About
Our Story
Soil Sisters first started in 2006, when a dozen women farmers in the Green County area of Southern Wisconsin got together for a potluck to connect and share experiences as women farmers— championing sustainable and organic agriculture in a conventional farming area. This group grew to a vibrant network of over 225 women, continuing to meet for potlucks and get to know each other.
Various businesses successfully launched via women who met at these gatherings. These successes and positive outcomes of network-building earned Soil Sisters the Edible Madison Local Hero Award and was named Wisconsin’s Top Rural Development Initiative by Wisconsin Rural Partners.
For years this Wisconsin founding group ran the Soil Sisters event weekend in partnership with the Wisconsin Farmers Union— with on-farm workshops, culinary events and farm tours, which has now grown into public educational events in the Green County area throughout the summer.
In 2019, Soil Sisters became a project of Renewing the Countryside, a kindred spirited 501c3. This enables Soil Sisters to have a permanent project home and opportunities to support RTC’s other work supporting women.
Who We Are
We are a community of people who identify as women supporting each other, building networks locally and nationally and sharing the inspiring stories of our successes alongside failures and learnings along the way, inspiring more women to follow their dreams of cultivating soil and community.
Many of us are starting or operating diversified farms. Some of us are launching or managing small town enterprises. We all have an interest in building community, and supporting our local food system.
Our networks are currently found in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and we see potential for growth in the midwest farming states.
We welcome you to connect, be inspired by, and learn from other Soil Sisters.
Our Vision
We value the fact that soil is life. Healthy soil combines various elements— minerals, organic matter, liquids, and other organisms — that together support plant life and all terrestrial life, right up the food chain. We see ourselves as stewards of the land, wanting to nurture and cultivate healthy soil for future generations.
We value diversity and draw inspiration from Mother Nature, respecting and celebrating the many perspectives and histories people bring with them. We hold space to connect so that we may best work together for a shared, sustainable future, with a vision of growing resources and amplifying and connecting women in rural areas.
You feel empowered when you realize you are in the company of kindred-spirited women who support you in your big crazy dreams and will catch you when you fall...dust you off, give you a hug, support you, and set you back on the tractor.
