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APPLE AVENUE FARM
Welcome to Apple Avenue Farm! We are a 7 generation family farm in northern Wisconsin that raises quality grass-fed natural beef & pasture raised pork. We also offer occasional farm to table dinners & farm experiences to the public. Our family has been farming this land for generations, tilling the soil, raising livestock and crops as well as other homestead endeavors.
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Our Meier family moved to the small community of German Settlement in Spirit, Wisconsin in the 1880s with Dutch German heritage. They built the family homestead, and had 11 children. Our founding grandfather served in the Civil War, and was known as a farmer and carpenter. We were one of the first families to settle the area, having close heritage relations with our neighbors and community.
Pictured above is our family in front of the original farmhouse. Also pictured is a map of the German Settlement circa 1890 written by ancestor Roy R. Meier.
Our family put hard labors into the land, working soil that was abundant in rocks and clay which made it hard to till. Hay was grown during the short summer months to provide feed for their livestock and to sell or trade for goods with neighbors.
The family beef livestock began with stocky built hardy Herefords. They faired well through the cold hard winters, and had a kind disposition. Eventually black and red Angus were brought into the herd - providing quality meat for the family and calves to sell and trade to keep the family farm going.
Aside from livestock and farming, our ancestors also did forestry work. Most of the men went away every winter to work in the logging camps while the women took care of the family & farm.
Pictured above is our family in the midst of farm life in Wisconsin. The first photo is our ancestors Albert & Emma Meier as they celebrate a wedding anniversary amongst friends & family. Also pictured is the family in front of the farmhouse, and Meier children with their pony.
As the years have gone on, the family has grown. There have been multiple farmsteads that have carried the Meier name along with the original homestead farm. Through the generations - family, community, faith and farming have always been the focus.
The first photograph above shows Gene Meier with his daughter Johanna and one of their cows. Gene raised beef cattle and had his own livestock hauling business, along with running the family farm. Second photograph is Roy & Helen Meier, Gene's parents. They are standing in front of a historic cabin home that was once on their property. At one time they gave tours of the home to schools and the public - educating others on the history of German Settlement and the early days of agriculture in this community. Roy was passionate above preserving our community's history.
The family trade of farming has now been passed down to us, as we remain the last Meier family to continue our heritage in the German Settlement. Our home property consists of 200 acres, a historic barn and a farmhouse - it was passed down to us as inheritance from Gene Meier in 1997. We continue our family's generational hard work of producing hay, crops and quality livestock.
In 2019, shortly after our Meier grandfather passed away, we transitioned from a traditional cow calf operation to direct customer retail market. Instead of sending our animals to auction or a meat producer, we now have our grass-fed meats naturally processed in choice cuts and offered for sale directly to you so your family can enjoy!
We also opened our Farm Store in 2019. It began as a small shed that we converted into a retail store. Each year we grew more and eventually had a custom barn building made to house our freezers of natural meats as well as other farm products. We hosted our first public farm event, and found a tremendously positive response.
In 2020 we began the restoration of our historic barn. We estimate it to be built between 1880 to 1890, around the time our family arrived to the German Settlement. It has original large hewn beams, a stone foundation and hardwood floors - all made by hand without the ease of modern day equipment. Up until 2020 it was used to store hay for the livestock. We began the restoration by removing the remaining hay, and repairing the water damaged wood. We replaced sections of the floor as well as siding. The roof also needed repairs so we made changes as needed. New light fixtures & windows were installed.
2021 & 2022 we continued building our retail customer basis as well as perfecting our quality of products provided. We added pasture raised pork to our store, farm merchandise and fresh produce. We hosted more public farm events which gave us the opportunity to connect with many local customers and neighbors.
2023 proved to be a shift in our farm dynamic. We hosted our first ever Farm to Table dinner - inviting people to dine in our historic barn & enjoy a gourmet homemade meal featuring our grass fed beef & family recipes. Our first event was a true success - we had found our niche! Sharing our quality natural meats and our home heritage has always been our heart's desire and these Farm to Table dinners delivered this perfectly. The year continued with two more Farm to Table dinner events, each consisting of its own unique seasonal menu and the opportunity to venture onto our farm. Guests are granted access to browse our orchards, gardens and pastures. All proceeds from our Farm to Table dinners were put towards continuing the restoration of the family barn.
In 2024 we plan to host multiple Farm to Table dinners, inviting you to experience our family farm and enjoy our farm fresh food. We also hope to continue our historic barn's restoration. It is in need of a new roof, and the foundation is also in need of repairs. Our Farm to Table dinners will help aid in the finances required for restoring the barn.
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