In This Issue
• SOARing Into September (with a last look at August)
• Regenerative Grazing Field Day September 8
• Buying Rural Farmland webinar September 9
• Soil Health Field Day September 11
SOARing Into September
Yesterday was the last day of August — yes, a bit hard to believe — so I scooted down to SOAR Farmers Market in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood to capture the scene for posterity.
As you’ll see, there are still bountiful summer crops, but don’t dally. Time flies, you know. All photos copyright me (Bob Benenson), so please don’t use ‘em without asking.
Events For… And About… Farmers
The following farm-related events have come to our attention over the past few days. They are primarily targeted to farmers, but you might also be interested if you want an up close and personal look at some of the big issues facing our local food community. All times are central.
Regenerative Grazing Field Day
Wednesday, September 8, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Gays, Illnois
This live on-farm event is a joint production of the Champaign County Soil and Water Conservation District, The Land Connection, University of Illinois Extension, and The Pasture Project at the Wallace Center. Here’s the what-it’s-about from the organizers.
Are you a beef producer hoping to improve your environmental and economic outcomes? A row crop farmer looking for a herd to graze your cover crops, or looking to add livestock into your rotation? Or, maybe you’re a landowner exploring additional revenue streams? Regenerative grazing may be a practical option for you to achieve your goals while building healthy soils and supporting farm profitability.
Attendees will learn from the following experts:
History and Practices of the Wetzel Farm, Lyle Wetzel, farmer, and Bobby Orman, herd manager
Assessing Forage Quality and Calculating Biomass, Ted Krauskopf, Hickory Flat Cattle Company
Herd Health, Travis Meteer, Commercial Ag Educator specializing in beef research, University of Illinois Extension
Water and Fencing, Matt Bunger, Illinois State Grazing Specialist, IL NRCS
Soil Health and Water Quality, Cliff Schuette, Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative
Buying Rural Farmland 101
Thursday, September 9, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Online webinar
Access to land is one of the biggest challenges for beginning farmers. Liberty Prairie Foundation, located in the Prairie Crossing community in Grayslake, Illinois, is presenting this webinar on the basics of buying rural farmland:
Finding and buying rural farmland is not the same as buying a house in a city or a suburb. So gear up to go about it in an efficient, wise way by attending this webinar. The three experienced speakers — a realtor, a lending specialist for farmers and farmland, and an appraiser — will cover everything from a good search strategy and how to find the right realtor to understanding the purchase process, assessing the total property package (including septic fields and wells), financing, hidden costs, appraisals, and even adjusting to rural life.
Two hours isn’t enough time to cover literally everything, of course, but you’ll come away with a much better framework for how everything fits together than you had going into it.
There will also be many opportunities for you to ask questions of the speakers.
The speakers are Deanna Ballweg of First Weber Realtors, Paul Dietmann of Compeer Financial, and Andy Weidner of Compeer Financial.
Soil Health and Farm Fertility Field Day
Saturday, September 11, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Crystal Lake and Woodstock, Illinois
This event in far northern Illinois is in two separate segments, in the morning at McHenry Community College in Crystal Lake and in the afternoon at Grace Farm Studios in Woodstock. Participants can take part in both or either of the segments.
Upper Midwest CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training), which is producing the event, describes it as follows:
Start the day with a soil health seminar at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, IL where Dr. Zahina-Ramos (known as Dr. Z) will provide an overview of soils that will be useful for practitioners of environmentally-friendly agriculture. Topics include: soil genesis (where soils come from), taxonomy (soil types), structure (how soils form), composition (what are soils made of), and soil ecology. The importance of organic matter in soil composition and strategies to increase it will be covered. Simple soil analyses techniques will be demonstrated so that growers can rapidly assess important soil properties that affect plant growth.
Dr. John Zahina-Ramos (Dr. Z) is Chair of the Horticultural Department at College of Lake County in Grayslake, IL and author of Just One Backyard: One Man's Search for Food Sustainability. Dr. Z holds a M.S. degree in the biological sciences and a Ph.D. in geosciences.
The second half of the day takes place at Grace Farm Studios in Woodstock, IL (a short 15-minute drive from the college). This field day will include a tour of the 3-acre no-dig farm and an in depth discussion of their soil management practices. Farmers Ann & Mike have been farming berries and vegetables, and making crafts for well over a decade. Not only do they engage in no-dig farming, Grace Studio Farms leverages integrated pest management and a savanna prairie conservation plan developed with NRCS.
Upper Midwest CRAFT is coordinated by Angelic Organics Learning Center in Caledonia, Illinois. Learn more about the Center in an article published by Local Food Forum on August 26.