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April 14, 2015
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In this Weekly Harvest:    

There are only 21 days left!

 

21 days until fresh, local produce is available for purchase right in the middle of downtown Champaign. 21 days until we can look forward to chatting with our favorite farmers weekly under the warm Midwest sun. 21 days until local restaurants start supplementing their menus with the fresh produce of this great event.

 
That's right everyone, there are only three weeks left until the grand opening day of The Land Connection Champaign Farmers' Market!


And that means that there is also a little time left to
become a sponsor of the market and show YOUR support for farmers and local food consumers! All six of our sponsorship levels help us to provide benefits to low income families, giving them access to all the benefits of fresh, local, food. For more information, call 217-840-2128, or email [email protected].

 

We hope you all are as excited as we are! We will see you all on Tuesday, May 5, in support of healthy food, healthy farms, and healthy communities.


  

WorkshopsWorkshops, Field Days, and Grant Opportunities
THE LAND CONNECTION WORKSHOPS

Farm Dreams Workshops

May 4, Springfield, Lincoln Land Community College 

May 18, Bloomington, Epiphany Farms

June 8, Decatur, DIGG

June 15, Cornell, Antiquity Oaks

June 29, North Salem, Indiana, Blue Yonder Organic Farm

All workshops are from 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Farm Dreams is a short workshop in which participants meet experienced sustainable farmers, learn about successful farm enterprises, and ask questions about local farm businesses. Farm Dreams covers resource assessment, goal setting, financial planning, and marketing options. New this year: each workshop will be held on a farm and include a farm tour. Registration is $30 per person. Register online and find more dates here!

Small Tractors Workshop
May 17, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Richland Community College
Decatur, IL 
A small tractor might be your farm's most important investment, but it can become a headache if it's not properly used and maintained. Join us for a workshop on how to use your small tractor better. This workshop goes over basic maintenance
 tasks, safe and efficient operation, and includes supervised tractor driving lessons. Preregistration required. $95 includes lunch. Register online here.
   

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS

 

USDA Farm to School Webinar Series

Curriculum Integration 
April 16, 1:00 p.m.

Program Sustainability
April 30, 1:00 p.m.

Evaluating Your Program, 
May 13, 1:00 p.m.
 
Tying it All Together and Digging In
May 28, 1:00 p.m.
USDA Farm to School staff and guest speakers have just what you need to start or expand your farm to school program in the new year. This 11-part webinar series will help you build your farm to school skills and develop new strategies for bringing local foods into the lunchroom. Join us for tips and insights on topics like building a team, menu planning, program sustainability, and more! New this year: earn SNA Continuing Education Units for each webinar attended. Learn more here!

Illinois Renewable Energy Conference
July 16
Illinois State University
The conference will include plenary speakers on topics of interest to all areas of renewable energy, plus breakout sessions on renewable energy policy, technology, and case studies from around the state in the specific areas of wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and energy efficiency. Learn more here and register online for the Early Bird rate.
 
blThis Week on the TLC Blog...

Diverse and Wide-Eyed

The summer ahead bears knowns and unknowns. Droughts and floods linger unknown in equal parts, along with abundance and failure. What is known is the certainty of a mixture of these elements, and that our designs to receive them are as flawed as we sometimes judge nature to be. Accepting failure is not easy, but acknowledging its likelihood and broadly bracing for it allows failures to be built into the system. Their impact is expected and absorbed, and the experience is incorporated into the functioning of the increasingly resilient farm organism.e...

agnewsAgriculture in the News:
Something you should know:
Organic policy groups have joined in a lawsuit against the USDA regarding the agency's changes to organic farming standards. Learn more here. 

Something you should do: 

Help a community garden or community organization win a grant from Seeds of Change by voting here.

 

Something to be happy about:

Home improvement chain Lowe's Cos Inc will stop selling a type of pesticide suspected of causing a decline in honeybee populations. Read about it.

 

HAVE SOMETHING? NEED SOMETHING? 
You can post your ad in the classifieds section of our website. To have something listed in the Weekly Harvest, email us at [email protected] or call 217-840-2128.

 

INTERNSHIP - COOK FARM

We raise mixed produce for a CSA, farmer's markets and wholesale customers.  We'll work side-by-side from seed to sale in hopes that you finish the season with a solid grasp of what it takes to run a small farm. Interns are expected to work quickly and efficiently in good and bad weather, to ask questions, and to learn from mistakes. Intern will receive a monthly stipend and food from the farm as well as shared housing for the right candidate. Full-time and part-time positions available. Contact Dylan at [email protected] or click here for more information!


BEEKEEPER AND BEEHIVE WANTED

With the decline in the honeybee population, we would like to place a bee hive or two on our property.  We are busy enough with off-farm jobs and our meat goats, that we don't want to spend time on the front-end of the learning curve of beekeeping.  Ideally, we would like to supply the land, while the beekeeper would be responsible for supplying & maintaining the hive(s).  Our goats are pasture-raised, so there is plenty of red clover for the bees as well as a small orchard. Visit our website for more farm information or contact Andy or Jen at 217-688-2043 or email [email protected]


 

CREW LEADER, PRAIRIERTH FARM

PrairiErth Farm is a ten-acre certified organic farm in Central Illinois looking for a crew leader. The crew leader's main duties will be:

-Collaborating with the farmers to lead the crew through daily and weekly tasks

-Keeping the crew on track 

-Setting the pace for speed and accuracy in the field

-Maintaining a positive attitude 

-Praising and giving constructive criticism to workers/volunteers.

We are looking for someone who has had two seasons experience working on an organic farm and experience leading a crew. View the full job listing at on our classifieds page or contact Hans at [email protected] 


Land, Equipment, and Other:

 

FARMLAND AVAILABLE FOR VEGETABLE FARMERS

We own and run a small farm 15 minutes outside of Springfield, and are looking for someone to partner with who will run vegetable production. Right now, we raise Cattle, Hogs, Goats, Chickens and Turkeys. I have plenty on my plate with working off the farm, and running the livestock side, building barns, fixing equipment, etc. We are looking for someone able to take on the vegetable side of the operation, and are open to working out a deal to benefit everyone.  This would be a great opportunity for someone who doesn't have land, but wants to farm. For more information, contact Jim at [email protected].


OPPORTUNITY FOR NEW FARMERS

Antiquity Oaks LLC assists new and aspiring Central Illinois farmers, whether they want to have a market garden, grow mushrooms, produce honey or maple syrup, or raise animals for meat, milk, or fiber. In addition to having classes and internship programs, we will have partnership opportunities for those with education and experience who want to start their own farm businesses on our farmland.  For more information, read more here and contact [email protected]

SEEKING EXPERIENCED FARMER/FARM FAMILY FOR 500 ACRE DIVERSIFIED FARM ON THE GARDEN PENINSULA OF UPPER MICHIGAN

The farm is located in Delta County near Garden, MI.   There is an updated four bedroom house on the property. 

The local school is excellent, and there is good hunting and fishing nearby.  
We are looking for an experienced farmer to care for the land, woods, animals, buildings, and equipment as if they were their own.  The farm includes cattle, chickens, fruit, grain crops, and syrup trees. For a detailed list of responsibilities, contact [email protected].

 

NEED A HIGH TUNNEL?

Nifty Hoops is a small, Michigan-based company that designs, manufactures, and installs 30' Gothic stationary hoophouses for farms throughout the Midwest. We are excited to partner with the Black Oaks Center to offer reduced rates on structures built this Spring in central Illinois and Indiana. A full-featured, fully installed Nifty Hoops Gothic Hoophouse costs less than many unassembled kits. Plus, they include all the features needed to grow in the upper midwest: roll-up sides, fitted doors, motorized louvers, double layer (inflated) poly film, and large endwall doors for tractors and equipment. For more information, find us online at facebook.com/niftyhoops, or contact Jeff McCabe at 734.845.0079 or [email protected]

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Thank you to all the sponsors, donors, and supporters that make the daily operations and programs of The Land Connection possible. We couldn't do it without you!