The newest member of the Illinois Extension Local Food Systems & Small Farms team is Krista Howard. Krista officially started with Extension on August 24 and will be covering Clark, Edgar, and Crawford counties. The Local Foods team is excited to welcome Krista onboard! Any growers located in or near her coverage counties, please reach out and introduce yourself as she is eager to learn how she can best serve you in her new role.
Krista graduated in 2012 from SIU Carbondale with her Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture systems, specializing in Agriculture Education and minoring in Horticulture. She graduated from UIUC with a Master of Veterinary Science in Livestock Health Systems in 2025. She brings with her 14 years of teaching experience as a high school agriculture teacher and FFA Advisor: teaching in both Crawford and Edgar counties. Krista is passionate about all things local agriculture, education, empowering our youth, and beyond, and sustainable/regenerative agriculture. She resides in Clark County with her husband and four children, where they raise cross bred cattle and purebred Berkshire hogs.
Krista Howard- Unit 20 Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator
210 W. Washington St. Paris, IL 61944
217-465-8585 Klraymo2@illinois.edu