Farmers Rising to Raise Critical Funds With May 17 Outdoor Concert
"Barnyard Blues" Will Take Place at Non-Profit's Home Base in Caledonia, IL
Local Food Forum's regular readers surely are familiar with my friends at Farmers Rising, the impactful farmer training non-profit based in the north-central Illinois community of Caledonia (near Rockford).
Farmers Rising is facing unprecedented financial challenges stemming from the abrupt, unfair and inconsistent funding freezes that the Trump administration's Department of Agriculture has imposed on certain food and farm programs.
To help, Local Food Forum is holding a subscription drive with 20 percent of proceeds going directly to Farmers Rising.
So I am also sharing the news that Farmers Rising is staging an emergency fundraising concert at its Caledonia home base on Saturday, May 17, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. The outdoor event, titled "Barnyard Blues," will include music, food from the outdoor hearth oven, the company of other local farming supporters, and a lovely day in the country.
This Local Food Forum article has details about the event with a link to get tickets, and an explainer of the subscription/fundraising campaign with a link to subscribe.
Wild Onion Co-Op Market Will Show Meat Industry Film on Earth Day
April 22 Event Will Include Q&A With Store Manager Matt Wechsler
Wild Onion Market, the food co-op that opened last year in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, is hosting a viewing on Tuesday, April 22 — Earth Day — of The Jungle, an important documentary about the deeply flawed industrial meat system.
The showing will take place at 7 p.m central at Living Water Community Church, 6808 N. Ashland Ave.
"A documentary about meat, greed and profit” is the way Matt Wechsler — Wild Onion's general manager and a food documentarian himself, describes The Jungle.
Matt will participate in a Q&A after the film with Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, who raises poultry using regenerative practices at his Tree-Range® Farms in Northfield, Minnesota, which is featured in the film.
Learn more about the film, Matt Wechsler, and two other upcoming Wild Onion event in this Local Food Forum article.
Ramp Up for This Weekend's Markets Including a New Outdoor Opening
Market in Suburban Grayslake Joins Early Chicago Region Outdoor Lineup
Spring is a time for hope. And I hope the weather forecast for Saturday — when I'll again be visiting Chicago's Green City Market — is right.
The forecast says mostly sunny with a high of 52. Still a bit below the average April 12 but about 10 degrees warmer than the late winter-ish conditions for Green City's season opener last Saturday.
This Saturday also brings the second April outdoor opening. No spoilers, you have to click and read Local Food Forum's outdoor/indoor market schedule article to find out where.
I'll be on the hunt Saturday for new seasonal crops to go with the ramps (see in the photo) that I found last week. Make no mistake, though, there is plenty of delicious produce already at the markets, with storage crops (such as potatoes and apples) and over-wintered plants (such as greens and carrots).
Happy foraging... support our local farmers.
It's Our 4th Birthday — 20% of New Subscriptions Go To Farmers Rising
Help Local Food Forum Grow While We Help This Great Farmer Education Non-Profit
Local Food Forum is marking its 4th anniversary (April 1) by asking you to become a paid subscriber and help make this unique, mission-driven publication more self-sustaining. It is the honor of a lifetime to be of service to the community of people working to build a better food system.
But this isn’t just a subscription campaign. It’s a fundraiser: 20 percent of the proceeds from all subscriptions initiated through April 30 will go to Farmers Rising, the farmer education non-profit based in the north-central Illinois community of Caledonia.
For each new $50 Local Food Forum subscription, Farmers Rising receives $10
For each new $100 premier subscription, Farmers Rising receives $20
For each new $5 monthly subscription, we will multiply by 12 to assume a $60 full-year commitment and send $12 to Farmers Rising
Want to get even more involved with Local Food Forum while providing greater benefits to Farmers Rising? There’s a link in the article to contact me to discuss.
I am a longtime admirer of Farmers Rising (known as Angelic Organics Learning Center until its 2023 rebranding), which plays such an important role in helping new and early-stage small farms build their businesses and grow. I have been happy to support its efforts in many ways.
Naturally Chicago and Farmers Rising will truly appreciate any and all support. Please join us in standing for small farmers and working together to build a better food system.