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!
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Liberty Prairie Foundation Launches New Website
 We are pleased to announce the launch of www.libertyprairie.org.
This dynamic website will help us better communicate about our impact areas as well as engaging and educational programs and events.
Learn more about the Liberty Prairie Foundation's work at www.libertyprairie.org.
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Organic Plant Sale & Farm Open House - May 17 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Come see the Liberty Prairie Foundation's local food systems work in action at 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 from Sandhill Family Farms, the Farm Business Development Center, and the Prairie Farm Corps youth development program.
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 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.
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Prairie Farm Corps Leadership Training & Spring Work Sessions
 Prairie Farm Corps crew leaders develop leadership skills as they work with a diverse crew of high school students in this youth development program.
This year's crew leaders bring classroom training and practical experience to the Prairie Farm Corps. Two crew leaders are involved in the College of Lake County Sustainable Agriculture program, and one is an alumni of the Chicago Botanic Garden Green Youth Farm.
The crew leader position has been expanded into a broader internship program to provide deeper educational opportunities and expanded vegetable production. In addition to vegetable production and leadership training, crew leaders participated in workshops on soil health & compost, fruit tree pruning, fruit tree grafting, and wheat/small grain processing.
All Prairie Farm Corps participants began spring Crop Mob work sessions in April. Initial sessions included team building as well as greenhouse and field work. This year's enthusiastic Prairie Farm Corps crew members hail from 5 area high schools including Round Lake, Grayslake Central, Grayslake North, Lakes, and Washington.
Purchase plants from the Prairie Farm Corps from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. on May 17 at the Prairie Crossing Farm. Purchase certified organic vegetables at the Prairie Farm Corps booth at the Libertyville Farmers Market on Thursdays from 7:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., June 19 - October 16. The Prairie Farm Corps is also growing vegetables for the Women, Infant & Children (WIC) Farmers Market Nutrition Program in Round Lake and a backpack vegetable distribution program at Beacon Place in Waukegan.
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"Reaching Resilience" 
The Liberty Prairie Foundation provided leadership for the recent "Reaching Resilience: Food and Farming in the Upper Midwest" conference, co-convened by Fresh Taste and Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders. The funders-only conference was attended by representatives from public and private foundations with an interest in upper Midwest food and farming policy and programs.
The Foundation served on the conference planning team, and facilitated a number of sessions. We also hosted an "Urban Fringe" Learning Journey that included a panel discussion with Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor and Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Executive Director Randy Blankenhorn, and tours of the Prairie Crossing and Casey Farms.
Click here for more information about the "Reaching Resilience" conference.
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Farmer Training Roundtable
Organizations involved in farmer training discussed how to reach state goals for growing the local food and farm economy, including identifying/eliminating gaps in farmer training initiatives.
Demand is high for locally-grown organic food, and multiple regional organizations are partnering to provide classroom training, business planning, hands-on experience, and continuing education for farmers. Learn more about the Farm Business Development Center incubator program for farm businesses and our farmer training partners who provide classroom training related to sustainable agriculture.
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Prairie Crossing Farm
32400 North Harris Road
Grayslake, IL 60030
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Copyright © 2014. All Rights Reserved.
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The Liberty Prairie Foundation recently participated in a 
