The area south of Buck & Honey’s in Waunakee may soon transform from a cornfield into an organic farm complete with a Saturday Farmers Market, produce for sale and live events.
That’s Nic and Betsy Stapels’ vision for the 140-acres they purchased just south and to the east of Reis Road off of Hwy. Q. They are now undertaking the necessary approval processes for their plans.
Both are excited for the new chapter of their lives and the community, they say.
The Tribune sat down with the Stapels to learn more about Cellanie Farms, described in their proposal as “a unique agricultural food hub bringing the community together to honor our partnership with nature.”
Included in the plans are pick-your-own berry patches and orchards, vegetable plots, a farm market, hoop houses to extend the growing season and trails to surrounding neighborhoods.
The couple said their young children inspired their plans as they began to reflect on how their actions could benefit the community and their neighbors.
“Our kids were little when we had this reevaluation of, what are we doing with our time and how could we spend it better?” Betsy said. The name of the farm, Cellanie, is a combination of their children’s names.
“It also means celebration, and providing fresh, healthy food and celebrating interactions between growers and consumers,” Nic added.
He added that as older millennials, they have seen that people have lost a connection with the food they eat, as neighbors’ children have visited their garden and seen for the first time a carrot growing in the ground, then witnessing a harvest.
Along with food production, the couple envisions a place where people can gather, where produce is grown and sold on site.
“That takes many shapes and different forms, where you’re talking about things like harvest celebrations where people can come out, have some food and drink, welcoming food trucks to some of these events, local musicians playing acoustic background music, farm-to-table dinners…” Nic said. “It’s all about getting people back to nature.”
Both bring talents developed during their professional lives to the table.
A native of Appleton, Nic has worked in pharmaceuticals for the past 20 years. He studied biochemistry and genetics then went into drug development, testing drugs along with pesticides and herbicides for toxicity. His family also owned a landscaping business.
Betsy, originally from Cross Plains, worked in film production and marketing before their children were born, and also can help with event planning. The two lived in Boston before returning to Wisconsin and settling in the Community of Bishops Bay to raise their children.
As they begin to work on Cellanie Farms, the first step is to rehabilitate the soil, which Nic called “more like dirt right now” after generations of row cropping, mainly corn.
To regenerate a healthy ecosystem, the Stapels have just planted their first cover crop that will add nutrients back into the soil.
“It’s coming up nicely, just a blend of peas and oats meant to stabilize the soil,” Nic said.
That will be followed with other successions of cover crops. They are also working on a partnership with Purple Cow Organics to use some of their compost products to kick-start the soil.
To become certified as organic, a three-year rest period for the farm is required, Nic said.
Some other work on the site includes grading this summer. They also foresee creating a stormwater management plan, building deer fences and hoop houses to extend the growing season, along with planting the orchard.
The Stapels’ proposal is now going through the approval process with the municipalities. The land lies in the Waunakee-Westport Joint Planning Area, so both the town and village must approve the plan.
It was met with general approval by the Westport Plan Commission, Betsy said, adding during the discussion of mixed uses in the agriculturally zoned site, town officials offered their help working through the regulations.
“They’ve expressed nothing but support so far,” Nic added, saying to comply with zoning regulations, some tweaks may be needed to the plan.
The plan is now anticipated to come before the Waunakee Plan Commission at its May 13 meeting, then possibly before the Waunakee-Westport Joint Plan Commission meeting the following evening.
For the Stapels, the project is more than a business plan.
“It’s a passion project for us, there’s no doubt. We could have focused on other areas, but I think we have a strong desire to give back to the community in a hyperlocal way,” Nic said. “One of our partners said, ‘This is really a by-the-community, for-the-community project.’”
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