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5.13.08
Tour of EDR Lamas - a Central IL Farm Beginnings farm & U of I Extension Sustainable Ag Tour

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4.13.08
Chicago Tribune
Chefs Seek Out Ramps

4.11.08
Bloomington Pantagraph
Benefits of Local Food System

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4.20.08
New York Times
Why Bother? Plant a garden and make a difference!

4.01.08
Gourmet Magazine
Betting the Farm

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Transitions

Approximately 88%* of Illinois’ farmland is dedicated to growing conventional row crops, primarily corn and soybeans. Millions of tons of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides are being sprayed onto this land (and into our air and water) each year. With the increase in oil prices, the costs of these chemical "inputs" and the fuel used for their manufacture and application are rising dramatically. Thus industrial approaches to farming are adversely affecting rural economies and communities.

Tractor Tour
Denny Wettstein transitioned his farm to organic 20 years ago, and has transitioned other land-owners farms as well.

One of the best ways to reduce or even eliminate these harmful impacts, while improving the triple bottom line (good for people, profit, and the planet) is to transition to sustainable or organic farming practices. The Land Connection assists farmers and farm owners who want to learn more about the process and the benefits of transitioning.

The Farmland Transition program is a joint effort of our Farmland Program and Farmer Training programs. Under the Farmland Program, we will be working with extension offices and experts in other states to collect and analyze the current literature and data on sustainable and organic transitioning. This data will be made available to the public via our website. We will also use this information as the basis for a training course for existing farmers, as part of our Farmer Training program.

For more information on these programs, please contact our Director of Farmland Programs, David Miller, at 847-570-0701.

Harold Wilken
Harold Wilken leads a tour of his transitional fields. He is currently farming over 900 acres of transitional and organic farmland in Iroquois county. Harold also shares his experiences with Farm Beginnings participants, and mentors new farmers.

* Statistic from the USDA: http://www.ers.usda.gov/statefacts/IL.htm