As early as 5 a.m. on weekends throughout the growing season, Yimmuaj Yang and her husband Presley Chang pack up the kids and head to Live Jewelry Farm in the village of Waunakee, Wisconsin, about 20 minutes from the family’s home. They work until noon — planting, weeding, and harvesting their produce — then drive home for lunch and a rest through the hottest part of the day. At 4 p.m., the family again drives to the acre plot, working until 8 or 9 p.m.

Bringing their children to farm is a next-generation echo of Yang’s own childhood. Her family would take her and her siblings to the rented parcel where they grew food, putting up temporary shade for the kids as they tended the produce. “How I became involved in farming is I was forced to go with my parents,” Yang said with a laugh.

Yang now farms the same plot her mother started farming 20 years ago, on land leased from the Groundswell Conservancy. The same work that she dreaded as a kid now provides meaning and support for her family and community.

Though she may not have enjoyed farming as a child, as a teen, Yang began to volunteer with community gardens. She became increasingly involved in local food systems as an adult. Her husband Chang, who also comes from a farming background, dreamed of starting his own farm. 

They now operate Live Jewelry Farm, selling much of their produce this year through a contract with the Wisconsin Local Food Purchase Assistance (WI LFPA) program, a partnership that includes the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection, Marbleseed, the Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative, and Wisconsin Farmers Union. WI LFPA procures food from local farmers and distributes that food in underserved communities through community partners. WI LFPA is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), passed by Congress and signed into law by the Biden-Harris administration in 2021 to aid in the country’s economic recovery.

Last year, they sold at a single farmer’s market and had to carefully plan production to match but not overshoot demand. This year, if it can grow its full WI LFPA contract, Live Jewelry Farm will triple its revenue.

Under the WI LFPA contract, Live Jewelry Farm grows culturally relevant food for Southeast Asian and Latinx communities in Dane County. For example, the farm grows bitter eggplant, also known as garden eggs or African eggplant. Bitter eggplant can be steamed, grilled, microwaved, or made into a stew or a pepper paste/salsa. The farm also grows yu choy, bok choy, Asian mustard greens, lemongrass, strawberries, jicama, Hmong cucumber, pumpkin vines, hot peppers, and pea tips.

Yang explained that Hmong/HMoob farmers in Dane County have often grown products primarily for white consumers. “We have never produced these products to sell,” Yang said. “We have always produced these for our families, just like other HMoob farmers in Dane County. This program has allowed us to grow what we’re really good at growing for the communities that we really want to serve.”

The business is a labor of love for a couple who both work off-farm jobs during the week. Yang works as community director for Groundswell Conservancy, a land trust based in Dane County. Dane County’s metro area around Madison, Wisconsin, is home to just over half a million people, but the edges of Dane County are strongly rural in identity and economy.

Siblings and other family members help Yang and Chang with the labor-intensive work of growing fruits and vegetables. “We couldn’t do it without family,” Yang said.

Chang named the farm, in translation from Thai. “Food and produce that we grow have life, and they’re precious just like gems,” Yang said. “Just like jewelry that we wear, like diamonds that are expensive. We should value food just as much as we value all the gems in our life.”

The American Rescue Plan Act was a stimulus package passed by the 117th U.S. Congress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was signed into law in March of 2021 by President Biden to aid in the country’s economic recovery.