The next installment of my tri-county farmer interview series brought me to Panther Ridge Farms, owned and operated by Ashley and Nathan Hodel. Their farm, in El Paso, IL, spans 23 acres and is surrounded by the rolling hills and valleys of the Mackinaw River watershed.Ashley and Nathan, along with...
When I arrived at Garden Gate Farms in Fairbury, Illinois for another farmer interview, I immediately knew it would be a very interesting story. It was a cool spring morning, and I had my windows down. I’m glad I did. On the way up the driveway, I smelled freshly blooming lilacs, saw a handful of...
McLean county small farm uses systems-level thinking, small town advocacy, farm business synergy to drive positive change in local food system
Sometimes it is good to take a step back and look at things from the 30,000-foot view, as the saying goes. If we allow ourselves (as farmers,...
When “farming” is invoked in Illinois, thoughts typically gravitate toward corn and soybeans. When “small farmers” are mentioned, one imagines those who grow vegetables and fruits or raise livestock for regional markets. But when I came across the term “farmer-florist”, I was unsure what to think...
Milk is one of the most ordinary grocery store items in the United States. An entire industry is based around this liquid commodity, with tens of thousands of farms across the country that feed into it. Used for everything from cereal to pancakes, protein shakes, and lattes, many people enjoy milk...
Homesteading provides a unique life path, and it is growing in popularity. The lifestyle focuses on self-sufficiency and natural settings, from growing produce and raising livestock to using natural remedies and beekeeping. For Bloomington residents Chris Stenger and his wife Sarah, urban...
In 2007, sisters Jamie Choler and Sara Choler Hale were picking up their weekly box of vegetables from Biver Farms. They were part of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in which the customer agrees to pay the farmer upfront and picks up weekly “...
When I want to get inspired by my work with local small farmers, I make my way to Clara Joyce Flowers. There, farmer Drew Groezinger inevitably has something new going on.
My visits have coincided with high tunnels being erected, a field of newly...
It was a strangely mild, pleasant, and cloudy day in early July when I visited with Jeremy Zobrist of Rock Creek Farms and sister company, Top Fox Snacks, based in Danvers, IL, west of Bloomington-Normal. The topography while approaching the Mackinaw River...
