Illinois Small Farms
Welcome
Illinois Small Farms provides information for the commercial small farmer as well as the small acreage landowner. The website provides easy access to information for small-scale farmers and those who work with them.
What’s New
Oral History of Illinois Agriculture Website Launched
Features 300 hours of audio and video interviews with more than 130 people
SPRINGFIELD – Anyone with a computer can now see and hear the history of Illinois agriculture told by the people who lived it. Today, during a news conference, the Illinois State Museum launched the Audio-Video Barn website http://avbarn.museum.state.il.us, featuring 300 hours of interviews with more than 130 people involved with agriculture in Illinois over the past 129 years. The website is the culmination of a two-year Oral History of Illinois Agriculture project led by the Illinois State Museum and Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
The interviews tell the story of Illinois agriculture from the people who know it best –
grain farmers, beekeepers, elk ranchers, 4-H kids, college professors, broadcasters and pumpkin growers, among others, from every corner of the state. A unique feature of the website is the ability to search the audio and video clips based on topic, name, date, or geographic location. The website also features educational resources for students and teachers, including instructional videos on how to do oral history interviews and lesson plans based on agricultural themes.
"The Audio-Video Barn website is rich with fascinating stories about Illinois agriculture. Visitors can search the website and find the answers to many interesting questions, such as ‘What was it like to farm with horses 100 years ago? How has agriculture changed since then? How are farmers coping with challenges to the family farm?’" said Robert Warren, Project Director and Curator of Anthropology at the Illinois State Museum.
The website is supported by a $564,651 National Leadership Grant to the Illinois State Museum Society from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. The project recorded more than 70 new interviews throughout the state, many using digital video cameras. Some are "walk-and-talk" interviews on location in the field, dairy barn, or orchard. The website also includes sixty interviews from old audio tapes archived in libraries at the University of Illinois at Springfield and Northern Illinois University. The oldest recalls memories from the 1880s. The Randforce Associates LLC, University at Buffalo, State University of New York provided expertise in computer indexing to make all of the stories accessible in a searchable format.
"This collection will be a fantastic resource to anyone who wants to know more about the role agriculture has played in Illinois’ history and continues to play today. There’s something in this collection for everyone, be it a high school student, academic scholar, journalist, or curious patron," said Mark DePue, Director of Oral History for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
"This audio-video barn is a compilation of our state’s rich agricultural history," Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Tom Jennings said. "This resource will especially benefit our future Ag leaders, as they can now hear and see first hand accounts from generations past, and build upon that knowledge to maintain Illinois’ status as one of the strongest agrarian states in the nation."
ATPI Announces Outstanding Agritourism Business of the Year
The Great Pumpkin Patch of Arthur, IL
The Great Pumpkin Patch in Arthur, IL has been named the 2009 Outstanding Agritourism Business of the Year. The award was presented to Bruce and Mary Beth Condill during the Agriculture Day luncheon and award ceremony at the Illinois State Fair on August 18, 2009. Numerous farm families and farm-related businesses were recognized for their excellence in the agricultural fields.
The Great Pumpkin Patch is a wonderful way to spend an autumn day. Visit them when open to the public from September 15 through October 31 from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily. The Patch features a corn maze, pick your own pumpkins or select from the pre-picked tables, tractor pulled wagon rides through the patch, a bakery with homemade goods for sale, farm animals, and much more! There are over eleven acres of displays and gardens with over three hundred varieties of pumpkins, squash, and gourds. The Condill family has created a beautiful opportunity to connect with the land and nature. Through their work of love, they hope to inspire guests to learn new things and become better stewards of all things around us.
The Agriculture and Tourism Partners of Illinois (ATPI) is an association of tourism and agriculture organizations and businesses working to encourage, foster, support, and stimulate tourism development, especially Agritourism, in Illinois through support of existing businesses and development of new businesses. For more information on ATPI, visit www.agfun.com or call (217) 525-7980.
USDA Launches New Web Pages and On-Line Tools to Help Consumers Make Healthier Food Choices
New Nutritional Tools Part of 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food'
WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 2009-Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today launched three new online tools that will help consumers make healthier food choices and gain a better appreciation of the role of American agriculture in food production from the farm to the table.
"Because more than 80 percent of our population lives in suburban and metropolitan areas, when we think of food, we more often think of the grocery store than the farm," said Vilsack. "There is a disconnect between the farmer and the food that consumers buy and we want to re-connect these long standing ties between the people who produce the food and those who purchase and prepare it. These new online tools will help do that."
Vilsack launched a broad new 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' initiative on Sept. 15 to begin a national conversation about food and to help connect people more closely with the farmers who supply their food and increase the production, marketing and consumption of fresh, nutritious food that is grown locally in a sustainable manner. These three new online applications were designed by USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) to help consumers make healthier food choices and are part of that initiative. They are:
Growing a Healthier You: Nutrition From the Farm to the Table - Known for its MyPyramid food guidance system and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, USDA's CNPP has designed a companion initiative, "Growing a Healthier You: Nutrition From the Farm to the Table," with the launch of a new web page. This new web page links garden and farm produce to the nutritional well-being of the public and the significance of locally grown fruits and vegetables. This web page, located at www.cnpp.usda.gov/KnowYourFarmer.htm, will promote national initiatives, such as National Nutrition Month and feature interesting facts about specific fruits, vegetables and other foods. It will also feature What's for Dinner (or Breakfast or Lunch); Your Garden, Your Produce, Your Menus; and From Garden to Plate, Safety Matters.
MyFood-a-pedia - The much anticipated MyFood-a-pedia is a new online tool that gives consumers quick access to nutrition information for over 1,000 foods. The MyFood-a-pedia provides calorie count information on the contribution of the food to the five food groups people need to be healthy. MyFood-a-pedia, located at www.MyFoodapedia.gov, also provides the number of "extra" calories in foods from solid fats, added sugars, and alcohol.
10 Tips Series - "10 Tips" will feature a variety of topics under CNPP's Nutrition Education Series. The "10 Tips" begins with cutting back on salt and sodium, followed by tips for setting good examples to be a healthy role model for children, tips for following a vegetarian diet, and tips for making more environmentally friendly food choices. Other tips will be added regularly, and can be downloaded at www.MyPyramid.gov
New Law Will Put More Locally-Grown Food on Illinois Tables
Illinois Ag Connection - 08/19/2009
Governor Pat Quinn Tuesday signed into law legislation that will help put more Illinois-grown food on Illinois tables. House Bill 3990, sponsored by Sen. Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago) and Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston) is designed to increase demand for locally-grown food by building a reliable market for it at state agencies and facilities that receive significant state support.
"I salute Illinois farmers and business leaders who work hard every day to boost our state's economy." Governor Quinn said. "They have made Illinois one of the largest food-producing states in the nation. This legislation helps make sure that more of the food they produce is eaten in Illinois."
Key elements of the legislation include:
- Formation of the Illinois Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council, which will work with state agencies, Illinois businesses, organizations and Illinoisans to build an active local farm and food market.
- Establishment of local food procurement goals for state agencies to purchase 20 percent of their food locally by 2020. State-funded institutions such as schools would have a goal of 10 percent by 2020.
- Creation of a local food purchase preference for state-owned food buyers that allows them to pay a premium of up to 10 percent above the lowest bid in order to purchase locally grown goods.
"The fact that an estimated 96 percent of the fruits, vegetables, and meats that Illinoisans eat are produced in other states or countries is an astonishing imbalance and presents us with an enormous opportunity," said Sen. Collins. "This legislation is an important step forward that will enable farmers in the state to produce and sell fresh food."
The legislation caps an effort by the Illinois Local and Organic Food and Farm Task Force to determine the potential for Illinois to grow and distribute food within Illinois and in neighboring states. A study released by the Task Force earlier this year revealed that only a tiny fraction of the approximately $48 billion spent by Illinoisans on food each year is grown in Illinois.
"This legislation is the first step in creating a fresh farm and food system in Illinois that will bring important benefits to every corner of our state," said Rep. Hamos. "New jobs will be created as the system to process and transport the food to local markets is developed. Those who live in Illinois and in adjacent states will benefit from the increased supply of fresh, locally-produced food."
Check Out New CSP
(Champaign, IL August 14, 2009)--It’s finally here—the re-tooled and long-anticipated Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) has arrived. Agricultural operators nationwide can now learn what the new conservation program offers, how it works, and decide whether to enroll. CSP encourages producers to address resource concerns in a comprehensive manner and rewards them for it. Producers can review program details and enroll beginning August 10, 2009. Important to note is that sign-up for CSP is open nationwide and continuous, offering landowners plenty of time to look over program information, research program rules and goals to see if CSP is a good fit for their operation. IL NRCS State Conservationist Bill Gradle confirms NRCS teams are eager to launch the new national program. He encourages interested producers to review all applicant information and requirements at www.nrcs.usda.gov/new_csp/ or visit your local county USDA Service Center today.
USDA ensures activity in the new program will reap beneficial improvements both on and off the farm. Sustainable natural resource conditions, long-term land productivity, reduced non-point source pollution, improved air quality, and enhanced wildlife habitat will be the result. CSP applicants who achieve those results—and are willing to do even more--will be financially rewarded. CSP rewards conservationists for putting quality conservation on their land.
CSP has restrictive acreage levels for involvement. Beginning now through 2012, CSP will impact 51,076,000 acres nationwide—that’s just 12,769,000 acres per year for four years. The number of eligible acres Illinois operators can reward has not been announced.
New regulations for eligibility are highly specific. Listed here are important details Illinois producers should know:
- CSP targets farm operators; participants must be legal operator of land in question for the life of the contract.
- All Operators must be documented in Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) farm records management system. Those WITHOUT this status—or those with outdated or inaccurate records--must be enrolled in the system or update their data or they will be ineligible.
- Obtain the "Self-Screening Checklist" online or at local NRCS office; answer all questions and fill it out completely, to help you decide if CSP fits your goals and your operation.
- Other information about your operation—documentation, maps, etc.—will be required later. Be ready!
Applicants who do NOT have these particular documents in order could seriously impact their 2009 eligibility—or delay it.
NRCS Assistant State Conservationist for Programs Ivan Dozier confirms this. "Information must be documented in Farm Service Agency (FSA) farm records management system." This ensures applicant eligibility information for Adjusted Gross Income verification and it confirms compliance with highly erodible land and wetland conservation provisions. In order to be eligible, all paperwork and conservation status must be in order. "If you’re not ready right now, don’t worry. There’s plenty of time to update your information and check out the program—remember, this is a continuous and ongoing enrollment," Dozier adds.
In preparation for the new program, NRCS is developing a new electronic conservation measurement tool. They will enter data and information into the computerized tool which measures, calculates, and ultimately rates the performance and effect of conservation practices installed on the land. According Dozier, "This new tool will systematically and scientifically evaluate and rank CSP applications nationwide." The tool will be available for use at the local level in mid-September.
As for what the new CSP pays out, no definitive information has been released. However, CSP will offer two possible payment scenarios: One involves an annual payment for installing and adopting additional activities, and improving, maintaining, and managing existing activities. Compensation for on-farm research and demonstration activities or pilot tests will be made through this annual payment. The other payment scenario includes a supplemental payment for folks receiving annual payments who also agree to adopt a new resource-conserving crop rotation.
Nationwide, NRCS established a target to set aside five percent of CSP acres for socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers and an additional five percent for beginning farmers or ranchers. "This ensures CSP will be available to operations of ALL shapes and sizes!" Dozier adds.
Participants will create a ‘‘conservation stewardship plan,’’ using NRCS’ conservation planning process. This plan will document how producers address resource concerns in a comprehensive manner. The conservation stewardship plan contains a record of participant decisions on the schedule of conservation activities to be implemented, managed, and improved under CSP. To learn more, visit your local NRCS office or visit the website at www.nrcs.usda.gov/new_csp/.
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