Submitted by Cassie Carroll on Fri, 03/31/2017 – 10:37am I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Farm Beginnings Collaborative meeting last week in Portland. Maine with our Executive Director, Cara Cummings. Farm Beginnings Collaborative is the national alliance of regional groups who are offering Farm Beginnings programs. The Collaborative is growing and now includes ten […]
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Building Season Three
Submitted by Sarah Simeziane on Sat, 03/25/2017 – 9:40pm We’re entering our critical third season at the Champaign Farmers’ Market. Critical third season is a phrase I’ll be using a lot in the coming weeks and months. Research shows that farmers’ markets who make it through 3 seasons are far more likely to succeed and truly […]
Our Farm Beginnings students have flown the nest!
Submitted by Mallory Krieger on Sat, 03/18/2017 – 12:41pm The 2016-17 Central Illinois Farm Beginnings class has concluded their classroom sessions! Congratulations to our students who made it through 63 hours of rigorous learning on topics ranging from enterprise budgets to legal liability management to whole farm planning. Starting in October, our students traveled from […]
Winter, not Winter?
Submitted by Cara Cummings on Fri, 03/10/2017 – 8:37am I am not a winter person. So in some ways the winter we have been having here in central Illinois this year should seem like a gift. And I will not deny that I have enjoyed spending more time outside, and losing track of where my […]
Farming Foibles: Mr. Possum
Submitted by Birgit McCall on Sun, 03/05/2017 – 6:11pm At our house, I prefer to keep a certain level of formality with the local wildlife. So we have Mr. Possum, Mr. Toad, Mr. Earthworm, and so on. I’m not sure why there isn’t any female wildlife nearby, but somehow it just works out that way. […]
Invest in your Farmer – Secure a CSA Share!
Submitted by Cassie Carroll on Thu, 02/23/2017 – 4:55pm All of this unseasonable, 70 degree weather has me thinking of spring and farmers’ market season. While going outside and planting seeds in all my garden beds already might not be the smartest thing to do, I am surely dreaming of the delicious seasonal produce coming […]