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!
Prairie Crossing Farm featured on Growing a Greener World
       

Tune into WTTW Create/World at 10 a.m. on Sun., Aug. 30 for an episode of Growing a Greener World featuring the Prairie Crossing Farm. Growing a Greener World is a national PBS series about organic gardening, green living & farm to table cooking.
 

While filming at the Prairie Crossing Farm, host Joe Lamp'l interviewed many people, including the Prairie Farm Corps youth as pictured here. 
 

We are pleased with this national coverage of our work, and hope you will enjoy the show. Beginning Aug. 31, the episode will also be available online at www.growingagreenerworld.com.

Nathan Aaberg joins the Liberty Prairie Foundation
         

We are pleased to announce that Nathan Aaberg has joined the Liberty Prairie Foundation as Program Director for Food, Farms, and Environment. At the Foundation, Nathan advances land conservation and open space protection while also helping to build a resilient and sustainable food system in the Chicago region. Nathan brings to the Foundation expertise in conservation, land preservation, facilitation, strategic planning, education program development, and project management. 

 

Prior to joining the Liberty Prairie Foundation, Nathan helped to lead Conserve Lake County in several roles, including as the Director of Development, the Associate Director, and the Interim Executive Director. During his 10-year career at Conserve, Nathan helped the organization transform from a local conservancy into a major county-wide land trust, preserve over 440 acres of open space, play an invaluable leadership role in the Liberty Prairie Reserve, develop key advocacy positions that shaped the consensus for an innovative and environmentally-sensitive Illinois Route 53 Blue Ribbon Advisory Committee report, and more than double Conserve's annual operating budget. 
 

Please join us in welcoming Nathan to the Liberty Prairie Foundation. Nathan can be reached at [email protected] or 847-548-4062 x21, and his office is located in the Yellow Farmhouse at the Prairie Crossing Farm. Click here to read Nathan's complete bio.
 

Liberty Prairie Foundation at Lollapalooza

 

In early August, the Liberty Prairie Foundation participated in The Lexicon of Sustainability's pop-up art show at Lollapalooza. The Lexicon shares stories and art to explain sustainability principles, and we were pleased to be featured as a local organization engaged in local sustainable food systems. 
 

Concert attendees expressed great interest in the Liberty Prairie Foundation's work at the Prairie Crossing Farm, and the independent farm businesses located here. The poster was designed by Jeff and Jen Miller from Sandhill Family Farms, and features Maryanne Natarajan's beautiful photography.

 

The Liberty Prairie Foundation poster AND the Lexicon of Sustainability pop-up art show will also be exhibited during our Fall Festival on Sat., Oct. 18. Save the date, and stay tuned for more information about the Fall Festival at the Prairie Crossing Farm!

 

"We grow farmers. Come grow with us. www.libertyprairie.org"  


Gleaning a HUGE Success      
  

1,080 pounds of certified organic vegetables were harvested during the Aug. 17 gleaning event at the Prairie Crossing Farm! This photo shows just a fraction of the gleaned vegetables, packaged in boxes donated from local grocery stores.

 

Volunteers worked in the fields of Sandhill Family Farms to harvest scallions, broccoli, Swiss chard, and beans that otherwise would not be harvested. The vegetables were then donated to local food pantries including the COOL Food Pantry and The Chapel's Community Care Center.

 

Thank you to the volunteers who harvested and washed the produce, Sandhill Family Farms for allowing us to glean in your fields, and Liberty Prairie Foundation interns Alisha Bower and Lexie Raczka who lead the event.

Leadership Development
         

The Prairie Farm Corps crew leaders have been busy this summer, cultivating leadership skills through this youth development program. This month we introduce you to two of these crew leaders.

 

Dan Emig has been farming for seven years and just completed his second season as a Prairie Farm Corps crew leader. Dan is passionate about educating people about the importance of sustainable and local food. He would like to run his own educational farm one day, and the Prairie Farm Corps has brought him closer to achieving that goal.

 

Dan studied Forestry at Penn State University and has a certificate in PV Solar Installation and Design from Solar Energy International.  He is studying Earth, Society, and Environmental Sustainability at the University of Illinois. In addition to the Prairie Farm Corps, his farm experience includes the Fulton Center for Sustainable Living at Wilson College, and Marigold Hill Organics.   

 

MacKenzie LeBeau is a duel major in Public Health and Nutrition and Dietetics with a minor in Food Studies from Syracuse University. She has always been interested in the involvement of youth in their local food systems, and was excited to lead the Prairie Farm Corps farm-to-table cooking program where youth gain hands-on food system experience through farming, cooking, and personal development.

 

The Daily Herald recently profiled MacKenzie as their "Cook of the Week" for her work with the Prairie Farm Corps this summer. In the article, she shares a few of the Prairie Farm Corps' favorite recipes. Click here to read the Daily Herald article featuring MacKenzie.


Farewell to the Prairie Farm Corps  
  
The Prairie Farm Corps celebrated the end of the 2014 season with a farm-to-table dinner at the Byron Colby Barn for their families and our program sponsors.  It was a delicious way to celebrate each participant's accomplishments in this youth development program.

  

Prairie Farm Corps participants prepared a farm-to-table dinner using vegetables they've grown this season, and spoke about how the program has impacted them. Public speaking is difficult for many people, and we are proud of the Prairie Farm Corps participants for sharing their experiences. Spanish-speaking participants translated, so attendees could listen in both English and Spanish.  

 

Thank you to the generous sponsors of the Prairie Farm Corps: the Morrison Family Foundation, Roy G. Kerr Foundation, Liberty Prairie Foundation, Vermont Compost, individual donors, plus a special donation in memory of Clifford Carlberg. We are grateful for your support of the Prairie Farm Corps! Your support has truly made a difference in the lives of these young people.


Prairie Farm Corps at Libertyville Farmers Market
                          

Though the summer program has ended, Prairie Farm Corps crew leaders will continue to sell produce at the Libertyville Farmers Market from 7 a.m. - 1 p.m. each Thursday until Oct. 18.

 

To see what vegetables are available at the market each week, "like" the Prairie Crossing Farm Facebook page.
 

Come purchase fresh organic vegetables! Vegetable purchases help underwrite the costs of this youth development program.

 

Free Farm Legal Issues Workshop - Tues., Sept. 9

               

In addition to farm production and marketing, paying attention to the legal aspects of farming is essential for the farm's long-term viability.
 

Join The Land Connection and Rachel Armstrong, lead attorney at Farm Commons for a free Legal Issues workshop on Tues., Sept. 9 from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the U of I Extension office in Grayslake. Lunch will be provided.
 
Advance registration is required for this free event. In addition to farmers, this workshop will be useful for farm educators, professionals who work with farmers, and law students. This workshop is funded by a grant from SARE.
Upcoming Workshops by Radical Root

                

Radical Root Farm is offering a variety of educational workshops, in partnership with Cacao Sweets and Treats in downtown Grayslake.

  • Making Healing Fermented Foods - 8/27 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. $55
  • Canning Summer's Bounty - 9/24 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. $65
  • Edible Herbal Bodycare and Beauty Products - 12/3 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. $65

Advance registration is required - see the "classes" section of www.radicalrootfarm.com for workshop descriptions, registration information, workshop location, and more.  

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Prairie Crossing Farm
www.libertyprairie.org, 847-548-4062
32400 North Harris Road
Grayslake, IL 60030

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