From corporate America to life on the farm

Fourth-generation farmer Kira Behrens wanted to return to her roots after spending more than 20 years in the corporate sector.

Last July, she purchased an 18-acre farm at 1235 E. Sauk Rd., in the Town of Grafton, to provide fresh produce to restaurants and locals, and also offer the space for events. 

“There was a point where I felt I wanted to have my hands in the dirt and do something that was sustainable, and being part of the local community felt really important to me,” she said. “Things in the corporate world are crazy and I was ready to be done with that. I wanted to do something more.”

The land was previously a produce farm for the Twisted Willow Restaurant in Port Washington, which still receives fresh vegetables from Behrens. 

Behrens previously worked for GE Healthcare in marketing and innovation leadership, where she ran a venture capital board, coaching more than 200 startups. She said her job allowed her to work remotely, which led Behrens to spend time frequenting her favorite restaurants that are now her customers, including Foxtown Brewing in Mequon, Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro, DanDan Chinese restaurant and Buckley’s Restaurant & Bar in Milwaukee.  

“I got to know the restaurant scene and all the chefs. When I started this, I went to them and said, ‘I don’t want to take away any business you have with another local farmer, but if there’s something you don’t have a source for, I’ll try to grow it,’” she said. 

Some of the unique produce she grows include Persian cucumbers, Merlot lettuce and Basque peppers.

In addition to supplying restaurants, Behrens also offers a community-supported agriculture subscription, delivering fresh ingredients every week to customers who may feel uncomfortable going to the grocery store during the coronavirus pandemic or those who don’t have time to visit a farmers market. Most of her deliveries are to Port, Grafton, Mequon and the east side of Milwaukee.

“We harvest, package and deliver on Wednesdays. Soon, we’ll have a cool room built and we’ll be able to hopefully harvest over a couple of days because it’s usually a really crazy Wednesday,” Behrens said, noting that she will be opening a farm stand on her property in a 1960s Mallard camper in two weeks. 

Behrens and intern Pierce Johnson, who just graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a recreational management degree, recently launched programs for family gatherings, school field trips and business meetings, where guests can take part in recreational activities and learn about organic farming.  

“We want to develop experiences that people can feel safe doing. A lot of summer camps are canceled and there are probably a lot of parents pulling their hair out and their kids as well. We want to provide a place where they can come as a family and do something a little unusual and learn about farming,” Johnson said, adding some of the activities include croquet, bocce ball, spikeball, volleyball and badminton.

Although weddings have been limited in size due to the pandemic, Johnson said, they are offering micro-weddings to couples. 

“If you want to get married, you can have a small ceremony with your close family members and you can come back here when things get better and have the actual reception later on,” he said.

Behrens is also working on setting up a bed and breakfast in the farmhouse that was built in 1868.

With all the activities taking place on the farm, Behrens said, she relies on the help of her former Shorewood neighbors, her 15-year-old son Jakob Donohue, her father Jim Behrens and friends in the service industry who are currently out of work.

“I have a lot of cooks, bartenders, servers and a chef who come and work because they have been impacted,” she said.

Jakob, who will be a junior at Shorewood High School, said he appreciates working on his mother’s farm during the summer, when he would normally be spending time at summer camp.

“What I really like about working here is that every day is different,” he said. “I’m really learning a lot about farming from my mom, which is really cool.”

Behrens also said she is learning from her new venture.

“There’s only so much you can add and it’s super complicated because I’m really trying to transition some of the land from non-organic practices and trying to build soil structure by not tilling,” she said.

Because the tourism industry is in a slump due to Covid-19, Behrens hopes families and groups of friends will visit her farm to experience nature and learn about farming.  

“There’s a lot of families and young adults who are looking to get out of the house and do something new that’s not too far away,” she said.