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Sustainable ag tours foster
alternative farming ideas
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[MARCH
19, 2004]
URBANA -- Six unique
locations have been selected for this year's sustainable agriculture
tours, representing the broad diversity of the topic. "Sustainable
agriculture includes alternative farming practices, but it's also
about ways to provide an adequate and dependable farm income," said
Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, a University of Illinois research
specialist who is coordinating the tours.
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Cavanaugh-Grant said
that the tours last year were so successful that the U of I
Agroecology/Sustainable Agriculture Program decided to offer them
again, this time to new locations around the state. "There are so
many wonderful places in Illinois to visit that selecting only six
was difficult, but I think the ones we chose represent the wide
variety of topics that will give people a chance to see a variety of
sustainable agriculture operations in action."
The first tour of the
2003 schedule will be to several ethnic grocery stores in Chicago on
June 10. The tour will include an opportunity to meet with buyers
and farmers and to tour several local ethnic grocery stores. Tour
guide Evelyn Thompson will provide information about the produce,
ingredients, cooking procedures and history of the food cultures.
On July 20 a tour
will visit a farm composting operation in Hampshire. The visit will
provide a discussion of on-farm composting methods, state
regulations, how to include compost in a nutrient management plan,
and marketing. The tour will also include an equipment
demonstration.
On Aug. 4 a tour will
visit Prairie Crossing in Grayslake to learn how the farm is
collaborating with municipalities and horse manure haulers to have
green waste delivered to the farm for composting and field
application as a soil enhancer and fertilizer supplement. The event
includes a Liberty Prairie Reserve hayride and lunch featuring fresh
produce.
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On Aug. 12 a tour
will visit Dennis and JoAnn Dickman's unique pastured poultry farm
in Herscher. This tour will include a delicious chicken meal.
On Sept. 15 a western
Illinois tour will feature stops at several locations, including
John Brook's fee hunting operation, Baxter's Vineyard and Winery,
and Warren Bond's buffalo ranch.
The final tour, on
Oct. 15, will feature an agritourism tour at
Eckert's Orchard in
Millstadt.
For a printable
brochure that includes details about all six tours, visit
http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/
asap/topics/2004toursbrochure.pdf. [To download the Adobe Acrobat
reader for the brochure, click here.]
For additional
information, contact Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant at (217) 968-5512 or
cvnghgrn@uiuc.edu.
A small fee will be
charged for each tour. Registration at least one week in advance is
required. Registration forms are available by contacting
Cavanaugh-Grant at
cvnghgrn@uiuc.edu.
The tours are sponsored by the
Agroecology/Sustainable Agriculture Program in the College of
Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University
of Illinois, the North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture
Research and Education Professional Development Program, and the
Illinois Small Farm Task Force.
[University
of Illinois news release]
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