Field Day Potluck: Conservation at an Urban Flower Farm!

Join us for a day at a floral oasis in the city! Aromatic Acres is an urban specialty cut flower farm just outside Milwaukee, founded by Carly and Joseph Ledger. For over 10 years, they’ve been growing premium seasonal flowers and helping people reconnect with beauty, creativity, and the joy of the seasons through fresh specialty cut flowers, hands-on floral workshops, and beginner-friendly bouquet garden plant collections. They are beloved vendors at the Saturday Wauwatosa Farmers Market.

Rooted in the belief that flowers can transform everyday life, Aromatic Acres combines thoughtful growing practices, artistic design, and education to make flowers more accessible and meaningful for both gardeners and flower lovers alike.

Urban agriculture is finally beginning to receive broader recognition as legitimate farming at the national level, but significant challenges remain. Many of the systems, infrastructure, and support programs designed for conventional agriculture do not translate easily to small-scale, specialty crop farms operating in urban environments. As a result, urban growers are often overlooked, underrepresented, and left to navigate unique challenges largely on their own. Learn from Aromatic Acres has first hand experiences navigating land access, NRCS programs and advocating for farm production in niche spaces and markets.

As they enter their next chapter, Carly and Joseph are expanding into education for emerging flower farmers, sharing practical strategies for building profitable small-scale flower farms through efficient production systems, marketing, and business education. This event is a learning circle gathering and tour, with a Potluck Meal. Please bring a dish to share, and a chair!

Tour will be about 1.5 - 2 hours pending questions and discussion. The farm is split between 3 fields/plots at Firefly Ridge Community Gardens. The paths tend to be uneven, covered with a mixture of grass/weeds and sometimes landscape fabric. Walking between fields will be on a compacted gravel road, we will walk the entire 11 acre community farm site.

WiWiC Host:

Carly Ledger, farmer at Aromatic Acres

"Over the last decade, Aromatic Acres has experienced many growing pains firsthand—from land access and infrastructure hurdles to navigating funding opportunities and building profitable systems within the realities of limited urban space. We know how much trial, error, and persistence it can take to make a small urban farm sustainable," says Carly. "We believe urban agriculture represents an important part of the future of farming, and we are committed to helping move that future forward. As Aromatic Acres grows, we aim to be a leader in the urban farming movement by sharing what we’ve learned and creating educational opportunities that help other growers build resilient, profitable small-scale farms without having to reinvent the wheel. Our hope is to help make the path a little clearer for the next generation of urban farmers."

WiWiC Facilitators:

Dr. Esther Durairaj, WiWiC Project Lead and MFAI Education Director

Christine Johnson, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, Farmer Education Coordinator

For more information about this event, please contact Dr. Esther Durairaj at eshekinah@michaelfields.org or (262) 642-3303 ext. 112

Field Day Sponsors:

Sally Mead Hands Foundation

Dr. Sarah's Essentials

Herb Kohl Foundation

We are so incredibly grateful for these sponsors, and to all of the women who have volunteered their homes and their expertise to keep this project going - despite federal funding termination! Most WiWiC events are FREE because of sponsors like them and donors like you. To help support the cost of this and other events, please GIVE NOW and help the WiWiC hive to thrive. Your contribution keeps WiWiC events accessible for all women who want to learn how to heal and protect land and water.

What To Expect:

• To network with other local women around shared dreams, challenges, and experiences with conservation

• To learn about the WiWiC project and opportunities that exist for women landowners to implement conservation practices

• To gather at a diversified farm, with some uneven ground, limited shade, and uncertain weather - dress accordingly

  
  

Event Details:

• Event is free to attend but registration is required and space is limited.

• Women, all who identify as such, are welcome to attend – from  landowners to farmers to conservationist enthusiasts –  whatever your background, from beginners to experts! 

• Our WiWiC events follow a Learning Circle model, with ample time and a safe space for story sharing, networking and collaborative learning. We all have something to both share and learn together.

• Dress for the weather. Please bring a chair and your water bottle to refill. Bug spray and sunscreen are a good idea.

• WiWiC is a family-friendly space and you are welcome to bring your children. 

• Ticks are increasinly a concern in Wisconsin. Please dress in long pants. Thanks to a generous donation from Dr. Sarah Slaby, we will have Dr. Sarah's Essentials herbal bug spray to help keep those critters at bay, but please dress in long pants and wear a hat (or plan to buy a WiWiC bandana at the event).

Photos are taken at WiWiC events to help amplify the work being done by Wisconsin's women land stewards, and to help promote future events. Your registration grants consent for your photo to be taken and used for these purposes. 

You are automatically subscribed to "The Buzz" monthly WiWiC e-newsletter when you register for an event. You can unsubscribe at any time by using a button at the bottom of the newsletter.

About Wisconsin Women in Conservation

WiWiC s a state-wide collaborative effort led by the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in partnership with state and federal conservation agencies, local organizations, and other farm advocacy groups. WiWiC brings together Wisconsin's women landowners, farmers, farm workers, urban growers, and conservation professionals to connect and share about conservation practices, resources, and funding opportunities.

About Michael Fields Agricultural Institute

MFAI is a non-profit organization that has been cultivating resiliency through research, education, and policy work since 1984. With a broad coalition of public and private partners, The Institute supports farmers, food systems and communities in the Upper Midwest and beyond through a range of programs and initiatives. We believe agriculture can sustain both human and ecosystem health, while advancing food security, independence, and justice. Follow along on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news and events.