our immersive education programs and statewide outreach initiatives.
Nominations are now officially closed, and we are incredibly excited to honor six remarkable Wisconsin women in agriculture as part of our celebration! You can learn more about the diverse award categories and the inspiration behind this year’s theme by visiting our Award Nomination Page.
You’re invited to join us for an incredible evening of impact—celebrate with incredible stories, delicious farm-to-table fare, and exciting activities.
A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Sponsors
An evening of this scale is only possible through the dedicated support of our corporate and community partners. We want to extend our deepest gratitude to our 2026 Rooted in Gratitude sponsors:
Harvest Champion: Alacrity Wealth Advisors
Innovator: Heartland Farms & Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA)
Cultivator: Progressive Ag
Ag Advocate: Prevail Bank
Seedlings: Volm Companies, Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board, & Wisconsin Women for Ag
Sprouts: Ellingson Companies, Gerald & Dorothy Volm Foundation, Inc., & Simplicity Credit Union
Be part of this special evening, celebrate our honorees, and help us continue our educational mission.
Farm to Fairway Golf Outing
Our annual Farm to Fairway Golf Outing is one of the most enjoyable ways to support the Center while networking with agricultural and community leaders. If you aren't hitting the greens with a team, you can still participate in this great event! Individual dinner tickets are now available, allowing you to join us for the post-tournament evening celebrations, networking, and dinner.
Thank You to Our Farm to Fairway Sponsors
We are incredibly proud to partner with a stellar lineup of organizations dedicated to agricultural literacy:
Presenting Sponsor: Pointe Precision
Dinner Sponsors: Central Door Solutions & Compeer Financial
Lunch Sponsors: EAU & Midwest Food Products Association
Ball Sponsor: Baker Tilly
Beverage Cart Sponsors: E-Con Electric & Findorff
Raffle Table Sponsor: PSOL Technology
Cart Sponsors: Alacrity Wealth Advisors, Hooper Corporation & Wildcard Corp
Occupied Hole Sponsors: AgCountry Farm Credit Services, Ellingson Companies, Key Savings Bank, Midwest Food Products Association, Noble Community Clinics, Prevail Bank, Schierl Tire and Auto Service, Solarus, Stevens Point Brewery & Vista Financial Strategies
Putting Green Sponsors: Edward Jones, M3 Insurance & Thrivent - Joshua Anderson
Basic Hole Sponsors: MetLife, Okray Family Farms & Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association
Want to secure your organization's presence at the outing?
We still have hole sponsorships available! You can find more information and secure your sponsorship through our Farm to Fairway Info Page.
A Historic Kickoff: Summer U-Pick Recaps
Nothing connects people to the land quite like harvesting their own food. Our Demonstration Fields have been bustling with community harvesters during our first two U-Pick days of the summer, setting incredible new attendance milestones:
June 23rd Green Peas: We welcomed 450 friends and neighbors for a surprise, early-season pop-up pea harvest.
July 7th Red Norland Potatoes: An incredible 816 people joined us out in the rows to dig fresh potatoes.
Real farming comes with real challenges, and we ran into a true farming hurdle at our potato harvest when our mechanical harvester broke down! But in true Wisconsin fashion, our amazing community didn't miss a beat. Thank you to everyone who rolled up their sleeves, embraced the authentic experience, and got extra dirty harvesting potatoes the old-fashioned way.
U-Pick Sponsors
Our community harvest days remain free and accessible to the public thanks to these generous sponsors:
Seeder: WOW – WE CARE CHARITY, INC.
Sponsor: Sanford Health-Marshfield Clinic Health System
Bounce House: Findorff and Festival Foods
Don't miss our next two harvests! Mark your calendars and learn more about our upcoming crop dates:
Honoring Philanthropy
Flagpole Dedication Ceremony
On Tuesday, July 7th, we celebrated a special milestone with the official Dedication and First Flag Raising Ceremony for our beautiful new flagpole area. This spectacular addition to our campus was made possible through a generous donation from Nick and Dianne Somers of Plover River Farms.
It was an honor to welcome members of our community, donors, and partners to share in the ceremony. Coinciding with our potato U-Pick, the evening provided a wonderful opportunity for our supporters to experience the magic of our community programs firsthand as hundreds of local families filled the fields.
Notably, this beautiful new landmark will also serve as a key focal point as the Center looks forward to participating in America's 250th anniversary celebrations, honoring the deep-rooted agricultural history that built our nation.
Outreach Impact
Seeds of Connection in the Classroom
Our education team regularly travels off-site to bring the wonders of agriculture directly into local classrooms, and we are proud to offer these at no cost to schools located within 45 miles of the Food + Farm Exploration Center. Mary Pat, one of our dedicated education team members, recently shared a heartwarming story from her school outreach that perfectly captures why your support matters
"I was doing an outreach presentation about corn to 4K students at a local elementary school. Having completed five classes, I was heading into my sixth and final room of the day. I knew it was going to be a challenging class, as several of the children required accommodations.
I walked into the classroom dressed in my corn costume, and a little boy immediately whispered, 'Corn!' It wasn't loud, but I heard him, and his teacher did too.
Surprised, she asked, 'Louis, what did you say?' That was the moment I realized who this little guy was—and that he was a non-speaking autistic student. It deeply surprised both of us that he had spoken! He pointed at me again and repeated, 'Corn.'
Throughout the presentation, Louis was fascinated by the live corn plant I had brought with me. He sat by it the entire time, gently touching the leaves. Knowing that children on the autism spectrum often crave sensory input, I let him explore.
He listened to the story and actively participated in our activities. In fact, when we asked the students to place corn seeds along the lines of their initials to count them, Louis counted them out loud for his teacher. She was incredibly impressed. To see a child who struggles to engage participate so fully, speak out loud, and find genuine joy in learning was absolutely thrilling."
This is the power of sensory, interactive agricultural education. When you support Food + Farm, you aren't just funding programs—you are giving students of all abilities the opportunity to connect with the world in ways they never have before.
You can learn more about our wide range of educational programs, from interactive on-site field trips to downloadable classroom resources, on our Education Program Page.
Join the Friends of Exploration Giving Club
Interactive learning, community harvests, and inclusive classroom outreach are only possible because of dedicated individuals like you. We invite you to join our Friends of Exploration Giving Club. Whether it is a one-time gift or a sustaining monthly contribution, your generosity directly funds transformative, interactive educational experiences for learners of all ages.