Lisa Kivirist

Lisa Cindy Kivirist (born April 14, 1967 in Illinois) is an American author, women-farmer and cottage-food activist, entrepreneur, and writer. She founded the Rural Women’s Project.[1] for the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service and started the award-winning[2][3] Inn Serendipity Bed & Breakfast, a small business completely powered by wind and solar energy generated on site and Wisconsin Travel Green certified.[4]

Kivirist authored the award-finalist[5] Soil Sisters (New Society Publishers) and Kiss Off Corporate America (Andrews McMeel). She also co-authored Homemade for Sale, Farmstead Chef, the award-winning[6] ECOpreneuring and Rural Renaissance with her husband, John D. Ivanko, all published by New Society Publishers[7]

A leading national advocate and spokesperson for women farmers, Kivirist was named by In Business Magazine as a "Woman of Industry"[8] for her leadership growing the women in sustainable agriculture movement. Kivirist is a Senior Fellow, Endowed Chair in Agricultural Systems[9] at the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Minnesota, focusing on identifying opportunities to champion leadership development among female farmers and rural women. She's also a distinguished member of the IATP Food and Society Fellows and serves on the National Outreach Committee[10] for the Sustainable Agriculture Research Education, the sustainable agriculture division of the United States Department of Agriculture, advocating for a voice for women farmers.

As an activist, Kivirist joined two other farmers in Wisconsin to sue the State of Wisconsin in 2016 over the constitutionality of the state law preventing cookies baked in a home kitchen to be sold to the public.[11][12][13]

  1. ^ "Rural Women's Project". Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service. Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  2. ^ Hartzell, John (14 March 2006). "Wisconsin certifying green tourism businesses". NBC News Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 29, 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  3. ^ "2004 Energy Start Business Network Award". Energy Star EPA. Energy Star Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  4. ^ "Travel Green Wisconsin certification". Travel Green Wisconsin. State of Wisconsin. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  5. ^ "2016". Forward Magazine. 30 April 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  6. ^ "Axiom Business Book Awards". Independent Publisher. Independent Publisher. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  7. ^ "Lisa Kivirist author". New Society Publishers. New Society Publishers. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  8. ^ Vanden Plas, Joe. "Women of Industry: Lisa Kivirist breaks through glass barn". No. October 2015. In Business Madison. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  9. ^ "Endowed Chairs". Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture. Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  10. ^ "Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)". www.sare.org. United States Department of Agriculture: Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  11. ^ Kirwan, Hope (2 May 2016). "Wisconsin Farmers Challenge Ban On Selling Homemade Baked Goods". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  12. ^ "Lawsuit over Wisconsin baked goods ban heads to court". The Washington Times. Associated Press. 26 April 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  13. ^ Reynolds, Dean (19 April 2017). "In Wisconsin, Selling cookies can land you in jail". CBS Sunday Morning News. Retrieved 30 April 2017.