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.
 
We provide leadership and financial support for local food system development, social entrepreneurship, land conservation, environmental education, and civic engagement.
 
Experience the changing seasons with a series of fun and educational events at the Prairie Crossing Farm.
Prairie Crossing at Twenty: From Pioneering Design to
Photo: Terry Evans
Vibrant Community - Aug. 30    
              
Celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the first Prairie Crossing home with its original architects and planners from 1 - 5:30 p.m. Sun., Aug. 30! Learn the thought that went into the development of this nationally recognized conservation community and the architecture of individual home models. 

"Prairie Crossing at Twenty: From Pioneering Design to Vibrant Community" features presentations and discussion by the architects and planners of Prairie Crossing, including developers George and Vicky Ranney.
 
Blair Kamin, Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic of the Chicago Tribune, will moderate the discussion. Following the presentation at the Barn, tours of select private homes and community buildings will be provided by the original architects as well as tours of Prairie Crossing and its unique, defining features.
 
While this free event is most appropriate for adults, youth ages 12 and older who are interested in architecture are welcome to attend with their parents. Advance registration is required. To accommodate a growing number of registrants, this event has been moved to the Prairie Crossing Charter School gym, located next to the Byron Colby Barn. Click here for additional information and registration.
 
We invite you to learn how ideals for community, land, water, and architecture were woven together in the design of Prairie Crossing. This free event is sponsored by the Prairie Crossing Homeowners Association and Liberty Prairie Foundation. Spaces are still available - sign up today!
Fall Festival at the Prairie Crossing Farm                   
10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Sat., Oct. 3
  

The Prairie Crossing farmers welcome you to the Liberty Prairie Foundation's final on-farm event of the season - the Fall Festival from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Sat., Oct. 3.

 

Celebrate the end of another successful season producing sustainable local food, supporting the social entrepreneurship of the independent farm businesses at the farm, providing environmental education, and so much more at the Prairie Crossing Farm.

 

Free hayride tours with Jeff Miller, resident organic farmer and co-owner of Sandhill Family Farms, will depart at approximately 10:15 and 11:15 a.m. from the parking lot at the Yellow Farmhouse. Parents are required to ride the hayride with their children and provide supervision.

 

Click here for additional information and join us for a celebration of local food!
Gleaning at the Farm                    
Volunteers in the Liberty Prairie Foundation's gleaning program harvest produce that otherwise would not be harvested from one of the independent farm businesses located at the Prairie Crossing Farm. These fresh vegetables are then delivered to a local food pantry for distribution to their clients.
 
As of mid-August, volunteers have harvested almost ONE TON of fresh produce which has been delivered to Roberti Community House, Holy Family Food Pantry, Avon Township Food Pantry, COOL Food Pantry, and Northern Illinois Food Bank.
 
Thank you to Sandhill Family Farms for allowing gleaning in their fields and to our dedicated volunteers! Join the gleaning crew on Sunday afternoons at our NEW TIME from 2 - 6 p.m. - click here for gleaning information and dates.
Farewell to the Prairie Farm Corps          
  
Another fabulous Prairie Farm Corps season has concluded for the year. Participants celebrated the end of the season with a farm-to-table dinner for their families, which was a delicious way to recognize 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.
 
Enjoy a recap of the season with the 2015 Prairie Farm Corps video created by Lindsey Shifley and the "Ambassadors Cross Continents For Food Rev Takeover!" article by the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation.
 
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.

Thank you to the following partners who helped shape the Prairie Farm Corps in many ways: Terri Salminen and Lindsey Shifley of the Jamie Oliver Food Revolution, the Lake County Health Department, Beacon Place, and many others who contributed to the success of the 2015 Prairie Farm Corps.
 
Prairie Farm Corps recruiting typically begins in Jan. or Feb. for the following spring/summer program. This will be announced in this email newsletter and on the Careers page of our website, www.libertyprairie.org.  
Intern Spotlight            
  
The Liberty Prairie Foundation hired three crew leaders and one farm to table kitchen lead for the Prairie Farm Corps youth development program this season.
 
Natalie Absil recently graduated from Northland College with a B.A. in sustainable community development. She has a background in environmental studies and outdoor youth programs, and her Prairie Farm Corps crew leader experience reaffirmed her beliefs in the benefits on food education and getting kids outdoors. Natalie plans to continue her education in urban planning and aspires to incorporate local foods and art into community development.
 
Amanda Eynatten recently graduated from Northern Michigan University with a B.A. in environmental study and a minor in biology. She is currently pursuing a certificate in sustainable agriculture at the College of Lake County and is interested in large scale farming and healthy eating habits, both of which she gained additional experience with through her crew leader internship with the Prairie Farm Corps. Amanda wants to educate people about healthy eating habits and hopes to someday own a farm.
 
Lesley Grill received a M.A. in education from Temple University, B.S. in communications from Ithaca College, and certificate in urban agriculture from Windy City Harvest. She's taught cooking and gardening for many years and worked for FamilyFarmed.org on the Good Food Festival before joining the Prairie Farm Corps as the farm to table kitchen intern. This summer Leslie expanded her capacity to create delicious and nutritious meals with fresh vegetables and deepened her passion for working with youth.
 
Shannon McBride recently graduated from Carthage College with a B.A. in biology and has a technical certificate in urban farming from Gateway Technical College. Her science background fueled an interest in plant science, and she's enjoyed learning from multiple farmers this summer. After her crew leader experience with the Prairie Farm Corps, she wants to teach lower income communities in the U.S. and abroad about sustainable agriculture.
 
Though the core summer program is done, their internship continues in a different format this fall as they harvest vegetables, staff the Prairie Farm Corps booth at the Libertyville Farmers Market (Thursdays from 7 a.m. - 1 p.m. until Oct. 22), and operate the Foundation's gleaning program. 
Good Food Business Accelerator                   
  
Are you a Good Food business serving the Chicago foodshed who wants to launch or expand?

FamilyFarmed's Good Food Business Accelerator is now accepting applications from food and farm entrepreneurs who want to participate in the program's second cohort. Application deadline is Sept. 18; the program begins late fall.

The Good Food Business Accelerator provides mentoring, strategic support, and access to capital for new or growing Good Food businesses. FamilyFarmed is recruiting qualified Fellows to participate in a program that builds business skills, pairs them with industry-leading mentors, provides strategic support, and connects them to potential customers and investors.

Fellows access FamilyFarmed's network of leading regional trade buyers including Whole Foods Market, UNFI, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Goodness Greeness, Chicago Public Schools, Lettuce Entertain You, Sysco, Aramark, Compass Group. The accelerator is based at 1871, Chicago's engine of business and technology innovation.

Click here to learn more and apply for the Good Food Accelerator. A Good Food Business Accelerator Application Celebration will be held at 6 p.m. Tues., Sept. 8 at 1871 in Chicago's Merchandise Mart. Mentors, advisors and past Fellows will speak about the Accelerator's impact. Click here for tickets. 
Stateline Farm Beginnings Course                   
  
Stateline Farm Beginnings is a farmer-led training and support program designed to help people plan and launch sustainable farm businesses. 
 
233 individuals from across southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois have graduated from the course since its inception in 2005. The course, offered at Angelic Organics Farm in Boone County, Illinois, attracts both rural and urban participants, with students hailing from Chicago, Rockford, Milwaukee, Madison and nearby communities.

 

Students in Stateline Farm Beginnings work on a financial plan to launch a new farm business or to improve their farm's success. They get hands-on learning from a large community of local farmers, and are invited to participate in a summer mentorship specific to their needs. The class starts in October 2015 and runs for about one year.

Applications postmarked by Sept. 1 will qualify for a $150 early bird discount. All applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Click here for additional information about Stateline Farm Beginnings. 

 
About the Prairie Crossing Farm      

The Prairie Crossing Farm is a working organic farm nestled inside the Prairie Crossing community in Grayslake, Illinois. The Prairie Crossing Farm is owned by the Liberty Prairie Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

 

The Foundation operates a variety of programs at the Prairie Crossing Farm to advance our mission. The Farm Business Development Center, an incubator program, prepares beginning farmers to meet the demand for locally-grown organic food in the Chicago region. The independently-owned Prairie Crossing Farm businesses serve customers throughout the Chicago region.

 

The 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. Educational programming includes the Prairie Farm Corps youth development program, seasonal events, and more.
32400 North Harris Road
Grayslake, IL 60030

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