Small farms

Blog Posts

a stand of trees forming a windbreak
Picking the right tree for your windbreak
Picking a tree for a windbreak is a big decision. A windbreak protects a home from the constant Illinois wind and blowing snow. With this important...
Protect Your Small Flock from Avian Flu
Preventing Avian Flu in Your Small Flock
In the past three weeks, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been detected wild birds in the central U.S. flyway. The HPIA strains being...
Cut flower grower builds community with his 'more than one person' approach
When I want to get inspired by my work with local small farmers, I make my way to Clara Joyce Flowers...
Jeremy Zobrist overseeing the field pumpkin harvest with specially made equipment - Photo Credit: Sarah Zobrist
Homework, teamwork, and passion power the 'real food for real people' operation of one Central Illinois farmer
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,...
Kevin Lindley in one of his high tunnels
Three types of investment set up a beginning urban farmer for success
 “I blame this on my Granny Flo,” Kevin Lindley, urban farmer and executive director Green Pastures Eco Community Farm, shakes his head and declares...
How to care for backyard chickens in winter
Winter begins challenges to the small flock chicken owner. There are issues that need to be solved: keeping the water from freezing, preventing the...
female farmer standing in agricultural field talking on cell phone
Feedback on COVID-19 Impacts Requested from Farmers and Agribusiness
“A ripple effect is a situation in which, like ripples expanding across the water when an object is dropped into it, an effect from an initial state...
Clipper cutting tree branch in winter
How to Prune Fruit Trees and Maximize your Home Orchard
One of the secrets to getting fruit out of your home orchard year after year is annual pruning during the dormant season. This early-spring task can...

News Releases

swine in straw
Getting Started with Swine
Join University of Illinois Extension for the first topic in the "Livestock Production and Principles for Beginners Webinar Series." Katie Bell, Local Foods Systems and Small Farms Extension Educator, will discuss "Getting Started...
Young farmers seek solutions to entry barriers
Young and beginning farmers face many challenges, including access to land, financial capital, technical knowledge and support, social networks, adequate labor, marketing experience, health insurance, and childcare. University of Illinois Extension is wading...
Farm women are decision makers – Annie’s Project prepares them well
LEWISTOWN, Ill. - Farm women are generating a cultural tide in American agriculture that is moving management, assets, and opportunities to a new wave of farmers across the country. At Annie’s Project courses, farm women become empowered to be better business partners or sole operators through...

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