“We sell produce and other vegetables at farmers markets in Madison, Oconomowoc, Hartford, and Watertown,” said Jacob Tietz, Watertown, Lebanon Luckies 4-H Club. “Our family started doing it about 40 years ago. My Dad was about my age (high school).”
Tietz Family Farms grows a large variety of food. “We have 12 acres of pumpkins, winter squash, and melons; eight acres of sweet corn; and three acres of a variety of produce from potatoes and tomatoes to pickling cucumbers,” said Jacob. The family’s most prized crop is a favorite in movie theaters and family rooms around the globe. “We grow 50 acres of popcorn and sell more than 1,000 pounds per week. We sell online and ship all over the world, including all 50 states.”
Just like the farm, exhibiting at the Dodge County Fair is also a family tradition. “My (older) brother, Christian, started exhibiting in fourth grade in plant and soil science, because my Dad did it when he was young,” said Jacob.
Today, regularly achieving a plethora of awards and honors, the Tietz family exhibits a wide variety of the same food items they sell at farmers markets. “We’re at farmers markets every Saturday from about the beginning of May to the end of October. We go to some during the week, too, during that same time frame,” said Angela Tietz, Christian and Jacob’s younger sister. “It’s fun getting to know people who come back to purchase more because they appreciate what you do for a living.”
So, what’s next for this trio of siblings and their crop and produce enterprise? “My oldest brother (Christian) is going into his sophomore year at UW-Madison in the school of business,” said Angela. “He’s pretty attached to the farm and intends on growing the business. I can’t picture him doing anything else.” Jacob wants to attend UW-Madision for accounting, because he likes numbers, and intends on farming with the family on the side. For Angela, who’s 15, “I’m still thinking.”
Whatever the future holds, the Tietz family plans on one thing, “We want to continue the family business and are looking to expand, especially making the popcorn business bigger.” It’s likely we can also plan to watch for the next generation of Tietz-family 4-H exhibitors.
Christian, Jacob, and Angela’s 4-H exhibits can be found in the youth building during the Dodge County Fair, which continues through, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021.
Written by Dori Lichty — farm wife, 4-H Mom, and full-time communicator
