Upcoming Programs
See the University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Team’s website at: https://extension.illinois.edu/lfssf
- 2024 Southern Illinois Summer Twilight Series | 3rd Monday evening in May-August across southern Illinois. To register for any or all of these meetings, go to go.illinois.edu/twilightseries or contact Bronwyn Aly baly@illinois.edu or 618-695-2441 for more information.
- Blessed Blooms on July 15, Fairfield, IL cut flower farm and farm market
- Sunnybrook Gardens on August 19, Carmi, IL vegetable production, processing and freezing of sweet corn and peaches, specialty equipment
- High Tunnel Production Field Day |Tuesday, July 16 at University of Illinois Dixon Springs Ag Center from 6-8 p.m. Join Dr. Kacie Athey, specialty crop entomologist, and Bronwyn Aly, extension educator, as they discuss ongoing high tunnel research projects. Part of the evening will include basic construction and layout techniques from a local contractor with experience in high tunnel/greenhouse installation. To register for this meeting go to go.illinois.edu/hightunnelproduction or contact Bronwyn Aly baly@illinois.edu or 618-695-2441 for more information.
- Purdue Fruit and Vegetable Field Day | Thursday, July 18 at MEIGS Horticulture Research Farm 9101 S 100 E Lafayette, IN 47909 For more information contact Lori Jolly-Brown at 765-494-1296 or ljollybr@purdue.edu or register online at https://vegcropshotline.org/purdue-fruit-and-vegetable-field-day/
- 2024 Pumpkin Field Day | Thursday, September 5 at Eckert’s Belleville Farm, Belleville, IL Save the date! More details and registration information in future issues.
- 2025 Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day | Wednesday, September 11 at MEIGS Horticulture Research Farm 9101 S 100 E Lafayette, IN 47909 For more information on registration or sponsorship, visit https://www.thelandconnection.org/event/2024-mmwcfd/ or contact Sam Oschwald Tilton at 414-213-5337 or glacialdrift@protonmail.com.
- 2025 From Food to Flowers: Everything Local Conference | January 29 through 31 at Bank of Springfield Center, Springfield, IL. Mark your calendars now and look for further details later this year!
News and Announcements
Welcome to the newest Local Foods educator!
The Local Food Systems and Small Farms Extension team is excited to welcome our newest member, Alexis Barnes! Alexis has a strong background in vegetable production and is eager to make connections with specialty crop growers within DuPage, Kane and Kendall counties. Any of our subscribers in that area of the state please feel free to reach out and introduce yourself. She can be contacted by calling 630-584-6166 or email arbarnes@illinois.edu. Below is a bit of information Alexis wanted to share about herself.
I am a DuPage county native and cover unit 5 for DuPage, Kane and Kendall counties, but my office is in St. Charles. I received a Bachelors of Science in Geography & Sustainability from Indiana State University in 2022 and a Masters of Science in Plant Science from South Dakota State University in 2024. My masters thesis researched clover cover crops as a living mulch in broccoli, bell pepper and organic winter squash production. I have experience working on a certified organic fruit and vegetable farm in Indiana, started a food forest project at Indiana State University as well as lived on a 40-acre vegetable and pizza farm in South Dakota.
My focus areas are vegetable production, vineyard and bramble production, the organic certification, urban farmer training, as well as tillage reduction strategies like cover crops and soil tarping. (I have a lot of focuses right now but will probably narrow down in the future).