Pasture-Raised Livestock | Summer Twilight Series
Join us at The Flock Farm in Anna to learn about pasture-raised livestock. The Flock Farm, located near Anna in Union County, raises purebred Katahdin sheep, heritage pigs, and various heritage chickens and turkeys. They are proud to raise their animals as certified grass-fed and animal welfare approved through A Greener World (AGW). Additionally, all of their products are certified Homegrown by Heroes. They raise and market their products year-round through the local farmer’s markets and online at the Little Egypt Alliance of Farmers (LEAF) food hub.
Highlights of the program include pasture livestock production, fencing systems, selling meat at a retail level, and more details on how they have successfully developed their marketing avenues. They will also discuss how they became members of the Farmer Veteran Coalition and how organizations like this can provide support to farmer veterans. Anyone interested in learning more about local pasture-raised livestock and marketing in southern Illinois is encouraged to capitalize on this on-farm learning and networking opportunity.
Explore Additional Programs in the Southern Illinois Summer Twilight Series
During warm summer evenings, you’ll find our Local Foods team hosting events to highlight and demonstrate diverse farming enterprises across southern Illinois. Over the past seven years, the team has partnered with area farms to provide evening twilight meetings to allow participants to experience different types of production and marketing practices utilized by local producers.
University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in programming, contact Bronwyn Aly at baly@illinois.edu. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for meeting your needs.
Hydroponic Production | May 16 at 6 p.m.
Robin Holloway of Little River Farm shares his experiences as a beginning farmer growing hydroponic lettuce, tomatoes, and strawberries. He will focus on production techniques within his two high tunnels, different hydroponic systems for lettuce production, the use of bumblebees to improve pollination, and his high tunnel heating and cooling systems. Dr. Kacie Athey, Specialty Crops Entomologist, University of Illinois Crop Sciences, will discuss different biological insect control options. Holloway will also discuss how demand drove his expansion as he sells mainly in the “off-season” of September through June in both wholesale and retail channels.
Value-Added Products from Orchards | June 20 at 6 p.m.
Libby and Derek Ervin of Glacier's End are teaming up with University of Illinois Extension to host the second of four twilight meetings at their orchard. Glacier's End is agribusiness-focused on specialty crops and cottage foods. They specialize in preserving food and beverages primarily sourced from their orchard, gardens, and woods, and they supplement from local farms and growers. Their production allows them to cultivate rare and unique varieties of fruit, vegetables, and flowers as they create delicious products for their kitchen and cellar. At the twilight meeting, the Ervins will demonstrate how they use natural fermentation processes and traditional methods to preserve their fruit and vegetables, producing healthy and delicious creations.
In addition, Family Life Educator Robin Ridgley will be on hand to discuss the Weathering the Storm program, which was developed by Michigan State University Extension to help farmers and farm families improve their toolkit of coping strategies related to farm stress. A brief overview of this program, along with resources to improve stress management, will be provided.
High Tunnel & Field Vegetable Production | July 11 at 6 p.m.
Join us at Feather's Farm in Waterloo to learn about high tunnel and field vegetable production.