Dela Ends in Brodhead, Wisconsin

Dela Ends (64) is a cheese maker, a mother, an organic farmer, and an activist. We’re in awe of the work she’s done for women in agriculture.

For over 24 years, she and her husband had a certified organic farm (27 acres) and CSA in Rock County, Wisconsin (Scotch Hill Farm) where they grew a wide variety of vegetables and raised dairy goats, sheep, poultry, pigs and their 5 children. They recently sold their farm to their son, Micah and bought a large house down the road which became Innisfree Farm Stay, a retreat center and Airbnb (click here). Micah and his wife, Miranda are now operating M&M Dairy Goats LLC.

Along with her other farm work, Dela makes cheese and teaches cheese making workshops in her home. She contacted us a few weeks ago about this and we posted her note in our September Moos-Letter. She told us she uses our Mozzarella Kit in her workshops and she thinks our Say Cheese book is awesome (thank you, Dela!)

She has been making cheese at home for her family, farm interns and CSA members for many years. Aside from vinegar cheese, everything she has made with surplus goat milk on the farm has come from us (New England Cheese Supply):

Primarily I’ve made soft cheeses and yogurt. You’ve made cheese making easy and fun for me. People think I’m super talented but really it’s your cultures that make great cheese. I just make it look pretty with edible flowers and herbs.

When she isn’t making cheese, baking bread, making soap, pickling, canning and dehydrating produce, hosting overnight guests and events, she manages to be involved in almost every organization there is to support women farmers.

The Soil Sisters

Dela is one of the founding member of the fabulous Soil Sisters – a group of women farmers in Wisconsin who first got together 10 years ago to share common interests.

They started with a potluck in the winter, inviting all the women they knew in their area. Then, it expanded by those women inviting women they knew. They are very informal in terms of organization – no officers or dues – just friends.

Dela explained to us how anyone can start their own chapter of the group:

We encourage women to start similar groups in their area and that is starting to happen.

Because we feel it is important to know and support the women in your area, we have around a half dozen potlucks a year at different women farms. Nothing is better than gathering for a wonderful meal, sharing some wine and beer and talking with each other about life. These potlucks have been very educational, supportive and bonding. From those first gatherings 10 years ago with 8 women, we started a list serve which is at least 250 women now. About seven years ago we began our summer farm tours, workshops, farm to table meals and classes.

It’s a great group. We have fun and also tackle serious issues. We are a good example of what happens when women share, cooperate and collaborate. We are all ages from children to seventies.

Note: For a good article about getting started (click here).

Dela and the other women chose to get involved in the politics of food and their activism has had a big impact on the organic farming scene in Wisconsin. (We’re not saying they are entirely responsible for this, but Wisconsin actually leads the country in organic farm production.)

Every year, the Soil Sisters host a weekend of workshops, activities and farm tours. Dela taught a home cheese making workshop at this summer’s event and it was sold out whey in advance. She had 18 participants from all around the country. The next weekend will be August 2-4, 2019.

Helping overseas

Dela has been involved with many other organizations to help women farmers. She and her husband, Tony have even traveled to Africa several times with the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA/CLUSA) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Legal action

One of her most important achievements was a court case she won in 2016. She and two other Soil Sisters – Kriss Marion and Lisa Kiviriest (dubbed the “Cookie Crusaders”) sued the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture to make it legal for people to sell their baked goods directly to customers (at farmer’s markets, CSAs, etc).

Dela was motivated on a personal level, partly because had both her knees replaced and she needed a way to make income that was less vigorous than working in the fields. With the help of the Institute for Justice, they won their court case in 2017 (click here). Now, Dela can include baked goods (like her fabulous cinnamon buns) with the other items she sells to her CSA customers.

Just a few of the many organizations she participates in:

Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES)
(secretary and host of many “In Her Boots” workshops)

Wisconsin Farmers Union South Central Chapter
(founding board member & secretary) Dela and the other Soil Sisters started this chapter 5 years ago and it has become the fastest growing chapter in the state.

FairShare CSA Coalition
(served 7 years on the board)

Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training
(helped launch) For a decade, they trained interns on their farm for this organization.

Women Food and Agriculture Network (WFAN)
(attends regional conferences)

As Dela told us, “Never underestimate the power of a few motivated women gathered around great local food and a few bottles of wine.”

Contact info

Innisfree Airbnb

Scotch Hill Farm & Innisfree Farmstay

17310 W Footville Brodhead Rd
Brodhead, WI 53520

(608) 897-4288

dela@scotchhillfarm.com

Soil Sisters website – https://soilsisters.wixsite.com/soilsisters

Soil Sisters facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/SoilSisters/