A farm to fork business proposed for Hartland would include a coffee shop and a restaurant

Were there always cows in the field north of Arrowhead High School in Merton?

They were ever-present on the land over two decades ago and they've returned the last three years as part of a plan to combine farmland preservation with one family's desire to bring a tasty treat to Lake Country.

Gideon Farms, a proposal to build a farm to fork business including an ice cream shop, coffee shop, restaurant and event space is planned for a 40-acre parcel on the north side of Highway K, just west of Highway E in what is now the town of Merton.

In-ground firepits in the lawn area of the business are also planned.

These projects are included in Phases 1 and 2 of the four-phase proposal.

"I think it's an exciting development that's coming to the village, along with the annexation of the land and making that part of Hartland, which I think is appropriate," Hartland Village President Jeffery Pfannerstill said.

The project has two official phases and two tentative phases

The project requires the approval of the Hartland Village Board to annex the site from the town of Merton into the village of Hartland, according to project overseer Andy Gehl.

Only two of the four phases of the proposed Gideon Farms project are officially part of the plan right now, according to documents submitted to the Hartland Village Board.

The first phase would break ground in early- to mid-October if the Village Board approves the project. The initial phase entails building the ice cream shop, coffee shop, parking facilities and lawn space with in-ground fire pits.

The second phase would convert an existing barn into a restaurant with a farm to fork emphasis and constructing an outdoor market and event space.

Additional parking facilities would also be constructed during the second phase.

The third and fourth phases of the plan ― both tentative ― would include building a USDA grade dairy and a small retail space which would sell products made at the on-site dairy.

The main focuses of the project, Gehl said, are to preserve farmland and to bring people to the farmland to appreciate it.

The retail site, if approved, would sell dairy products made at the on-site dairy. There is also a plan to offer educational tours showing the food manufacturing process.

Only 3.1 acres of the site will be hard surface, according to village documents. The rest, 36.9 acres, will remain open grass and pasture with grazing cows and sheep present on the site."

The documents also state that since there are no plans to grow crops on the site, fertilizer is not necessary and odor concerns are minimal.

The goal of Gideon Farms is to promote farmland preservation

Gehl, listed as the owner of the project in the proposal, is from Hartland and owns Contract Comestibles , an East Troy food manufacturing company.

Gehl started his food manufacturing career as a fourth-generation employee at his family's business, Gehl Foods in Germantown, where its aseptic manufacturing plant still operates.

In 2016, when he was 48, he left the family business to pursue his own hopes for food entrepreneurship. Shortly thereafter, he bought Contract Comestibles where he's worked full time for the past eight years as the owner.

The Gideon Farms project represents Gehl's first venture into the retail industry. He said it will probably be the only retail space he'll ever own.

Growing up in Hartland, Gehl said his family had a special connection to the farmland and wetlands around the area. He said the Four Winds subdivision developed on the north side of the farm felt unnatural to him when the houses were first built, and he's still adjusting to its presence.

"I spent most of my childhood riding my bike past that farm," Gehl said. "There were cows there when I was a child. There were cows there for most of my life."

When Faye Gehl, Andy Gehl's mother, died in 1990, her husband, John Gehl, and his children established the Faye Gehl Conservation Foundation , according to the organization's website.

The foundation aims to preserve farmland around Southeastern Wisconsin. Eventually, Gehl plans to add Gideon Farms to the list of parcels preserved by the foundation.

John Gehl and his daughter, Jojo Newman, own the Stone Bank Farm Market in Oconomowoc and purchased the Merton land as an opportunity to save farmland and continue projects from Stone Bank that would benefit from having a highly-trafficked location, Gehl said.

The name "Gideon" in Gideon Farms is an homage to the original owners of the farm, particularly their son, Gideon Russell. William Russell, Gideon Russell's father, was the original landowner of the property, according to Gehl.

The Russells were the first white settlers in the area when they resided there in 1846, according to Jill Gehl, Andy Gehl's wife.

"'Gideon Farms' has a better ring to it than 'William Farms' or 'Russell Farms,'" said Gehl. "It would be a historical name to the site."

The Gehls were surprised when the parcel of land came back on the market

Gehl said since Arrowhead High School bought the land to turn into a space for athletic fields about 20 years ago, the Gehls didn't expect the site to go back on the market.

"We were fortunate enough to be able to buy it from the high school and excited at the opportunity to save as much of it for farmland as we can," Gehl said.

Since the property unexpectedly came onto the market, the Gehls have been diligently working on cleaning up the buildings that were left to dilapidate while Arrowhead High School planned to put athletic fields in their place for the last couple of years.

More: Arrowhead School District sells 42 acres of land for just over $2 million. It plans to use the funds for facility improvements.

Gehl said the project is a work in progress and a very slow process, but the family is excited about where it's going.

"You've got to dot I's and cross T's," said Gehl. "(The village) needs to do what's best for the community. It feels like we're going in the right direction, but I'm confident we'll get there."

Contact Angelika Ytuarte at AYtuarte@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A farm to fork business proposed for Hartland would include a coffee shop and a restaurant