the only factor in the rise of organic farming . The pandemic and supply chain issues that came along with it also had a big affect on the farming community .
“ With COVID-19 , we saw an unprecedented demand for local produce because people wanted to know where their food was coming from and who was growing it . They wanted a really stable supply of that . Our sales doubled in 2020 ,” Baumann said . “ You ’ ve got supply chain stuff that grocery stores are having . They ’ re struggling to keep products on their shelves . Transportation costs are going up . All these things are lining up to
benefit local producers . The closer consumers are to places that grow their food , the better they ’ re going to be . It ’ s going to be healthier , it ’ s going to taste better , it ’ s going to be fresher , and in the long run it ’ s probably going to be cheaper .”
Sustainability is something the farmers at Lazy Eight strive for . The farm ’ s energy is completely solar powered and uses biomass hydronic heating ( dead fall trees on the farm and are cut into firewood and burnt in a biomass heater ) for the greenhouses on the land . Riparian areas are even created for wildlife on the land .
“ We kind of wanted to promote a type
of farming that could be continued . It kind of ties into the organic thing . Promoting organic products – stuff that can be resilient ,” Baumann said . “ We try to take conservation practices and ecological diversity – when you put those things together you can create a true ecosystem . You just have to create the right conditions .”
That infinity symbol or “ lazy eight ” is a perfect crest to describe the very mission of the farm – an ecosystem that can go on forever .
“ It ’ s like the “ lazy eight ” is an eight laying down . It ’ s an infinity sign . It ’ s suggestive of all these things we do ,” Baumann .
18 Madison Magazine September - October 2022