Partners

Check out these food options for what remains of winter, start spring in a healthful way and discover a unique way to wrap them all up. Jodie Shield, a registered dietitian and Partners food and recipe author, along with Colleen Flinn, who owns and runs Nothing Fancy Supply - an all natural food wrap maker - help us out with the change of seasons.

Head with us to a different part of Illinois, where a community winter farmers market breathes new life into an available, heated space. Plus, learn how winter farmers markets fit in with Live Local, Shop Local in Illinois and what things such as high tunnels, low tunnels and cold weather crops do to keep fresh vegetables coming. This episode features Karen Jensen-Britton, Manager of the Carbondale, Ill. farmers market, and Raghela Scavuzzo, Associate Dir. of Food Systems Development, Illinois Farm Bureau.

How do you find local, farmers-market quality fruits and vegetables this time of year? Go to one or more of the growing indoor, winter farmers markets. In the first of a two-part series, hear from Nilda Esparza, market manager of the Logan Square Farmers Market in Chicago, and one of its farmer-vendors, Kyle Jacobson, with Jacobson Family Farms.

Did you notice a new label showing up on some food? Hear from Leia Flure, RN, LDN, University of Illinois Extension, known as the "Moderation Maven," explain what they do and don't mean. Sarah Gallo, Vice President of Agriculture and Environment, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), provides an update on the technology behind the acronyms BE, GE and GMO.

Artificial intelligence has made its way into agriculture too, and this Ph.D. candidate wants us to know what it might mean when it comes to what is grown, who grows it, and how we grow our food. Explore the topic with Monica Sziron, a doctoral candidate at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.

Frigid temperatures merit a watchful eye on farm animals to ensure they receive the care they need to survive and thrive. Hear what's required, and what options exist from Tasha Bunting, a livestock farmer who also serves as Asst. Dir. of Commodities & Livestock Programs, Illinois Farm Bureau, and Sarah Ison, Ph.D., also a livestock farmer who sells her family's beef, pork and poultry online.

What does it mean to be sustainable, it's impact on climate, and what are the farming and food sectors doing to make it happen? From the 103rd convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation, hear from Roxi Beck, Dir. of Consumer Engagement, Center for Food Integrity; Jennifer Crall, Global Head Partnerships, Bayer Crop Science; Callie Eideberg, Dir. of Govt. Relations, Environmental Defense Fund; Wayne Gehrke, Illinois farmer; Jon Iverson, Oregon farmer; and Justin Ransom, Sr. Dir., Sustainable Food Strategy, Tyson Foods.

After three decades of creating custom ice creams and other dairy products, Prairie Farms Chef Rob Lagerlof hangs up his scoop and other test kitchen gadgets and will be off soon to Iceland. Find out why.

The Top 5 Partners podcasts of 2021 feature many diverse farm, family and food-related places, events and people across the state but they all share one thing in common. Each tells a story of Illinois farmers and about the food, feed and/or fuel they raise. Count them down with us.

New traditions and old abound will greet you with a visit to Chicago and in particular, The Loop, which includes State St., Millennium Park and more. Michael Edwards, president and CEO of the Chicago Loop Alliance, and Nancy Villafranca-Guzman, deputy commissioner of programing, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, share what you can expect yet this year and next.