By Taylar Foster, Troy Farm Manager
When you’re shopping for sprouts (and packaged herbs) at the Co-op, you may notice a new label on the shelves. Sprouts and herbs from Troy Farm, a local organic farm on Madison’s northside, have become a staple at all three Willy Street Co-op locations. This year, the farm’s iconic label featuring the northside water tower has been replaced with the Rooted logo in large purple letters with Troy Farm printed below. Why the change? Troy Farm is run by a local nonprofit organization. In 2001, Troy Farm was established as part of Friends of Troy Gardens, which later changed its name to Community GroundWorks. In 2020, Community GroundWorks merged with Center for Resilient Cities to become Rooted. In addition to the work at Troy Farm, Rooted runs a training program for beginning farmers, hosts students and summer camps at their youth garden sites, supports and hosts community gardeners, and runs the Badger Rock Neighborhood Center. The name and labels may be different, but Rooted’s Troy Farm continues to grow the same fresh, organic sprouts, vegetables, herbs, and flowers that it has for the past 20 years.