The Liberty Prairie Foundation supports educational programming at the Prairie Crossing Farm to educate and inspire people to value healthy food, land and community through experiences on our farm.

The Liberty Prairie Foundation provides leadership and financial support for local food system development, social entrepreneurship, land conservation, environmental education, and civic engagement.

We hope to see you at one of our upcoming events!

Organic Plant Sale & Farm Open House - May 17 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

It may not look like it outside, but spring is coming, and we're getting ready in the greenhouse.

Save the date for the 2014 Organic Plant Sale & Farm Open House! Purchase organic plants and other farm products from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Sat., May 17 at the Prairie Crossing Farm!

Meet the Prairie Crossing Farmers including Sandhill Family Farms, Farm Business Development Center participants, and Prairie Farm Corps youth development program members.

Support the farmers who are growing local food in your neighborhood, purchase organic plants for your garden and more. Several community supported agriculture (CSA) options including organic vegetables, free-range eggs, and pastured pork will be available from multiple farm businesses.

We're eagerly anticipating spring, and hope to welcome you to the Prairie Crossing Farm for the 2014 Organic Plant Sale & Farm Open House between 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Sat., May 17.

Prairie Farm Corps Kicks Off 2014 Season

PFC crew and leaders Prairie Farm Corps crew leaders began seeding in the greenhouse mid-March, in preparation for spring. High school crew members will join them during Crop Mob work sessions in April, before the program fully begins in June.

The Prairie Farm Corps is growing certified organic seedlings for the Organic Plant Sale & Farm Open House, and will also cultivate vegetables for customers at the Libertyville Farmers Market and the Women, Infant & Children (WIC) Farmers Market Nutrition Program in Round Lake.

Prairie Farm Corps participants acquire more than sustainable agriculture experience through this youth development program. Even the Prairie Farm Corps interview process is a job training experience - applicants receive preparation tips prior to their interview. Interview preparation may be overlooked by young job seekers, and these tips provide job skills training for applicants, whether or not they are hired.

Come purchase plants from the Prairie Farm Corps from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. on May 17 at the Prairie Crossing Farm. Beginning June 19, visit them at the Libertyville Farmers Market on Thursdays from 7:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. from June 19 - October 16, 2014. Ask what they are learning about growing and preparing healthy food in the Prairie Farm Corps!

Waukegan Fresh Food Access

Over the last year, the Liberty Prairie Foundation has been engaged in the Waukegan Local Food Project. We are continuing our engagement in Waukegan with an exciting pilot project.

In 2013, the Prairie Farm Corps began distributing vegetables through the Women, Infants, & Children Farmers Market Nutrition Program in Round Lake. This increased access to fresh food for low-income residents, meeting a significant community need.

In 2014, the Liberty Prairie Foundation will expand our reach into underserved communities with a pilot project to also provide fresh vegetables to low-income Waukegan residents. The Prairie Farm Corps will increase vegetable production to grow this produce to distribute to under-resourced Waukegan families.

The Liberty Prairie Foundation will hire a summer outreach intern to coordinate the project, and provide Waukegan residents with information about the vegetables they are receiving including nutrition information and recipes. We look forward to continuing our engagement in Waukegan with this pilot project.

In the News

Check out the following articles related to the Prairie Crossing Farm and the conservation features of the Prairie Crossing development:

Stormwater - "Developers Go Green for Suburban Stormwater Management"
New York Times - "Farm-to-Table Living Takes Root"

Click here for more articles published about the Prairie Crossing Farm.

Queen of the Sun Film

Thank you those who participated in our Queen of the Sun screening! The Byron Colby Barn was "buzzing" with great energy and interest in conservation, sustainable agriculture, and beekeeping.

In addition to Queen of the Sun, audience members watched Marla Spivak's Ted Talk, "Why Bees are Disappearing" and mingled with Prairie Crossing farmers, local beekeepers, Conserve Lake County,

Village Homesteading Mundelein, and Zipcar.

For those interested in beekeeping, the Lake County Beekeeping brochure provides information about Lake County's regulations for residential beekeeping.

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Prairie Crossing Farm

www.libertyprairie.org, 847-548-4062

32400 North Harris Road
Grayslake, IL 60030