Dane County  
Minutes - Final Unless Amended by  
Committee  
Food Council  
Consider:  
Who benefits? Who is burdened?  
Who does not have a voice at the table?  
How can policymakers mitigate unintended consequences?  
Wednesday, January 19, 2022  
5:30 PM  
Virtual Zoom Meeting: See top of agenda for  
instructions on how to join the webinar or call in by  
phone.  
A. Call To Order  
OTHERS PRESENT: Jess Guffey Calkins  
8 -  
Present  
DONALE RICHARDS, Supervisor MICHELE RITT, SHEENA TESCH, BILL  
WARNER, MARCIA CATON CAMPBELL, DANIEL CORNELIUS, SHIRLEY  
NENNIG, and ABHA THAKKAR  
B. Consideration of Minutes  
DC FOOD COUNCIL MINUTES 10.NOV.2021  
Attachments: 2021 MIN-545  
A motion was made by RITT, seconded by NENNIG, that the Minutes be approved.  
The motion carried by a voice vote 8-0.  
C. Public Comment on Items not on the Agenda  
CATON CAMPBELL brought the Healthy School Meals For All in Wisconsin effort to the  
council’s attention. More details will be shared via email and can be discussed at the  
February meeting.  
D. Reports to Committee  
Work Team Reports  
- Food Access, Relief & Economic Support – CATON CAMPBELL, RICHARDS  
The FARES WG will reconvene in April. Some SEED/PIE recommendations are being  
incorporated for 2022.  
- Food Plan – Guffey Calkins  
The county RFP will be finalized and posted around the end of January.  
- Regional Agriculture & Food Sovereignty - TESCH  
Ag Leases on City Owned Lands: The Policy Memo was shared with the City of Madison  
Economic Development Division (EDD) staff who deal with leases, and next steps were  
discussed on 1/6/22.  
- Several leases have already been signed and recorded for 2022  
- EDD staff will share the policy memo and set up meetings with relevant City Agency  
Staff  
- Guffey Calkins will connect appropriate city agencies with Dane  
County Land & Water Resources staff  
- Staff will determine which of the remaining leases could be revised in 2022  
- Appropriate staff will discuss potential revisions with current lessees  
- If current lessees choose not to continue renting, begin to look for new farmers  
- Revisions will be phased in as staff capacity and lessee negotiations allow in coming  
years  
RAFS is going to draft a policy memo regarding the agricultural zoning of the City of  
Madison Raemisch Farm property.  
Staff Reports  
- City of Madison – George Reistad  
No report  
- Public Health Madison & Dane County – Nick Heckman  
COVID-19 Cases continue to remain critically high in Dane County as well as throughout  
Wisconsin and the rest of the United States. The U.S. is averaging about 700,000 new  
cases a day. COVID-related hospitalizations have increased 80% over the last 2 weeks,  
but that count also includes people with incidental COVID infections as well. Case rates  
are highest in Northeastern states, including New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island. In  
Dane County, as of 1/13/2022, the 7-day average: 1320.7 cases per day. 21.2% of all  
tests are coming up positive for COVID-19, which excludes positives from at-home tests  
that do not get reported. In the past 3 weeks, 1 out of 25 people in the county are known  
to have tested positive.  
- Dane County – Jess Guffey Calkins  
The UW-Madison Extension Community Food Systems Program has joined forces with  
the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC) to pilot a virtual  
Spanish-language food entrepreneur showcase this month. Facilitated by WWBIC’s  
Spanish-language business consultant Arlene Bollig and Comienzos, a Latino Business  
Assistance Partnership, the purpose of this series is to highlight the unique evolution of  
several Wisconsin-based food businesses owned and operated by native Spanish  
speakers. Topics will include importation, developing a market, and growing a business  
incrementally. Sessions are January 18 & January 25 at 10am. Zoom registration is at  
Registration is open for the 2022 Organic Vegetable Production Conference, organized  
by UW-Madison Extension Dane County and FairShare CSA Coalition:  
e/. It will be online on February 3, 4, 7, and 8, 2022. This producer-initiated conference is  
designed for advanced growers and attracts participants from throughout the Midwest and  
beyond.  
Regular Business Reports  
- Community Gardens – Nicholas Leete  
Rooted and Extension staff continue to plan for the 2022 Community Garden Summit, to  
be held virtually Saturday, Feb 5th. The Green Thumb gardening series, also put out by  
Extension, has begun, with a focus on vegetable gardens, and will continue weekly until  
March 21st. Community garden organizers, meanwhile, are planning for garden  
registration. Additionally, Municipal Service Fee Pilot Program Report was submitted to  
City of Madison Staff.  
- Double Dollars – Alma Horlock  
The new Double Dollars (DD) program Coordinator has started this week -- Marcus  
Slaton. Additionally, typically the year-end report for the DD program is distributed to  
those who request it by the end of Feb. However, it is likely that this will be a bit delayed  
this year as Marcus gets trained and acclimated to the position. New Double Dollars  
Coordinator: Marcus Slaton, marcuss@cacscw.org  
- Values, Race, and Power Community of Practice – THAKKAR, Kirsten Moore  
The John Hopkins University Community of Learning and Practice on Racial Justice in  
Food Policy Councils (FPCs) met on January 12. Participants discussed their collective  
homework assignments where they began reflecting on the power dynamics within their  
FPCs, the willingness to engage in discomfort, and how the structure of their FPCs may  
impact engagement. They also discussed the idea of Radical Respect: "I may not agree,  
but I am open to your ideas and understanding." Thank you to the 5 Dane County and 13  
City of Madison FPC members who participated in the survey! Abha and Kirsten will be  
compiling a report out on the survey for future review. Before next month's COLP meeting  
February 2, participants are asked to continue their reflections on the unwritten rules and  
norms that impact who has power on their FPCs and how power and culture informs the  
FPCs engagement efforts and policy making or recommendations.  
Council Discussion  
- DCFC Recruiting - RICHARDS  
A discussion was held to talk through strategies and planning for upcoming and ongoing  
DCFC member recruitment.  
- DCFC and DCFC-MFPC meeting schedule  
Members would like to hold meetings regularly on the 3rd Wednesdays of the month.  
Continue with every-other-month joint council meetings with Madison Food Policy Council  
(MFPC); DCFC meetings on the months in between.  
- 2022 PIE Food Project grant  
The 2022 PIE Food Project grant will be posted January 24, and will be due February 28.  
City of Madison SEED grants will have the same timeline. RITT, WARNER, NENNIG are  
willing to be on the review committee.  
E. Announcements  
Guffey Calkins – Dane ARPA/CARES funds have all been allocated at this time, so  
there will not be additional funds for FairShare CSA Coalition’s Partner Shares program in  
2022, beyond the $15K in the budget.  
F. Future Meeting Items and Dates  
G. Such Other Business as Allowed by Law  
H. Adjourn  
A motion was made by THAKKAR, seconded by CATON CAMPBELL, that the  
meeting be adjourned. The motion carried unanimously 8-0.  
Minutes respectfully submitted by Jess Guffey Calkins, pending council approval