Partners

In the 4th part of our 4-part series on local, food-related farms and businesses, discover all you might want to know about saving some money buying meat in bulk. Hear from Brandon Klehm, University of Illinois meat judging coach, Cassie Rae, manager of Farmhouse Meats, and Kristin Huls, beef and dairy farmer.

'Tis the season to gather with family, friends - and maybe those you'd rather not be around or just want to enjoy without squabbles, conflicts, disagreements. Allen Barton, Ph.D., Asst. Professor of Human Development & Family Studies and Extension Specialist, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign discusses low- to moderate-grade conflicts and how you might consider handling them during the holiday season.

We all know we're paying more for what's on our holiday tables. Roger Cryan, Chief Economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and Veronica Nigh, Senior Economist for AFBF, help sort out who gets what share, prospects for taming costs, and some ways we, and the people who grow our food, are meeting these challenges.

Meet Sandy and John Brix, whose dog Bernice serves as more than a typical farm dog. John, a retired veterinarian, and Sandy, who helped manage the veterinary practice, have had a lot of dogs, but share why Bernice made a national list of outstanding farm pooches. Cyndie Shearing, a director of communications for the American Farm Bureau, also shares the "People's Choice Pup" roster for 2022 and how you can see them all and vote for your favorite.

They all had the opportunity to do something else than farm, but farming is what they stayed with or came back to do. Ride along with us during harvest, with Earl Williams, who farms near Cherry Valley, Bart Bittner, who farms near Bloomington, and Kim Meier, who farms near the Village of Ridott, as they shed light on the adventures of farming during harvest and more.

Results have been tabulated for favorite farmers markets across the state. Did your favorite make the Top 10 in Illinois list? We share results and hear from two vendors who sell their products at the top two, Mike Biver, Terra Vitae Farms, Woodstock, and Aaron Kinney, Piscasaw Gardens Farm, Harvard, along with managers of the top two markets, Linda Wozniak, Open-Air Farmers Market+ at The Dole, and Kelly Kempf, Woodstock Farmers Market.

Some Illinois farms that welcome visitors now include such things as crop mazes and haunted trails. Hear from John Lyons, which features a "Fear on the Farm" trail at Indian Creek Farmstead, and Jess Podany, with Bomke's Patch and it's "Udderly Amazing" corn maze.

After a first-year pilot program, the farm to food bank effort continues to expand. Farmers Michelle and Wayne Sirles of Rendleman Orchards share why and how they are participating.

Autumn's not only for harvesting but planting as well, in part to protect farmland and water quality, in some cases, from the sky. Hear from Illinois farmer Joe Curless, who also co-owns and operates a flying service, and Laura Christianson, Ph.D., an agricultural and biosystems engineer, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Creativity flourishes on some Illinois farms with multiple opportunities for fall fun, from live entertainment, to food trucks, to haunted corn mazes added to traditional things like apple and pumpkin picking. In Part II of our II-part series, Jenny & Scott Schroeder with The Peachbarn Winery & Cafe describe what they have to offer in Illinois' Shawnee National Forest, along with Jenna Spychal with Jonamac Orchard at the opposite end of our state.