Organic and Sustainable Agriculture
Take A Closer Look!
The earliest collection in the Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Collection came to the Wisconsin Historical Society in the 1940s, with the papers of Franklin Hiram (F.H.) King, a professor of agricultural physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of a book entitled Farmers of Forty Centuries. The book describes centuries-old agricultural and soil fertility practices in China, Korea, and Japan. Decades later, King's papers anchor a larger, national collection centered on organic and sustainable farming.
King Hall, completed in 1896, on Observatory Drive has architectural features of the Tudor style, including exposed half timbers, brick archways and brick beams called lintels over the windows. ID:W013208
Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Collection
In 2012, with the support of the Ceres Trust, the Wisconsin Historical Society created the Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Collection to document organic and sustainable farming pioneers, who in the 1970s either became farmers or embarked on careers supporting organic agriculture.
In addition to the F.H. King papers, our holdings include papers of individuals and records of organizations.
Topics documented in the collection include the development of farmers’ organizations and state certification programs, the movement for a national organic standard and public input on this process, and related topics such as the agricultural impact on the environment and conservation resource programs, animal welfare, organic research funding, and international initiatives in sustainable agriculture.
Featured Finding Aids for the Collection
Featured Papers
- Harriet Behar
- Prescott Bergh
- Roger Blobaum
- Cecilia Bowman
- Lynn Coody
- Atina and Martin Diffley
- Deni and Terry Durham
- David Engel
- Carmen Fernholz
- Grace Gershuny
- James and Rebecca Goodman
- Faye Jones
- Loni Kemp
- Margaret Krome
- James Riddle and Joyce Ford
- Tom and Pamela Saunders
- Anne Schwartz
- Michael Sligh
- John Stauber rBGH papers
- Richard Wallick
Featured Organizational Records
- Dane County Farmers' Market
- FairShare CSA Coalition
- Family Farm Defenders
- Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance (MOFFA)
- Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) Conference Recordings and Materials
- Mifflin Street Community Cooperative
- Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA)
- Rural Resources
- Wisconsin Women's Sustainable Farming Network
View of the vegetable garden at a vegetable farm outside of Palmer. There is a barn and a log structure in the background. ID:W013L4A
In addition, the Archives holds a collection of Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Publications consisting of periodicals and other publications separated from the manuscript collections. See also the Wisconsin Historical Society Web Archives Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Collection consisting of websites centered on this topic.
Collections Use FAQs
Explore how you can find, access, and use our collection materials.
The Society's library and archives collections can be searched in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Library catalog and some parts of our collections have been digitized and are available online.
The Society's historical object collection cannot be searched online.
Library & Archives
Many books, bound periodicals, microforms and government publications may be checked out for home use with a library card. Rare, fragile, small and heavily used materials (including genealogical resources) do not circulate. A borrowing card is not required if you want to use materials within the Library. Archival materials are available for use in our Archives Reading Room.
For more information about our borrowing policies Library & Archives Services.
Historic Objects
If you are interested in viewing our historical objects please contact us.
Due to significant demands associated with developing the Wisconsin History Center, the Society has reduced capacity to handle loan requests. Therefore, we are not accepting new requests at this time.
For a credit line: Wisconsin Historical Society, Creator, Title, Unique Identifier.
The Unique Identifier can be found at the top or bottom of the webpage for each item. The name of a downloaded file is NOT the unique identifier.
For bibliographic citations please consult the UW-Madison Libraries Citation Research Guide to ensure compliance with appropriate style guidelines.
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Personal use (prints, gifts, home and study): Request images for personal use
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Commercial use (public display, publishing, media, products, film and more): Request commercial use of our Collection
Materials in our websites and digital collection are provided for research, teaching, and private study. The Wisconsin Historical Society hold rights to some items; others may be governed by additional copyright or donor restrictions.
We encourage users to download low-res images from our website for personal or classroom use, without written permission, within the meaning of the principles of “Fair Use.”
Permission is required for reproduction, publication, or commercial use of any content made available through our websites and digital collection. By using this website, including our digital collections, you agree to the Terms of Use. Users are responsible for determining whether their intended use qualifies as fair use under U.S. copyright law. When relying on fair use, cite the source.
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Find Out HowLast Updated: April 8, 2026
