Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz
A podcast about positive things happening in and around Washington County, Wisconsin
Season 3•Episode 0109•April 16, 2024

Richfield Farmers Market with Judy Greenfield

15MWF - Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz podcast cover art for Season 3, Episode 31 titled ‘Richfield Farmers Market w/ Judy Greenfield.’ The background includes names of various locations within Washington County, emphasizing the local focus of the podcast. A photo of Judy Greenfield, smiling and standing in an indoor setting, is placed in the center.

New this summer: A farmers market is coming to Richfield. Judy Greenfield joins me this week to discuss the all-new Richfield Farmers Market. We discuss how the idea for the farmers market came to by, why Richfield, and what you can expect in the market’s first year.

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    [00:00:00] Fuzz Martin: Well, well, well, if it isn’t another week, and even though it’s just getting started, I hope it’s going well for you. Hello, you wonderful person. My name is Fuzz Martin, and this is a show that I like to call Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz. You can call it that, too. On this show, we feature positive things that have happened in and around Washington County.

    And by things, I mean people, organizations, places, businesses, and a bunch of other whatnots. On this week’s show, I’m joined by Judy Greenfield. Judy is the founder of the all new Richfield Farmer’s Market, which kicks off its inaugural year this year. How exciting is that? Also, totally just realized that my guest’s name is Judy Greenfield, and we’re talking about a farmer’s market.

    Green, field, Farmer’s Market. How cool and fun is that? We’ll put all that nonsense aside and get on with the show. With that, here are 15 minutes on the Richfield Farmers Market with Judy Greenfield on Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz.

    Alright, Judy, thank you for joining me today. So we’re here to talk about the all new Richfield Farmers Market. What got you inspired to start a farmer’s market in Richfield?

    [00:01:24] Judy Greenfield: So it goes back to my childhood. I’m actually a military brat.

    [00:01:27] Fuzz Martin: Okay.

    [00:01:28] Judy Greenfield: And I grew up in Germany and I graduated from high school in Belgium.

    So in both of those places, farmer’s markets are a normal thing. It’s just there. It’s been there for hundreds of years. So then, you know, when I, when I came to Wisconsin, I noticed Wisconsin is very into farmer’s markets, but not in Richfield. And I always wondered why, and I always thought, okay, somebody’s going to open one here for sure.

    So 10 years went by in a blink of an eye and still, you know, there wasn’t one opened. And, last summer. My husband and I, we started traveling all over Wisconsin and going to farmer’s markets. But there was one particular one in Sheboygan that just got me. It was, you know, a beautiful June day. We were there with the kids, having a great time.

    And I just stopped and I said, why don’t we have one in Richfield? And I’m like, I should start one. My husband and my daughter, they’re like, do it, do it. So I laughed, you know, we got back home and the thoughts swirled around in my head for a while, but I really didn’t, didn’t act on it. Then I had, I had read something that was pretty profound.

    It said, if you want, You know, an excellent life, you have to create it. And it touched me so deeply. And so I said, you know what, I’m going to do it.

    [00:02:53] Fuzz Martin: Excellent. And so here we are today talking about it. It’s actually kind of the same way this podcast started because I was so, I was on social media during the pandemic and I was seeing all like the negative comments and people getting at each other’s throats.

    And I’m like, I really wish there was something more positive for people to consume. And, and then I was like, well, if I’m going to say that I should probably act upon it. So that’s why we started this show in order to try to bring out the positive things happening in the area. So, and, and again, that’s why we’re here to talk about this.

    So you are starting the Richfield Farmer’s Market. Can you give us a little bit of the process behind starting something like this? I assume it’s a lot of work.

    [00:03:34] Judy Greenfield: Oh my goodness. I had no idea what, you know, it would entail. The very first thing I did was I approached the village and I said, Is anyone wanting to do this?

    And if I do it, how does a village feel about it? And they were very supportive, but we all knew that because this was new, there would be many things that would have to take place. And I would say from that conversation to when it got approved by the village was about 40 or so meetings.

    [00:04:03] Fuzz Martin: Oh really?

    Okay.

    [00:04:03] Judy Greenfield: With many different groups, with the village, with the historical society, with, you know, some vendors. With, the Department of Public Works. So there’s a lot more involved than I could ever imagine.

    [00:04:16] Fuzz Martin: Sure. And I saw you have a website up. Yes. Getting all that going. Now is, and then starting the business side of that as well, right?

    There’s a lot involved.

    [00:04:27] Judy Greenfield: Yeah, so. We are operating as a non profit.

    [00:04:30] Fuzz Martin: Okay, that’s even more layers.

    [00:04:32] Judy Greenfield: So, one of the things that I did was I had to go to the parks department meetings.

    [00:04:38] Fuzz Martin: Mm hmm.

    [00:04:39] Judy Greenfield: And my very first meeting, I’ll never forget it, you know, I just came in to see, hey, what do they think of this idea?

    And they all were so on board, they had a million questions and I was kind of like a deer in headlights, but it let me know that, you know what? There’s real interest. There’s support behind this. And that was kind of the fuel that I needed to really, you know, go with this idea. And then, you know, it seemed like people came out of the woodworks to help me and a farmer’s market board was formed.

    Okay. And the experience of the people in this group is just unbelievable. We have a former CPA, we have a project manager who is also a vendor at another market. We had someone who just graduated college with, you know, a focus on environmentalism. So, between the four of us, It’s been fantastic.

    [00:05:33] Fuzz Martin: Great. Yeah, it sounds like you’ve got a great team there and you’d mentioned the parks department So is the farmers market can be located in one of Richfields parks?

    [00:05:42] Judy Greenfield: Yes, it’s gonna be located at Nature Park and originally that is not where I wanted it to be So that’s kind of a funny story. I wanted it to be at Heritage Park Which is right by Village Hall, but there’s so many sports going on there right now. So, and it, they operate all throughout the summer and that’s when we would want to have the farmer’s market.

    So, the village suggested what about Fireman’s Park? There wasn’t a lot of room for growth or parking over there, so that wasn’t a good You know, location and then out of the woodworks, the Richfield Historical Society said, you know what? How about us? How about over here? Which I didn’t even think was a possibility and they were so warm and welcoming.

    And so we explored that area and that’s where we ended up landing the nature. Park part of the park

    [00:06:30] Fuzz Martin: and where’s that at?

    [00:06:31] Judy Greenfield: So that is at right off of Highway 164. It’s 1894, Wisconsin 164 in Richfield.

    [00:06:40] Fuzz Martin: Okay, so you have your park. You’ve got the village on board. We’re starting to talk about it. So when is the farmers market officially going to open in Richfield?

    [00:06:49] Judy Greenfield: It’s going to open June 1st. We’re going to open most Saturdays until the end of October.

    [00:06:55] Fuzz Martin: What kind of vendors do you expect to have? And I assume you’re already getting vendors signed up for this, right?

    [00:07:00] Judy Greenfield: Yes, we already have a good number of vendors. The type of vendors that we have, it’s going to be a producer’s market.

    So, all over Wisconsin, there’s different kinds of farmer’s markets. Some allow mass manufactured goods from stores, some don’t, they’re all different. We decided for ours, that’s not the vision we wanted to go with, so it’s producer’s only, which means you have to grow it, you have to make it, create it, bake it.

    [00:07:26] Fuzz Martin: Sure, so you have a big selection of obviously produce and fruits and Crafts and other goods like that.

    [00:07:33] Judy Greenfield: So some of our vendors right now sourdough bread heritage fruits and vegetables. We have an alpaca farmer We have polish pastries We have artists flowers jewelry

    So it’s Saturdays and this is something different we’re doing too, because based on my research farmers markets are starting to change a little bit. They’re starting to become more of a social gathering and not just a place to go and get your vegetables. It’s somewhere people want to go socialize and eat.

    So we do have food trucks also so people can grab lunch there. So Do a little bit of shopping and, you know, say hi to their neighbors, say hi to the vendors, see where there’s their food is grown by, you know, the farmers and learn about it.

    [00:08:27] Fuzz Martin: That’s really cool. So it’ll be open a little bit later than the typical early morning ones.

    [00:08:32] Judy Greenfield: Yes. The other thing about opening a little bit later, the farmers can harvest their crops that morning instead of doing the night before. So it’s actually the freshest possible. And I can’t tell you how many vendors and customers who have said, thank you so much. They don’t want to get up at six or seven a.

    m.

    [00:08:52] Fuzz Martin: Sure. Yeah, I’ve, I don’t know. I’ve been to a few farmers markets, and when you get there early, you think about how early the people had to get there to set up their booths and get their stuff to look great and be presented well, and again, grabbing the produce is an extra step in that process. So, if somebody wants to be a vendor, I assume you’re currently taking applications for vendors?

    [00:09:13] Judy Greenfield: We are. I’ve also had people contact me that aren’t ready this year, but maybe want to do it next year. We have a website, it’s richfieldfarmersmarket. com. All the information’s on there, the applications are on there, the dates, the times, there’s a map, and if you have any questions, you can also contact us through that website.

    [00:09:35] Fuzz Martin: Is this farmer’s market going to be free for people who come?

    [00:09:39] Judy Greenfield: It is absolutely free to the public, and we have something a lot of farmer’s markets don’t. We have ample parking, and we have parking attendants, and we have flat parking that’s easy to walk on.

    [00:09:51] Fuzz Martin: Oh, great. Okay, so you’re not, Traversing the terrain, getting back to the actual shops.

    [00:09:57] Judy Greenfield: That’s the number one issue most farmers markets have is lack of parking. So people get frustrated with that.

    [00:10:04] Fuzz Martin: And I assume that Nature Park just has a big parking lot that that’s

    [00:10:08] Judy Greenfield: We have parking and we also have other areas that might be possible for future growth.

    [00:10:13] Fuzz Martin: Okay, and that was again, that was a big part of your decision of why you chose the park that you did, right?

    So that it’s going to start off as year one.

    [00:10:21] Judy Greenfield: Yeah, but you

    [00:10:21] Fuzz Martin: can expect that to grow.

    [00:10:23] Judy Greenfield: So one of the things that we looked at, there are farmers markets that surround the Richfield area, but we’re somewhat in this void. And so a lot of our residents were both buying and selling and all these other markets.

    And so we’re like, you know what? Why not bring them home? Let them sell where they live, let them buy where they live, this is the perfect location, it’s absolutely beautiful, the park itself is just a hidden gem.

    [00:10:51] Fuzz Martin: The way Richfield is set up, I love Richfield, the area is just beautiful, but it always blows me away that there’s like 12, 000, just looked it up, there’s like 11, 800 people that are in the village of Richfield, plus you’ve got obviously the surrounding communities.

    It’s just beautiful. And you’re right, there is kind of that, that void in between Menomonee Falls and Hartford and West Bend and those kind of places. This is sounding really cool. So what are your long term goals for the farmers market in Richfield?

    [00:11:19] Judy Greenfield: So the long term goal is to grow it and to make it one of the best markets out there for our community because that’s what it’s for.

    And, you know, One of the things that I was asked when starting this was what about the other markets, the neighboring markets? Are you going to make them close down? No, and I will tell you firsthand, because I’ve been in meetings with other market managers, there’s no one cheering us on. Better than, than them.

    They want this to succeed because they believe in the farmer market, vision for Wisconsin to be able to ride, fresh produce, to support farmers, to support local communities, to support the environment. It’s so wholesome. It’s for, everyone from newborn to a hundred years old.

    [00:12:06] Fuzz Martin: Yeah. Nice, wholesome family fun.

    You can take your family there, bring the strollers or just go by yourself and And get lunch. And, and again, going back to that, it’s kind of that rising tide raises all ships kind of mentality that the more that this is supported, the more than other farmers and vendors will be able to support their businesses as well.

    [00:12:28] Judy Greenfield: One of the things that I learned by starting this is, you know, it wasn’t just my idea. A lot of people have been thinking about this for a long time. I just happen to be the one to, to go there and stand in front of the board. But once that happened, so many members of the community, so many businesses, some of the people that are going to be our food trucks, they’re like, we’ll do whatever it takes to support you.

    And they’ve been here all along this journey, and I’m sure they’re going to be there to grow with us.

    [00:12:54] Fuzz Martin: How do you think this is going to benefit the local community itself? Aside from the farmers and such, how will this benefit Richfield?

    [00:13:00] Judy Greenfield: One of the things that Richfield’s called is a bedroom community.

    People go to work, come home, go to sleep, and there’s not much else going on there. And we don’t really have an area for that social gathering. And what is so interesting about Nature Park, it was originally intended as that, because there was a farm there that, they would have, Mill grinding and stuff like that.

    And people would go there and chat with their neighbors because farming was pretty lonely. So that was the watering hole way back in the day. And so we’re kind of rejuvenating that in a new way. So it’s going to be a place where, like I said, all ages can come, can be social, can support farmers, and can have a nice time on the weekend.

    [00:13:45] Fuzz Martin: Perfect. Well, again, the Richfield Farmer’s Market opens June 1st, most Saturdays through October, right? Yes. You can find more at, what’s your website again?

    [00:13:55] Judy Greenfield: richfieldfarmersmarket. com

    [00:13:56] Fuzz Martin: Judy, thank you so much for coming in here. Thanks for, like, taking the first steps and making this happen, and I wish you the best of luck.

    [00:14:03] Judy Greenfield: Thank you for having me.

    [00:14:06] Fuzz Martin: Thanks again to Judy Greenfield of the Richfield Farmers Market for joining me on this week’s show. I am looking forward to checking out the farmer’s market this year. I’m sure it’s going to be awesome. You should go to have fun, support local. If you ever have an idea for a guest that I should interview on Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz, pick up your phone and email me 15 with fuzz at gmail.

    com. Just be sure to spell out the word 15. And while the phone’s in your hand, if you don’t want to email, you could always text me 2 6 2 2 9 9 fuzz 2 6 2 2 9 9 3 8 9 9. You could even leave me a voicemail if you want, but I prefer text. Subscribe to the show at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, fifteenwithfuzz.com or wherever you listen to podcasts, you little goofball. And I’ll join you next Tuesday, right here on Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz.

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