Hermsdorf Farms is not your average farmer’s market vendor—for more reasons than one.

Many vendors are not actually in the city limits of Madison, but Hermsdorf Farms sits less than ten miles from the Monroe Street Farmer’s Market. In fact, Madison’s eastern city limits run directly through the farm, with about a quarter of the farm’s total 270 acres belonging to Madison.

But that’s just one way that Hermsdorf Farms sets itself apart from others. Unlike many other produce vendors, Dean Hermsdorf, head of Hermsdorf Farms, follows a strict chilling process to ensure that his produce is perfect every time.

Within one hour of being harvested, Dean’s sweet corn is put under refrigeration (a highly specific 38 degrees,) which helps prevent deterioration of the crop. In fact, if you visit their stand at the Monroe Street Farmers Market in the morning, what you're buying will probably still be cold.

Sweet corn that isn’t chilled in this way can lose much of its flavor and have a shorter life expectancy. Because of this, the Hermsdorfs urge you to refrigerate it as soon as possible after buying.

Not only does Dean work to perfect every crop through refrigeration, he is also always working to improve. He constantly experiments with the crops he puts in the ground, testing new growing methods against old to make sure his method is the best.

Dean doesn’t do it all alone though -- Hermsdorf Farms is a family farm through and through. His two children, Emma and Josh, both grew up active in 4-H and now help their dad run Hermsdorf Farms. Both in their early 20s, they are working to become nurses when they aren’t working on the farm.

In fact, farming runs in the Hermsdorf family. A fifth generation family farm, it was founded by German immigrants who landed in Milwaukee, WI in 1880. Dean’s grandparents began selling milk, eggs and poultry from a horse-drawn cart. Dean himself used to milk cattle, but has now been growing his fresh produce and famous sweet corn for over 20 years.

Hermsdorf Farms has been a vendor at the Monroe Street Farmer’s Market since 2015. Aside from their famous sweet corn, Hermsdorf Farms will also be selling green beans at the market this upcoming Sunday. The following week, look out for cucumbers and summer squash, and at the end of July for tomatoes, bell peppers, cantaloupe and watermelon.

Make sure to visit the Monroe Street Farmer’s Market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays to shop Hermsdorf Farms and other amazing vendors.

Ben and Mel Dickinson. Photo taken by Twig and Olive.

“Our goal is that for everything that we use or touch, we leave it better than we started with.”

For married couple Ben and Mel Dickinson, this commitment to bettering their surroundings, coupled with their passions for food and nutrition, led them to create Unconventional Acres--a farm with regenerative agricultural practices focused on the wellbeing of the land and animals around them.

“We only have one planet. No matter what we do we’re trying to give back to the land and trying to improve.”

— Mel Dickinson

Based in Arena, Wisconsin, Unconventional Acres will be available for online orders at the Monroe Street Farmer’s Market this season, offering grass-fed, pasture-raised beef and pork. Unable to be at the market in-person because Mel is in her third trimester of pregnancy, they offer same-day delivery for orders placed before 12:45 p.m.

Both Wisconsin natives, Ben and Mel met in Milwaukee and lived there for five years before moving out west to Colorado. With a shared love for cooking and Mel’s passion for nutrition, the couple decided to begin growing their own food.

“I started to delve into the quality of our food and where it came from; how it’s grown or prepared really interested me,” Melissa explained. “We thought we were gonna do homesteading and do our own proteins and veggies and the whole nine yards, and then we got into it and decided that we really liked it.”

After eight and a half years in Colorado, the couple decided to move back to their home state of Wisconsin and transfer their homestead into a small farm. Inspired by the local food movement in Colorado, Melissa and Ben wanted to provide food for their community and give back to the land around them.

Both first-generation farmers, Melissa and Ben are growing Unconventional Acres rapidly and consider themselves to be very much “under construction.” Despite it’s new status, and doing everything on their own, Unconventional Acres is integrating many modern agricultural practices to improve the environment around it.

“We only have one planet,” Melissa exclaimed. “No matter what we do we’re trying to give back to the land and trying to improve.”

Unconventional Acres utilizes silvopasture to restore and rejuvenate their forest into a usable habitat for their animals. Prioritizing animal welfare, Melissa and Ben practice free handling and on-farm harvests of their livestock.

“Seeing the wildlife come back and the biodiversity and the cattle thrive in the forest--it’s an amazing thing,” Melissa said. “We really care about our land--we absolutely love our land.”

Unconventional Acres just restocked at the start of July, so their grass-fed beef and pork will be available at the market this weekend. Processed cuts of pork, like bacon and sausage, will be available in a few weeks.

When speaking about what she is most excited for in the future, Mel explained, “being able to connect with the community and provide them with a source of protein that they can know and trust.”

For more information on Unconventional Acres, visit their website: unconventionalacres.com

Follow their Instagram: @unconventional_acres and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unconventionalacres