Locating Jewish farmers in Wisconsin is akin to searching for Eskimos in the Amazon; it is not an easy task.
Representing a sliver of the population of Wisconsin to begin with, Jews here tend to reside in or near urban areas. And farming has not been a traditional profession among American Jews.
All this makes Elkhorn’s Jewish farmer — Walter Goldstein — something of a rarity.
Although he is not a farmer in the traditional sense, Goldstein nevertheless earns a living via agriculture. He did not inherit a family farm — his father was a mathematician — nor were any of his ancestors farmers.
In a telephone interview, Goldstein explained that he acquired his basic interest in biology while growing up in the Seattle area, where his family had moved from Washington, D.C.
“I was always interested in nature and bugs and rocks and plants; so when I was in high school one of my teachers tried to get me interested in agriculture — and I got interested in it a lot,” he said.
But while others with similar inclinations might have become scientists, Goldstein said he found farming to be far more interesting because it is both practical and holistic.
“There are some people more interested in science for theoretical reasons who like to investigate one aspect,” he said. “But with farming you are working with the whole world — diseases, people, soil, animals and plants. It is a wonderful thing. You are working with real life.”
After high school, Goldstein enrolled at the University of Washington in Seattle and spent a year on a farm learning about vegetable farming. He returned to the university and worked on different farms during the summers.
He earned his bachelor’s degree there and later on earned advanced degrees in agriculture through the doctorate at Washington State University-Pullman.
Goldstein also went to Europe and spent several years working on organic farms in Switzerland, England and Norway. He said he learned a lot about agriculture there, and also met his his Norway-born wife while in England.
Shortly after obtaining his doctorate in 1986, Goldstein landed a “fantastic job” working as the director of research for the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in East Troy, Wis., and has been there ever since.
Sheep, fruit, kids
According to its website, MFAI is “a public nonprofit education and research organization committed to promoting resource-conserving, ecologically sustainable and economically viable food and farming systems. Its mission is to enhance the fertility of the soil, the quality of food, the health of animals and the strength of the human spirit by revitalizing the culture of agriculture.”
“We have courses for farmers, students, educational events and a lot of research going on,” added Goldstein.
But Goldstein is not just an academic. He also owns and works a 35-acre farm.
“We raise sheep that have beautiful horns — if anybody is interested in them for a shofar,” Goldstein said. “We raise them without any synthetic inputs; they eat only natural grass, hay, corn, salt and minerals. They are very healthy animals.”
Goldstein’s farm also has peach and apricot trees, “but most are babies, and we just [harvested] our first batch.” Goldstein also harvests herbs, and experiments with corn breeding.
In addition, “Kids have been a product of my farm,” quipped Goldstein. “My three boys can work hard. One of the major products of farming is the people that come out of it. They tend to be reliable.”
In fact one his sons, Elias, recently earned acclaim for his violin playing.
Goldstein is not a practicing Jew, but he did indicate an interest in traveling to Israel. He noted that some of the biblical fruits and vegetables grown in Israel would not be suitable in Wisconsin’s moist climate. “Growing lentils would be difficult. They would rot in the ground.”
While he may seem a rarity to his fellow Jews, Goldstein said his neighbors haven’t raised an eyebrow about his being Jewish. “I haven’t had any problems,” he said. “There is an occasional joke, but nothing more than it would be for an Irishman. People are very friendly and open.”
“I have some acquaintances in Chicago who are Jewish,” Goldstein added, “and they’ll say, ‘We can’t believe you are living in the country; aren’t you afraid?’ But my neighbors respect me and I respect them.”
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