Mike Rahe was fishing with a friend on his pond when he hooked a 10-pound rainbow trout. The powerful fish snapped Rahe's ultra-light, 4-pound line and made its getaway while Rahe rushed to re-rig his line. The bobber was still attached to the line, giving away every move-ment by the fleeing fish. Quick on his feet, Rahe's buddy cast his line, hooked the bobber and reeled in the large fish, which was over two feet long.

An afternoon like this is one of the bonuses of owning your own freshwater ponds stocked with 200 pounds of fish.

In 1998, Rahe successfully created two productive spring-fed ponds, thanks to a SARE producer grant. However, his goal was not to sell the fish for commercial purposes; instead, he uses the ponds in conjunction with his fee-hunting business on Spring View Acres–Rahe's 550-acre owned and leased hunting spread near Jacksonville, Illinois.

Or, to put it in fishing terms, he uses the ponds as a lure.

"It gives my customers a unique experience," says Rahe, who also works for the Bureau of Land and Water Resources in the Illinois Department of Agriculture. "My clients can come and trout fish when they're not busy hunting."

Rahe has opened up his farm to fee hunters for the past 15 years, one of the first in his area to do so. Today, he says, about 20,000 people come to Illinois from out-of-state every year to bow hunt; and an additional 3,000 to 5,000 come to gun hunt. Pike County, where Rahe's land is located, is one of the top counties in the nation for trophy white-tail bucks.

But Rahe wanted to offer more than hunting to those who stay in his two cabins. Inspired by his trout fishing trips in Wyoming, Rahe decided he could bring that same experience to central Illinois. So he stocked the ponds in 1999 with rainbow trout and largemouth bass.

One pond is directly fed by the spring that flows year-round from the base of a hill, while the second pond is directly downstream from it, closer to the creek that cuts across his property.

For good reason, these ponds are relatively small–about 1/10 of an acre. Rahe stocks the uppermost pond with rainbow trout, a coldwater fish. If he made the pond too big, the water would get too hot in the summertime, and the trout would not survive.

According to Rahe, the spring water feeding the ponds remains 55 degrees Fahrenheit all year round; as a result, the water in the ponds never rises above 70 F, even on 100-degree days at the peak of summer.

In addition, the two ponds are surrounded by forestry cover, so minimal sediment and runoff gets into the water. The ponds are essentially pure spring water.

Rahe originally stocked the lower pond with walleye and then smallmouth bass, but neither would eat the fish food. So he finally converted the pond to largemouth bass and bluegill. He restocks the ponds about every two years.

One problem Rahe has run into is predation by herons and raccoons. The raccoon problem is not too bad, he says, and he obtains a permit in the fall to trap them. However, herons are a protected species, so there isn't much he can do about the two or three birds that come by every day to feed on his fish.

Rahe dug out the edges of the ponds, making it more difficult for the herons to find shallow water in which to stand, but they continue to be somewhat of a problem. He lost about one-third of the fish his first year.

Another ongoing battle is with vegetation, such as moss and coontail. He controls them with rakes and a little bit of copper sulfate.

Rahe stocks the pond with relatively large fish, about three-quarters of a pound, even though larger fish are more expensive. He wanted visitors to be able to start catching them right away, so he made sure the fish were already eating size.

Rahe does not charge anyone for the fishing. It comes as a part of his hunting package. He is now looking to build a third and larger pond, which will be about 1-1/4 acres, but not spring-fed. The bass and bluegill from the second pond will be used to stock the new pond. He then plans to stock catfish in the second pond to provide additional recreational and eating opportunities.

- Jason Peterson

NCR-SARE Announces 2008 Graduate Student Grant Call for Proposals

Graduate students enrolled at colleges or universities in the North Central Region can submit proposals for up to $10,000 to fund sustainable ag projects that will be part of their educational programs. NCR-SARE expects to fund about 15 projects in the 12-state North Central Region. Potential applicants can contact Bill Wilcke, Regional Coordinator for the NCRSARE Program at wilck001@umn.edu or (612)625-8205 or can contact Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, Illinois SARE Coordinator at cvnghgrn@uiuc.edu or (217)968-5512. The deadline for proposals is 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, January 23, 2008.

www.sare.org/ncrsare/grad.htm

March 25-27, 2008–SARE's 20th Anniversary New American Farm Conference

Innovative farming and grazing methods, lucrative organic markets, specialty crops, community farmers markets...sustainable farming is rapidly changing the face of American agriculture and rural life. Come to the New American Farm Conference to find out more. State-of-the-art practitioners will be there–farmers, ranchers, teachers, researchers and students sharing work and experiences. Tour local farms to see sustainable agriculture at work. Learn the ins and outs of quality marketing and production. Meet others and build partnerships. Help chart a course for 20 more years of SARE success!

Location: Westin Crown Center, Kansas City, Missouri
www.sare.org/2008conference

NCR SARE Professional Development Program (PDP) Mini–Grant Program

The purpose of the Mini-Grant Program is to develop the skills and competencies of agricultural professionals. Agricultural professionals include Extension educators, Natural Resource Conservation Service staff, state and federal agency workers and educators in the profit and not-for-profit sectors serving the food and fiber system.

Mini-Grant activities include building educator expertise, developing new curriculum or programming, implementing innovative educational approaches and creating opportunities for learning and skill development for the agricultural professional.

Applicants can include producers, agency staff, not-for-profit organizations and other local stakeholders in planning, creating and delivering any Mini-Grant outreach activities.

The intended outcome of the Mini-Grant Program is to develop the knowledge and skills of the agricultural professional. Applicants are required to explain how any Mini-Grant activities will contribute to their professional development and/or the professional development of other educators.

Competitive grants of up to $1,000 are available. For more information contact Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant at cvnghgrn@uiuc.edu.

Applications must be submitted by February 15, 2008, using the online application at: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/smallfarm/sare/mini_grants/mini_grant_app.cfm

Agriculture Tourism Partners of Illinois (ATPI)

The Agriculture & Tourism Partners of Illinois Association (ATPI) is a membership-based organization with the purpose to encourage, foster, support and stimulate new tourism development– especially agritourism–in Illinois through support of existing businesses and development of new businesses. Members include farms, agribusinesses, agricultural associations, tourism associations, convention and visitor bureaus, government agencies, universities and individuals that either are actively engaged in agritourism or support this rapidly growing business segment.

ATPI provides its members with a connection to visitors through an annual Visitor Guide, the website and promotional activities at fairs and festivals. Educational opportunities are provided through the annual Illinois Specialty Growers and Agritourism Conference as well as support of regional workshops. Membership in ATPI also provides support for the growth and promotion of the agritourism industry.

For more information contact:
ATPI c/o Central Illinois Tourism Development Office
700 East Adams Street
Springfield, IL 62701
(217)525-7980
www.agfun.com/atpi.html

ASAP's mission is to facilitate and promote research and education which protects Illinois' natural and human resources while sustaining agricultural production forever. The program's current focus is to help farmers and society at large understand the oppor-tunities for additional economic and ecosystem health with both sustainable and organic approaches.

Dr. Michelle Wander, Faculty Director University of Illinois W-225 Turner Hall 1102 S. Goodwin Urbana,IL 61801 mwander@uiuc.edu http://asap.sustainability.uiuc.edu

Midwest Organic Production and Marketing Conference and Trade Show
January 17 – 18, 2008
Location: University of Illinois, Urbana
Visit: http://orgconf.sustainability.uiuc.edu

Herb Day
January 19, 2008
Location: Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center, 1001 Killarney St., Urbana
Visit: www.extension.uiuc.edu/smallfarm

State-Wide Farm Conservation Telenet
January 28, 2008
Location: Several Extension offices
To find locations, visit: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/state/calendar.cfm

Producers and Growers Wanted for Chicago Farmers Markets
February 5, 2008
Location: Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, Chicago
Visit: www.extension.uiuc.edu/smallfarm

Putting Small Acres to Work
February 7, 2008
Location: Adams County Farm Bureau, Quincy
Visit: www.extension.uiuc.edu/adams

Vermicomposting Symposium
February 11, 2008
Location: Northfield Inn Suites and Conference Center, Springfield
Visit: www.extension.uiuc.edu/smallfarm

Strategies for Building Locally Based Food Systems in Illinois Communities
February 11, 2008
Location: Starved Rock Lodge State Park, Utica
Visit: www.extension.uiuc.edu/smallfarm

Strategies for Building Locally Based Food Systems in Illinois Communities
February 13, 2008
Location: University of Illinois Springfield,
Visit: www.extension.uiuc.edu/smallfarm

The 19th Annual Upper Midwest Organic Farming Conference
February 21-23, 2008
Location: La Crosse, WI
Visit: www.mosesorganic.org/umofc/intro.html

14th Annual Fee Hunting Workshop for Landowners and Outfitters
February 29, 2008
Location: Dickson Mounds State Museum near Lewistown
Visit: www.prariehillsrcd.com
Additional events may be found on University of Illinois Extension's small farm website at: www.extension.uiuc.edu/smallfarm

Winter 2008 Illinois Small Farm News