Jussi Reponen

Jussi Reponen is a Finnish-American, US Army disabled veteran, farmer, and craftsman who has spent his life learning — and living — the principle of leaving things better than he found them.

After serving in the U.S. Army, Jussi built a new life in Wisconsin’s Driftless region, where he owns and operates JK Evergreen Ranch and Driftless Woolen Mill. He tends sheep, alpacas, and goats, turning their fibre into handcrafted goods through zero-waste farming practices rooted in stewardship and care for the land.

Jussi writes and speaks from lived experience — military service, chronic pain and disability, accounting, and small farm life — bringing together lessons that are practical, honest, and deeply human. His work is guided by a single question he first learned in the field: Did I leave this better than I found it?

He lives in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, with his husband Alexander.