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May 19, 2015
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In this Weekly Harvest:    

As the choices at the farmers' market increase, you may be wondering how to turn all of those gorgeous bunches and bags of greens, early strawberries, radishes, and cheeses into a meal. We are here to help! Come on out to a seasonal cooking class, Farm Fresh, this Thursday at Common Ground Food Co-op and learn how to make a few scrumptious dishes with the mouthwatering ingredients that you are getting from the downtown Champaign Farmers' Market and Urbana's Market at the Square. You will help prepare the recipes, learn where to find the ingredients at the markets and the co-op, and of course eat what we make! This series continues all summer, so sign up for more classes and build your skills as a local, seasonal shopper and cook--and if you come to at least 6 classes you will receive a boxed set of The Land Connection's Farm Fresh Now! recipes.
 


 

  
mktMarket Corner
This week the Champaign Famers' Market is happy to welcome Stewart's Artisan Breads with bagels, breads, and granola. We're also looking forward to more tomatoes from Three D, as well as mint, flowers, asparagus, strawberries, lettuce, cheeses, cupcakes, and more.

We'll be holding a special Yoga for Gardeners event hosted by Reflect Yoga Therapy. Reflect will be giving away a gift certificate for a free community yoga class each hour ($20 value.) They will also be offering yoga to the masses at 6pm.  Yoga for Gardeners.  No experience or yoga mat necessary to join in.

The Land Connection is also now accepting Link cards, and doubling Link purchases up to $20/week. This program allows recipients of the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) to not only expand their food budget, but also use these benefits at the market in support of their local farmers.




Mint is an all-time favorite for keeping cool in the summer, but chamomile, or lemon verbena, or any herb that strikes your fancy will also work in this recipe. Double it if you're expecting a crowd.
WorkshopsWorkshops, Field Days, and Grant Opportunities
THE LAND CONNECTION WORKSHOPS
Farm Dreams Workshops

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!

   

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS

 

 Mt. Zion - A Farmers Market at The Art Center 

135 S. Henderson St., Mt. Zion, IL 62549
Thursdays 3:30 to 6:30 pm
June 4, 2015 through October 15, 2015

The Auri Fresh Farmers' Market is an organization founded to give growers and producers of Illinois agricultural commodities, other farm-related products and local artists alternative marketing opportunities, and to improve the variety, freshness, taste and nutritional value of produce available in the Mt. Zion/Decatur area.
 

 

USDA Farm to School Webinar Series

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!

Farm Fresh Cooking Class Series
Common Ground Food Co-op
Thursdays, May - October
The Land Connection, Urbana's Market at the Square, and Common Ground are all collaborating to offer a series of cooking classes using farm fresh ingredients! Every other Thursday starting May 14, the class will feature a local, in-season ingredient and show participants what they can do with it in the kitchen. Registration is $5 per class and you can register online on Common Ground's website. Attend 6 classes and receive a FREE Farm Fresh Now! Recipe Card box set!

Local Flavors Lunches and Dinners
1st Tuesday and 3rd Thursday, May - October
Springfield, Champaign, Bloomington, Peoria
The Local Flavors Farm-to-Table Restaurant series opens new markets for small farmers; gives restaurants an opportunity to source locally and receive high quality products; and gives YOU a chance to support local farmers, local restaurants, and the local economy. Find a complete schedule of events and restaurants on the Buy Fresh Buy Local website. 

Organic Grain Field Day at Janie's Farm
June 26
Danforth, IL 

Learn from a successful and visionary farmer who can help others create a more diverse, resilient, and profitable business model for their farms. 

Harold Wilken, his son Ross, and several employees work together to manage 2300 acres in Iroquois County, Illinois. After 23 years, they made the switch from conventional farming to organic in 2003, and are now moving to access local food-grade markets. Corn, Beans, Wheat, and Red Clover or Alfalfa are the basic rotations used on the farm.  However, Harold is quick to point out that you must be flexible, and several other crops are used to adapt to the unpredictable nature of farming. Corn can be popcorn, seed corn or dent corn. The beans that are grown include clear-hilum soybeans and dry beans like Black Turtle Beans.  Wheat includes spring and fall planted hard and soft varieties.  Pumpkins, oats and ancient grains like Emmer and Einkorn are also part of the mix. Register online 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...

I spent this weekend camping out at a music festival in Chillicothe, IL, just a few miles from Peoria. It doesn't really seem like the kind of a place a music festival would be held, but thousands of people came for it.

 

It was the first time I had been "camping" since last year and no matter how hard I tried to prepare, somehow I still wasn't...

 

 

Read the rest of Stephanies's blog here!
agnewsAgriculture in the News:
Something you should know:
USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) still has nearly one billion dollars available for farm loans to help family farmers across the country buy land.  Read more about it here.

Something you should do: 

Free farm tour at Gray Farms in Watseka on Tuesday, June 23 from 9:00 a.m. to Noon and learn about sustainable agricultural practices that have made Gray Farms successful! Learn more here. 

 

Something to be happy about:

Dozens of volunteers worked with longtime members of the Hattie Carthan Community Garden in central Brooklyn to clean beds, spread mulch, and pour concrete. Read more here. 

 
HAVE SOMETHING? NEED SOMETHING? 
You can post your ad or search for more listings in the classifieds section of our website. To have something listed in the Weekly Harvest, email us at info@thelandconnection.org or call 217-840-2128.

 

Employment Opportunities:
 
SUMMER INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY

Spence Farm Foundation Internship

Program Development Intern

Cultivating a Healthy Food System through Education. That is what Spence Farm Foundation (SFF) is all about. We believe that by helping to connect the key elements of a healthy food system to one another-farmer, chef, food industry, healthcare providers, educators, students and food citizens-supports sustainable production and leads to personal well-being. We have assisted new farms, developed education programs for professional chefs and culinary students, and educated students and professionals alike in the value of responsibly produced food. This is accomplished through professional Culinary Arts program, workshops, speaking engagements, tours, and providing hoop houses for high schools.

Under the supervision of the Executive Director of Spence Farm Foundation (SFF), Interns will provide assistance to the core programs and administrative functions of SFF. This position provides students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in nonprofit operations and project management at an innovative, impactful organization. 

Please contact grow@spencefarmfoundation for more information, to share your resume, or to request a job description.

FIELD OPERATIONS MANAGER, EQUIPMENT OPERATOR AND FARM HAND


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 dylanrcook@gmail.com 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 info@rushcreekfarms.com


 

Land, Equipment, and Other:

 

 

NEW! Farmland for Sale

Contact:

Sandra L. Dockus, Director of Operations, Broker

Land Pro LLC 

2683 US 34, Oswego IL 60543

331.999.3490

 

96+ acres east of DeKalb, Illinois (Kane County)

Root Lane Farm is leased for 2015. PI 138. 94.63 tillable acres. Soil tests available upon request.  Frontage on Beith Road, Thatcher Road, Root Lane. Part of Union Drainage District #3 (active). No improvements. Southern 35 acres annexed to Maple Park, Illinois. Farm 6357, Tract 11633 is signed up for ARC-CO. Survey provided by seller at closing.  Final purchase price based on gross surveyed acres.  Owned by the R. Harlan Paydon Trust.  Located approximately 11 miles east of DeKalb, Illinois and 60 miles west of Chicago, Illinois. GPS: 41.9209128206466, -88.5889002781534

 

222+ acres east of DeKalb, Illinois (Kane County)

Beith Road Farm is leased for 2015. PI 130. 203.24 tillable acres. Soil tests available upon request.  Frontage on Beith Road. Farm 6356, Tract 1178 and Farm 6357, Tracts 2740, 11686, 11687 are signed up for ARC-CO. Survey provided by seller at closing.  Final purchase price based on gross surveyed acres. Part of Union Drainage District #3 and Virgil Ditch #1 (active).  Farm drains well mostly in the drainage ditches. 1,968 sq ft, 2-story home contains 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bath, full basement, partial crawl.  Home was built in 1900 and completely remodeled in 1935.  A one story addition was added in 1990.  Well & Septic.  3-car garage (864 sq ft) Barn (2,048 sq ft) Machine Shed (1,728 sq ft). Owned by the R. Harlan Paydon Trust.  Located Approximately 2 miles northeast of Maple Park, Illinois, 11 miles east of DeKalb, Illinois and 60 miles west of Chicago, Illinois. GPS: 41.927069, -88.58512372786043

 

NEW! OPPORTUNITY FOR FARMER

Homestead Harvests LLC is the only USDA Certified Grassfed beef farm in central Illinois.  I am looking for one or more farmers interested in growing a successful livestock enterprise in the Bloomington area. In addition to my cattle barn, I have a 2nd building available for other pasture enterprises like meat goats or poultry.  This is not an internship, farm hand, or seasonal manager position.  I am looking for a person or persons that are ready to make a long-term commitment to farming. This will allow me to focus more of my time on adding production acreage to my fruit crops.  In return, I will provide you with the option to purchase up to 10 acres of prime farm ground to be a farm business owner/operator.  If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact eric5899@yahoo.com for details and a farm tour.


PARTIALLY COMPOSTED MISCANTHUS 

I have about 160 tons of partially composted Miscanthus that I need to have it
hauled away. It is about a mile south of Easton, IL. I can help defray the hauling expense. If someone is interested in having part or all of it, contact John Caveny at soilsteward@prairieinet.net or call 217-621-7767.

 

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 jnk1203@consolidated.net.


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 deborahwrites@gmail.com

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 terra@thelandconnection.org.

 

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