Dane101 is beginning a regular profile of Dane County Farmers' Market vendors, talking to them about their products and experiences at the Madison institution. We're starting out with my favorite source of beef, Northwood Farm.

Jim and Rebecca Goodman operate Northwood Farm, along with Jim's brother Francis Goodman. The farm is located in Wonewoc, northwest of Madison in Sauk County, and raises beef cattle. Their cattle are fed homegrown forage and pastured pending the season. They are certified organic, and are not fed antibiotics, GMOs, or animal by-products.

The Northwood Farm booth sits on the West Mifflin segment of the Square, at about the middle of the block. They have been vendors at the Dane County Farmers' Market for eight years, and have been direct marketing their products for nearly ten years.

Seasonality is not an issue for the farm, as opposed to other vendors, since they process beef year-round. In the winter months, the farm maintains an email list to announce pre-scheduled monthly delivery times for Madison-based buyers interested in an order. This email list "is a big help" for their wintertime sales, according to Jim Goodman.

Northwood Farm sells organically raised beef, with a wide variety of selection: ground beef, beef brats, beef hot dogs, chuck roast, brisket, short ribs, round roast, roiled rump, sirloin tip, soup bone, fore shank, round steak, cube steak, sirloin, New York strip, and rib eye. They also sell tenderloins and stocks to L'Etoile, one of the highest regarded restaurants in the nation.

Operating within a local economy is important to the farm. According to Jim Goodman, "It's not just food, but everybody needs to buy as much local as they can, because that's what keeps the local economy going. That's especially true in a farm state."

A pamphlet for Northwood Farm states that the farm sustains:

• consumer's health by providing them safe food they can feel good about buying
• the environment for the long term
• the farmer’s right to a quality life

The pamphlet also describes the history of the farm;

Rebecca Goodman described their experiences at the market, saying "It's pretty cool to talk to people here. I really enjoy talking to people, telling them how I raise my animals and how to cook our products. The best part is in the enthusiastic response we get."

For interested customers, Jim Goodman recommends their ground beef, which is "versatile and inexpensive." Cooking recommendations can be found in their pamphlet, which is available at the farm's booth.

More information about Northwood Farm can be found in its DCFM listing as well as in the meat & poultry section of the 2004 edition of the Farm Fresh Atlas, which is produced by the REAP Food Group based in Madison.

Northwood Farm is located in the upper left corner of the map below, denoted by #50. The map is courtesy the Farm Fresh Atlas.