Wilfert Farms LLC

At Wilfert Farms in Manitowoc County, WI, they love to advocate for Agriculture. “America does agriculture better than anyone else in the world,” and Ryan Wilfert. “I’ve grown up with it and see first-hand how vital it is to our local community.” Wilfert Farms, LLC is the largest fresh market farm in East Central Wisconsin. The operation includes cash crops, processing carrots, along with fresh market fruits and vegetables. Dave and Terri Wilfert, share ownership of this legacy with the 5th generation of the family; their son, Ryan, and daughter, Kelly.  

Science, precision and technology play major roles on today’s farms. Ryan said, “implementing some of these new discoveries helps us keep the farm going and improving every year.” Seeing results is the fun part of farming for him and it’s important to see a quality product being produced. According to Ryan’s mom, Terri, they will typically have anywhere from 800-1,200 cars a day at the peak of season stopping at their fresh market. She enjoys interactions with the customers every season. One customer that they enjoyed seeing maybe just a little more than the others was the former player, Brett Favre. Having a big-name sports celebrity at their farm was a lot of fun for this family of sports fans that are season ticket holders for the Packers and enjoy cheering on the Wisconsin Badgers. 

Wilfert Farms, LLC was awarded ‘Small Business of the Year for 2016’ by The Chamber of Manitowoc County. They were recognized for being very community involved. They contribute over 10,000 pounds of food to local pantries every year. Dave’s involvements include; Director for the Manitowoc Chamber of Commerce, FFA Alumni, Mishicot Ag Advisory Board and the Mishicot High School Advanced Career Placement Board. Dave enjoys having the opportunity to work with youth and see them be successful in agriculture. Terri is on the State FFA Alumni counsel, Board of Wisconsin Fresh Marketing Vegetable Growers Association, FSA committee, and the Farmers Market committee. Ryan is a member of the Manitowoc County UW Ag Alumni Board and FFA Alumni (State & National). Kelly is attending law school in Madison, strengthening her role with the farm and agriculture issues. 

We heard many reasons why people go to Wilfert Farms including: It’s a family tradition; Buying fresh is the trendy thing to do; I want to answer my kid’s questions by showing them “Where do carrots come from?”. No matter the reason, you will enjoy your visit. Thank you for taking time to share some of the Wilfert Farms’ story with us. Your love for agriculture spreads joy to so many through the products you produce. From children with berry stained faces to parents with sweet corn stuck between their teeth, we all thank you for what you do!

Farmer Friday...post #37. To show our appreciation to our producer members, Country Visions Cooperative will be giving a snapshot look of our customers and their operations in this feature each Friday