Wisconsin Pizza Farms are a Great Excuse for a Road Trip

Wisconsin pizza farms were born out of a very essential ingredient: mozzarella.

Mozzarella is among the 600 varieties of cheese crafted in the U.S.’s most prolific artisan-cheesemaking state. From BelGioioso to Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese, these Wisconsin cheesemakers with Italian roots continually win awards at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest and World Championship Cheese Contest.

The idea to turn a rustic, family-owned farm into a “pizza farm” for one night, or a weekend, throughout the warm-weather months began only about 10 or 15 years ago. Pizzas are baked in brick wood-burning ovens, many of them built out of bricks. In addition to the cheese, every single ingredient—tomatoes to make the sauce, vegetables harvested from the fields, meats cured from livestock—comes from the farm. Or, if not, it can be sourced just up the road from a neighboring farm.

Here are eight Wisconsin pizza farms to visit on a trip to Wisconsin this summer or into autumn. Live music and locally brewed craft beer are two common accompaniments for a lazy day sprawled on the grass and biting into a chewy pizza crust. Orders are taken ahead of time, often online, and it’s not uncommon for a pizza farm to “sell out” well before the first hungry guests arrive. And don’t forget to pack chairs or a blanket.

Borner Farm Project, Prescott

Of Wisconsin’s pizza farms, this is the only one tucked into a town (pop. 4,300 people), where the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers meet. For the semi-monthly pizza nights, the farm crafts its own dough and, before sliding pies into one of two brick wood-fired pizza ovens, piles with veggies grown on the farm. Signature pizzas are Sausage Sage, Pepperoni Pickled Pepper, Cheese, Greek Margherita, Roasted Corn Zucchini, and Roasted Fennel and Sausage.

Dancing Yarrow, Mondovi

While pizza night at this 18-acre farm is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, the first of those three nights hosts an open mic. The current owners—“a couple of city kids,” they call themselves— took over the farm in 2019, continuing the previous owner’s biodynamically and sustainably grown vegetable crops that top their pizzas. A full-service bar serves up cocktails, wine, and local craft beers.

Grassway Organics, East Troy

A 45-minute drive south of Milwaukee, this is the only pizza farm in that region, which debuted after its owners established the 210-acre certified-organic farm (in 2016). Fridays and Saturdays are “Pizza on the Farm,” paired with singer songwriters, and local cheese curds, wine and beers. The farm’s organic mozzarella and meat toppings (seasoned grass-fed ground beef and Italian pork sausage) are on signature pizzas, including “Pork in the Woods,” and vegetables stem from local farms. Ancient organic wheat to make the crust is grown in nearby Elkhorn.

Sprouting Acres Farm, Cambridge

Andy Watson, whose career includes being a chef at Madison restaurants, began transitioning his parents’ 20-acre cornfield farm a half-hour’s drive from Madison into a certified-organic one in 2003. Pizza Nights, which debuted in 2018, draw crowds on the first and third Sundays when live-music shows are part of those evenings, too. Topping pizzas are vegetables grown on the farm. Part of the farm’s cooking school includes classes in pizza making, taught by Watson himself.

Stoney Acres Farm, Athens

Innovation keeps on coming at this third-generation, family-owned, and the certified-organic farm now in its 16^th season where the latest rollouts are a line of craft beers (Stoney Acres Brewery label) and frozen pizzas. Naturally, its beers are a good match with “Pizza on the Farm” nights (Friday and Saturday nights) where whole organic spring wheat grown on the property as well as vegetables (including mushrooms) and meat are featured in each pie. Cheeses are sourced from around the state.

Suncrest Gardens Farm, Cochrane

As if “Pizza on the Farm” isn’t tantalizing enough, you can book a private pizza party for your group at this farm. Otherwise, come on a Friday or Saturday evening and dine either picnic-style on the lawn or inside the renovated barn. Fourteen unique pizzas on the menu (Thai Chicken and Greek Demeter are two) join seasonal specials that fold in just-picked ingredients. Round out dinner with side dishes, like pickled smoked eggs, as well as treats (s’mores kit, anyone?), along with alcoholic beverages.

The Stone Barn, Nelson

Herbs grown on property join locally acquired meats and a “secret sauce” for a roster of 11 signature pizzas, like the hearty Muffuletta (anchored by pepperoni and Canadian bacon) or meat-free Bianca (four herbs and cheeses each). Wines and beers—plus kid-friendly options—are also served in a mix of indoor and outdoor seating for each Pizza Night (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays). Since the current owners bought the farm in the 1990s they’ve been hell-bent on restoring and modernizing its 1896 roots, including a two-story barn.

Winghaven Pizza Farm, Galesville

You know this pizza farm is serious about its pies—and preparing them with locally grown ingredients—when those words are actually part of its name. Wines and craft beers are also served on Pizza Nights (Fridays and Saturdays). Creativity runs strong in the menu with a dessert pizza (Caramel Apple) and classics (Sausage, Pepperoni, and Veggie Lovers are three options) as well as the offbeat Chicken Bacon Ranch (ranch dressing drizzled over bacon). While initially established in 1852 as an apple farm, the fifth generation of the Grover family now runs this farm.