Farm Shares: Vine & Virtue
LIVING IN A GREEN BAY APARTMENT didn’t discourage Shane and Kenna Kenneberg from wanting to eat a healthier diet and have more control of the source of their fruits and vegetables. “Kenna was reading more about real food and what that actually is,” Shane recalls. “In comparison I guess we were already there but she had read the book “100 Days of Real Food” by Lisa Leake and we realized there was a lot more we could be changing.”
That desire led to having a plot in a community garden and buying more from the local farmers’ markets. After one season the couple decided they wanted a bit more land so they purchased property on Outagamie County Road VV and the Vine and Virtue community-supported agriculture (CSA) farm was born where Kenna and Shane offer produce to subscribers.
“We were trying to make a play on the VV, as we live on highway VV,” Kenna says. “Then, thinking more intentionally, we decided on Vine, as our faith is very important to us and our intention is to remain connected to the Vine and run our business with Virtue. Shane found information about a process called ‘permaculture’ which is a highly regenerative form of agriculture - working with the land instead of against it.”
Kenna grew up on a traditional dairy farm and while she respects the work they do, she wanted more flexibility than dairy allows. “Now we get to grow food and chickens and it’s all good,” she shares. Vine and Virtue started with nine subscribers in its first year of operation last year. “We were also able to grow 2000 pounds for area shelters like Golden House and Freedom House through a USDA Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program grant,” she adds. Some produce is also sold to Seasonal Harvest of De Pere which, in turn, distributes fresh produce to area schools and other institutions. This year, Vine and Virtue hopes to double its production. The farm produces a variety of vegetables, they also have an apple tree and a raspberry patch. Meat chickens, layer chickens and ducks are also available. Vine and Virtue also holds “Thursdays on the Farm” where the public can come and select items from that week’s harvest.
