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Fresh Local News from FamilyFarmed.org
February  2010
2010 Chicagoland CSA Guide Released!!

2010 CSACommunity Supported Agriculture (CSAs) are part of a growing movement where people are connecting more with their food, their farmers, their communities, and their environment. CSAs are membership-based in that people can purchase a seasonal membership of a particular farm's harvest. Farmers receive an upfront payment from the subscriber in advance of the growing season. The subscriber is then entitled to receive one box of fresh-picked produce weekly during the growing season. The box is delivered to one of few or several negotiated and pre-determined pick up spots. While all are unique in their particular design, many CSAs offer farm tours, work days, product storage and preparation information, recipes, newsletters, and other educational opportunities developed by the CSA members, leaders, and farmers.

 csa box

The Guide to Chicagoland CSAs gives Chicago area consumers the most-comprehensive and most up to date information about which local family farmers are offering CSAs along with how to contact them, if they are certified organic, and which neighborhoods they deliver to. The Guide also helps farmers because it is free to advertise in and for consumers to access, and it is widely distributed online and in print every spring.


Meet CSA farmers, find the best fit, and sign up for a share at the FamilyFarmed EXPO!


Also, new this Year!

Several new farms are offering CSAs in Chicagoland AND FamilyFarmed.org is offering consumers a match-making service to become a CSA pick-up site!

EXPO Falling VegJoin us at the 5th FamilyFarmed EXPO
And enter for a chance to win amazing foodie prizes!
 
You won't want to miss this year's Local Food Festival!  There will be fantastic exhibits, celebrity chef demos, and engaging workshops about local food, urban agriculture, growing your own food and even raising chickens in your backyard.  You can also meet farmers, sign up for a CSA and learn how to eat local year-round.  Round out your day by checking out the Kids' Corner, Local Food Court and EXPO bookstore.

expoWe're also celebrating our 5th FamilyFarmed EXPO with a Contest!
Enter for a chance to win dinner for 4 at Frontera Grill & meet Chef Rick Bayless, a year's worth of dairy products from Organic Valley, or a Burrito Party for 50 from Chipotle!
 
Get your tickets today!
FamilyFarmed EXPO March 11-13 ~ UIC Forum
725 W. Roosevelt, Chicago IL ~  Produced by FamilyFarmed.org
Join us at Localicious!
Localicious

Meet Rock Star Farmers at the
FamilyFarmed EXPO!
The FamilyFarmed EXPOwill feature five Rock Star Farmers who have taken their craft to a new level with a strong focus on sustainable food production. You can meet these farmers at the Local Food Festival on Saturday, March 13, where each will have a booth. In addition, they will be speaking at the FamilyFarmed Trade Show the morning of Friday, March 12.
 
Rock Star Farmers:
R
Richard DeWildeichard deWilde of Harmony Valley Farm-For many, Richard deWilde is the dean of Midwest organic farmers. For over 20 years he has been producing some of the finest fruits and vegetables in the region. Harmony Valley has an extremely successful business model pairing a vibrant CSA and sales at the Madison Farmers market with a stellar wholesale operation selling to Whole Foods Market Midwest, Irv and Shelly's Fresh Picks, Green and Green, and more.
 
Bill Kurtis, Tallgrass Beef-Journalist turned Rancher, Bill Kurtis, owns the 10,000 acre Red Buffalo ranch in Kansas where cattle graze on virgin tall grass prairie. In order to market the beef, he created Tallgrass Beef, which is now one of the largest suppliers of grass-fed beef in America. A number of ranchers from across the country and Midwest supply Tallgrass and customers include restaurants, supermarkets, and online sales.
 
Vicky Westerhoff of Genesis Growers-Vicky Westerhoff is a self-taught farmer and single mom, who has developed a great farm business over the past decade. She began selling direct through farmers markets and a CSA, and then expanded her business to include more restaurants and wholesale accounts. Customers include Chipotle, Irv and Shelly's, North Pond, Vie, Carnivale.
 
Tom Bedard of Lady Moon Farms-Tom Bedard has created the largest organic vegetable farming operation east of the Mississippi River. He began with a 22-acre family farm in Pennsylvania and slowly expanded it to 350 acres of vegetables grown strictly for wholesale markets. Realizing that his customers were looking for year round products, he purchased additional farms in South Florida and Georgia, taking their total acreage to nearly 1600 acres. They are famous for their high quality tomatoes, greens, summer squash and other vegetables as well as beautiful branding.  In the Midwest they sell primarily through Goodness Greeness customers as well as Whole Foods Market.
 
Adam deGroot of Triple A Farms-Adam is a 4th generation farmer on land near Kankakee Illinois. With his two brothers and father, they grow 800 acres of vegetables and have successfully combined a wholesale vegetable operation with selling direct through CSA and farmers markets. Wholesale customers include Chartwells-Thompson Hospitality (Chicago Public Schools), SYSCO, and Fortune Fish.


Featured Producer:
Burton's Maplewood Farm

8121 West County Rd. 75 South
Medora, IN 47260
             
Tim and Angie Burton moved to the farm in 1999 along with their two children Greg and Mallery. They have been producing 100% pure maple
burton'ssyrup for the past three years. Greg and Mallery have since grown up, married and have children, but they are still an integral part of the processing and National Maple Syrup Festival. While the children and grandchildren help, Tim and Angie are the main components of the 28 - acre operation. The couple has enjoyed learning "how to become more self-reliant" as far as what they grow on their farm and put in their product. They are also active members of the Hoosier Environmental Council and other local organizations.
 
In Indiana you can find their products at the Bloomington and Broad Ripple Farmers Markets and in Illinois at the Green City Market, Division Street farmers market and various holiday and winter farmer markets. In addition, Burton's Maplewood Farm syrup can be found at various restaurants in both Indiana and Illinois including, Blackbird, Publican, Avec, Table 52, Bristol of Chicago, Signature Room at the 96th, North Pond, Frontera Grill and Millennium Park Grill, all in Chicago, and Fair Oaks Farm, Goose the Market & Indiana State Museum in Indiana. Their products are also available for sale on their website and in a few boutique stores including Chicago's Downtown Farm Stand and Chateau De Pique.

What makes your farm special?
We encourage people to play an active role in being a part of our farm. We do this [for the] experience, the special feeling, the satisfaction and ultimate result of harvesting a sustainable product. We also host the National Maple Syrup Festival on our family farm.
 
Where do you want your business to be in the next five years?
We would like our 100% pure maple syrup to be recognized as "One of America's Premier Maple Syrups".
 
What is your favorite part about being a farmer?
Sustainability!

What is your least favorite part about being a farmer?

Not having enough time in the day to be a farmer.

For more information about Burton's Maplewood Farm, visit their website, call 812.525.2663 or email them.
Join Our Mailing List!
Ever dreamed of picking up your CSA share closer to home or work?
Become a CSA site!
veggie bowl
FamilyFarmed.org's mission is to expand the production, marketing and distribution of locally grown and responsibly produced food in order to enhance the social, economic and environmental health of our communities.
 
One of the ways we do this is through the Chicagoland CSA Guide on the FamilyFarmed  website.  As a new service to CSA farmers and communities, FamilyFarmed.org is assisting in matching CSA farmers with new CSA drop off sites.
 
If your business, neighbors, congregation, or town/village is interested in hosting a CSA drop off site in the Chicagoland area, we want to hear from you!

Please fill out this form with contact information and site details (contact name/info, location, parking, and days/times best for drop off).  Then, email the form to us!
 
This information will then be forwarded to our CSA farmer network.  Should a CSA farmer be interested in your drop off site, it will be up to them to contact the host you list to discuss and arrange details.  Please be sure that your contact person is aware that they may receive calls from CSA Farmers and Coordinators in our network.
 
CSA Drop Off Site Requirements:
-around 10-20 members (depending on the CSA)
-Parking access for members during pick up times
-Access for produce/farm truck
-Sufficient space for unloading/organizing CSA share boxes
 -Covered or indoor working space to protect share boxes from extreme weather 
 
Please click here for more info!
Ready to Grow:
A Plan for Increasing Illinois Specialty Crop Production
A Grower Survey for the Illinois Department of Agriculture's 2010 Specialty Crop Block Grant Study
Wholesale Success cover

FamilyFarmed.org is researching how to enhance the competitiveness of Illinois grown produce by assessing and addressing stakeholders' needs in regards to scaling up wholesale-level production.

We would like to better understand the barriers that prevent fruit and vegetable growers from participating in wholesale markets and estimate the potential increase in production and sales if certain barriers were reduced or removed.  This Grower Survey will collect important data and perspectives for the study.

Please click here to learn more about and to access the survey.  Please tell Illinois produce growers that you know about it!

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 2010 EXPO logo

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Quick Links
Find Local Food

 Guide to Chicagoland CSAs

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