Rooted & Rising: Cultivating Community Among Women Landowners

Registration is now closed for this event.

Are you a woman who owns farmland? Whether you are certified organic, in the process of transitioning, or simply curious about ecological practices, this event is for you.

Join us for a special networking event built for women landowners! This is your space to connect with a powerful community of women who share your values and your commitment to the soil. The decisions you make for your land send ripples through our food system, our soil, and our communities.

This event will open conversations about the tools and pathways that support you in your stewardship, ensuring the long-term health and legacy of your land. In addition to discussing organic certification, we’re pleased to have The Land Conservancy of McHenry County with us. They’ll be available throughout the event to answer any questions you have about conservation easements and how these tools can preserve farmland for generations to come. Alongside these resources, participants will learn about the peer-to-peer support opportunities available through the IDEA Farm Network, Illinois Women in Conservation (ILWiC), and the USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP).

⭐Scholarship opportunities available! We are pleased to offer a limited number of scholarships for this program. Please contact Crystal Siltman at [email protected] or at (217)840-2128×730 for details.⭐

Let’s gather to share our collective knowledge and experience—our greatest assets. We are a part of a growing movement of women who are reshaping agriculture for the better. Yet, the journey can sometimes feel solitary. Discover a powerful network of women landowners who share your values, your challenges, and your commitment to the land.

At this event, you will:

Meet peers who share your values and your questions
Enjoy good company in a beautiful, welcoming space
Connect with women landowners who are certified, transitioning, or curious
Connect with women working in conservation and a local organic certifier
Learn about Illinois’ new Women in Conservation project and build a network that lasts long after the event ends

Come for the conversation, stay for the community. Because when women come together, we don’t just tend the land—we transform it.

Agenda

10:00 am -Registration/Check-in
10:15 am – Welcome, Introduction by Rita Glazik of Cow Creek Organic Farm
10:20 am – Illinois Women in Conservation (ILWiC) Introduction
10:30 am – Learning Circle*
12/12:30 pm – Lunch
1:30 pm – Distillery Tour
2:00 pm – Learning Circle* Round Two / Organic Certification Q&A
2:45 pm – Survey/Closing
3:00 pm – Adjourn/Optional Happy Hour

*Learning circles are at the core of how we connect at Midwest Women in Conservation events. These peer-to-peer meetings honor the belief that we all have something to contribute and something to learn. They bring together women to share wisdom, ask questions, and build relationships with conservation professionals in a supportive, collaborative setting.

About Illinois Women in Conservation (ILWiC)

We’re women on a conservation journey: farmers, landowners, farm workers, gardeners, urban growers and conservation professionals who share a passion for taking good care of soil, water, and wildlife. We are also biologists, researchers, farm market managers, prairie enthusiasts, hunters, fishers, retirees and young women with dreams of land ownership. By sharing stories, knowledge, and experience, we are working together for a brighter future on the earth.

Research shows that women farmers, gardeners, landowners, and conservation professionals benefit from connecting with one another to build supportive relationships and capacity for conservation implementation. Encouraged by the success of Wisconsin Women in Conservation (WiWiC), Michael Fields Agricultural Institute is pleased to announce the birth of “Illinois Women in Conservation” (ILWiC), in partnership with The Land Connection and The Land Conservancy of McHenry County. The launch of ILWiC coincides appropriately with the United Nation’s Year of the Women Farmer in 2026.

This collaboration will leverage existing resources and proven peer-to-peer education techniques to guide women to networks and resources in both rural and urban areas. Women and female-identifying land stewards at every level of experience who reside in Illinois are all welcome to join. ILWiC plans to host learning circles, field days, and webinars, while connecting with other conservation-minded women across the Upper Midwest. Together, we are nurturing land and legacy.

About the Distillery

Join us for a guided tour of Silver Tree Sprits and see firsthand how a family’s commitment to the land evolves across generations.

The story begins with Cow Creek Organic Farm, rooted in soil that has been tended by the same family since 1870. Five generations have worked this land, and in 2005, the family made a deliberate shift: transitioning to certified organic agriculture to ensure the ground would remain healthy for the generations yet to come.

But the story didn’t stop there. Looking for a way to honor their stewardship while building a sustainable future, the next generation took the farm a step further. In 2017, they launched Silver Tree Distillery—a value-added venture that transforms the grains grown on their organic fields into craft spirits.

On this tour, you’ll walk through the distillery, learn how organic grain becomes finished product, and hear directly from the matriarch of family about how their mission guides every decision they make:

Preserve the ground for future generations
Produce a quality product
Provide a sustainable living for their family

This isn’t just a tour of a distillery, it’s a window into what’s possible when land stewardship, organic agriculture, and family legacy come together. You’ll leave with a deeper understanding of how the choices women landowners make today can ripple forward, shaping not just the soil, but the communities and economies rooted in it.

⭐Please note⭐

This field day is intentionally designed as a space for women landowners. Our goal is to create a supportive environment where participants can connect, share experiences, and learn alongside peers who hold similar perspectives and challenges in farming. We kindly ask that registrants honor this focus as we work to build a safe and empowering gathering for this community.