Viroqua, Wisconsin: Where Organic Living, Community and the Driftless Landscape Converge
Jun 30, 2026 ● By Natural Awakenings Milwaukee
Surrounded by the rolling hills and river valleys of Wisconsin’s Driftless Area, the town of Viroqua has quietly become one of the Midwest’s most distinctive hubs for organic farming, sustainability and holistic living. With a population of just a few thousand residents, the community has attracted generations of farmers, entrepreneurs, artists and wellness-minded families seeking a deeper connection to the land and to one another.
For longtime resident Toby Grotz, this connection is exactly what drew him and his wife to the region more than a decade ago.
“We were looking for a safe place,” Grotz explains. “We wanted good soil and good rainfall.”
After traveling extensively throughout the United States and abroad, the couple ultimately chose Viroqua after discovering that the Driftless region contained one of the country’s densest concentrations of organic farms.
Located less than 20 miles from the Mississippi River and Minnesota border, two hours from Madison and three hours from Milwaukee, Viroqua also attracts a multitude of families and tourists year-round.
A Community Rooted in the Land
Unlike much of the Midwest, the Driftless Area escaped the flattening effects of ancient glaciers, leaving behind steep ridges, fertile valleys and winding waterways that shape daily life in the region. Residents often describe the landscape as both grounding and energizing.
“There’s a love of the outdoors here,” Grotz says. “People love to hike and camp and bicycle.”
That connection to the land has helped define Viroqua’s identity for decades. Beginning in the 1970s, waves of back-to-the-land families and organic farmers relocated to the area, many drawn by affordable farmland, fertile soil and a desire to live more sustainably. Over time, those movements evolved into thriving institutions that now anchor the local economy and culture.
Organic Valley
One of the region’s most influential success stories is Organic Valley, the farmer-owned cooperative headquartered nearby in La Farge. What began as a small network of organic farmers eventually grew into the world’s largest organic farming cooperative.
“That became the centerpiece,” Grotz says of Organic Valley’s influence. “People realized that in order to make a living farming, if we did organic, we had a better product.”
Alternative Health, Agriculture and Education
Yet Viroqua’s identity stretches beyond organic food alone. Susan Noble, executive director of the Vernon Economic Development Association, believes the region’s openness to unconventional thinking is part of what makes the area thrive.
“There’s so much support for thinking different!” Noble says. “We do alternative agriculture, alternative education, alternative health, alternative energy. We think different.”
That mindset has fostered a culture where entrepreneurship, community and sustainability often go hand in hand.
Food as a Connector
In Viroqua, food is more than nourishment. It is culture, economy, identity and a gathering point. The town is home to the beloved Viroqua Food Co-op, which has become both grocery store and community hub for residents seeking local and organic foods.
Other poplar local destinations include Noble Rind Cheese Company, known for artisan cheeses and thoughtfully sourced foods, and Wonderstate Coffee. The cafe attracts locals and tourists, with not only great tasting coffee, but a commitment to sustainable efforts and ethical sourcing. And just a couple blocks off Main Street is Driftless Books & Music, an iconic independent bookstore housed in a sprawling, historic warehouse.
Nearby, the Food Enterprise Center, located in Viroqua and owned and managed by the Vernon Economic Development Association, houses dozens of food-focused businesses ranging from maple syrup producers to seed companies and artisan makers.
Grotz describes the transformation of the Food Enterprise Center as symbolic of the community itself. Once a former factory, the building was repurposed into a collaborative center for local food innovation and entrepreneurship.
“It now has more employees than when it was the factory,” he says.
Noble says supporting entrepreneurs remains essential to the future of communities like Viroqua. “The entrepreneurs are creating their own economic solutions. They’re creating the jobs that raise the tax base.”
She believes fostering local business creation is just as important as attracting outside development.
“When we say to high school kids, ‘What job do you want when you graduate?’ we should be saying to them, ‘What business do you want to start?’” Noble suggests.
Wellness Beyond the Conventional
Health and wellness also play an important role in the region’s culture. While Viroqua contains a diversity of perspectives and political viewpoints, many residents share a growing interest in organic food, alternative medicine and preventative wellness practices.
“I think the people that are into health here are exercising, taking advantage of the wonderful county parks we have,” Grotz says.
The region’s natural beauty encourages outdoor recreation year-round, from hiking and camping to cycling through the steep Driftless hills that attract riders from around the world. Residents also point to a growing awareness among younger families around nutrition, local food systems and environmental stewardship.
“Young moms are more and more aware that they have to eat right during pregnancy, and they want their kids to have good food,” Grotz says.
At the same time, the community remains deeply aware of the environmental and agricultural challenges facing modern rural America. Conversations surrounding pesticides, industrial farming, groundwater quality and long-term sustainability are common throughout the region.
“Water capacity and conservation is a big concern here,” Noble says, noting the Driftless Area’s vulnerable karst topography and the region’s ongoing stewardship efforts.
She also worries about the long-term future of local agriculture if small farmers are not supported.
“Who’s going to grow our food if we don’t support our farmers?” Noble asks. “Where’s the land that’s going to grow the food?”
That concern has helped drive local efforts to strengthen food systems and create more profitable pathways for regional growers and producers.
The Spirit of Viroqua
Perhaps what makes Viroqua most unique is its blend of independence, resilience and idealism. Generational farmers live alongside artists, educators, herbalists and entrepreneurs, creating a culture that feels both deeply rooted and constantly evolving.
“You’ve got a 16-year-old girl driving a half-million-dollar tractor to school,” Grotz says with a laugh, describing the town’s annual ‘Drive Your Tractor to School Day.’”
That pioneer spirit still shapes life here, he says—not simply as nostalgia, but as a lived value centered around practical skills, self-reliance and community interdependence.
“We want people to come share what we have,” Grotz says. “We need the skills, the knowledge and the people.”
For many residents, Viroqua represents more than a place to live. It offers an alternative vision of what rural America can become when food, entrepreneurship, environmental stewardship and wellness are prioritized together.
And in a rapidly changing world, that vision continues to draw people searching for something increasingly rare: connection.
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