Anna, Ill. – The Flock Farm is teaming up with University of Illinois Extension to host the final of four twilight meetings at their farm on Monday, August 15, 2022, starting at 6 p.m. University of Illinois Extension Educators Bronwyn Aly, Nathan Johanning, and Katie Bell have partnered with area farmers over the past eight years to provide four evening “twilight meetings” to highlight and demonstrate diverse farming enterprises across southern Illinois.
Brent and April Glays established their family farm in 2018 and specialize in pasture-raised lamb, goat, pork, and poultry. 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.
Throughout the evening, Brent and April will share their experiences as they got a start in farming and built their farm from scratch. Some highlights will 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.
The Flock Farm, is located 460 Mcduffee Lane in Anna. There is no cost to attend this in-person program, but pre-registration is appreciated. To register online, visit go.illinois.edu/2022TwilightSeries. To register by phone, call 618-695-2441.
If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate, please contact Bronwyn Aly at baly@illinois.edu. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your needs. University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.
SOURCE: Katie Bell, local food systems and small farms educator, University of Illinois Extension, klbell@illinois.edu, 618-687-1727
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