The Story

Lake Nokomis began, and continues to be, a family owned and operated business. In 1973. The farm is located next to beautiful North Nokomis Lake, between Sugar Camp & Lake Tomahawk, WI.  Since 1977, Dave has grown the farm from 50 to 320 producing acres, increasing the quality, quantity, and varieties of berries, as well as employee housing.

The organization continues to grow. ​In 2010, Dave expanded his business by purchasing the marsh his Father started in the 1930's in Stone Lake WI.  The Stone Lake marsh is now managed by his eldest son Dave Jr., and has 60 producing acres with plans for future expansion. Purchased in 2015, the Sampson Marsh in Three Lakes WI is managed by Dave's youngest son Michael.  

The farm also produces Dave's Topsoil. Dave began selling topsoil in 1977 and has become one of the largest providers of topsoil in the area. It is true black dirt, local people love this dirt for gardening & landscaping projects.

We're proud to have Lake Nokomis Cranberries grown exclusively for Trig's. You will find them in store for our Fall Fest Event (early October) and included in many of our signature products... like the Cranberry Cheesecake in our bakery which features these cranberries and made by another or our vendor, Suzy's Cheesecake. Our deli, meat, and other departments feature other specialty items during Fall Fest and you will find those in the ad specifically for this event.

Growing Cranberries

Spring - Planting & Renovations
 
Old vines are burned off, and the roots are removed. Any excess topsoil is also removed, screened, pulverized, and later sold. Sand is added or removed to make the bed level. New vines are then planted. ​ It takes about 3-5 years for a new bed to be productive.​

Summer - Irrigation

After the snow melts, the plants are held under water until the ground thaws. Irrigation pipes are put in place, and frost watch begins for the crew. ​ If temperatures reach 35 degrees, sprinklers are turned on to protect the plants from freezing. ​ The crew has frost watch all spring, summer, and fall until harvest ends.

Summer - Blossoms

The cranberry plants begin blossoming in June. The farm rents about 20,000 honey bee boxes, and  bumble bees. The bees will be on the marsh for several weeks as they work hard to pollinate all of the blossoms. The bees get delivered at night when they are least active. ​​​

​Late Summer - Early Fall - Harvest

The farm's favorite time of year! Their crew works tirelessly to harvest 320 producing acres, this will typically take about a month to complete and  prepare the cranberries for sale & distribution.

Winter - Flooding & Sanding

Shielding the cranberry vines from the winter chill involves flooding the beds with water. This process is repeated multiple times in the winter season with the aim of forming over a foot of ice on the beds, enabling us to drive dump trucks on top of the ice to distribute sand. After enough ice has been created on the beds the sanding process can begin.

Using a dump truck, sand is evenly spread on top of the ice, approximately 3/4 of an inch thick. After the spring thaw, the sand filters down to the vines. This stimulates new growth, encourages rooting, and enables the vines to become more productive. And the cycle begins again...

Information Courtesy of Lake Nokomis Cranberry Farm