Partners

What do boots have to do with growing our food, feed for our animals and fuel for our cars and trucks? A lot, says "Farm Boots" book author Lisl Detlefsen, who along with its illustrator, Renee Kurilla, discuss what the book's all about and why you, and especially your children, grandchildren and others, might want to pick up a copy from your favorite bookstore or local library.

Illinois can have some wild and wacky weather. Helping you navigate is Don Meyer, who along with his wife Paula survived a tornado that destroyed much of their farm near Amboy in Lee County, Ill., and Zachary Yack, meteorologist with the National Weather Service serving Chicagoland out of Romeoville, Ill.

Discover an easy way for you and others to see faces, and hear voices of most of the people who own and operate Illinois farms. Lela Fausze, registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) with Midwest Dairy, and Heather Dollinger, who farms with her family in northeast Illinois, share why they and others are participating in a statewide effort known as, "We are the 96%."

Three different factors have been driving the supply and cost of eggs in recent months. If you might be thinking of raising chickens yourself, this episode can help you sort out many of the factors to consider whether it's right for you and your family. Ken Koelkebeck, Ph.D., University of Illinois (U of I) poultry specialist, and Katie Bell, local food systems and small farms educator, both with U of I Extension, provide the expertise.

What do GMOs, food and Mexico have in common? Most corn grown in the United States has been improved using biotechnology and the Mexican government has proposed banning some of our corn exports to the country, potentially impacting demand and food security. Sorting the issue out is Lynne Finnerty, agriculture and environment communications director, Biotechnology Innovation Organization, and David Salmonsen, senior director, government affairs, American Farm Bureau Federation.

Discover major findings of a series of surveys taken among 1,000 consumers on how we're coping with food prices, perceptions of the people who produce it, and some of the environmental and other policies that help keep food on our plates. Guests include Brenna Ellison, Ph.D., Associate Professor, College of Agriculture, Purdue University, and Jonathan Coppess, J.D., Associate Professor, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

We change clocks twice a year. Does it affect you? Does it matter to the people who grow our food, and the animals they raise? Explore some history, modern day challenges, the pros and cons of Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time, with Dr. Sabra Abbott, M.D., neurologist and sleep medicine physician, Northwestern Medicine, and Doug Scheider, Stephenson County dairy farmer.

What does it take to restore old buildings, let alone revitalize old main streets across Illinois to make them viable today? Brenda and Scott Haare helped do it with their building in west-central Illinois and have lived to tell about their adventure. Also featured is Chris Merrett, Ph.D., director and professor, Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, Western Illinois University.

Learn about Frank and Lucy McWorter and the family behind New Philadelphia, the newest unit of the National Park Service, in Illinois. Gerald McWorter, Ph.D., great-great grandson of Frank and Lucy and vice president of the New Philadelphia Association, shares some of his family history and the town's legacy. Heather Feezor, program manager for Looking for Lincoln, describes how the site fits into the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area. Philip Bradshaw, Pike County farmer, president of the New Philadephia Association, discusses some of the site's historical significance, along with what's to see and do there now and to come.

Want to meet and talk with the farmers who grow or raise what you're buying? Welcome to the Bull Valley Farm Country Store, located in the Chicago suburbs northwest of the city. Chris and Hannah McKee, of Rush-Mar Farms, a few miles away, along with Michele Aavang, who owns Bull Valley Farm and store, share what the new farm-to-table shopping experience is all about, what you might find and why you should consider making a visit.