After three years of drought in Southern Illinois, water has become a precious commodity. That is why Amy Cloud and her husband, José Lara, obtained a SARE grant to design and build a system that collects and recycles the water being used to wash their produce.

"I feel a responsibility to being a steward of the city water, trying to get as many uses as possible from it," says Cloud, who founded Three Rivers Community Farm with Lara in December of 2006.

Cloud grew up on a 1,000-acre corn and soybean farm in Michigan, but she says she did not want to run a conventional farm, nor did she want to work behind a desk in the corporate world.

"So I just stumbled on this whole idea of organic farming and CSA's," she explains. "I always wanted to farm; I just needed to find the type of farming that fit."

Cloud and Lara lease 12 acres from Principia College, a small Christian Science school. Before they met, she had worked on organic farms in Massachusetts, Michigan, and northern Illinois since 2000. But after marrying, the time was ripe to operate their own farm, just a half hour north of St. Louis.

"I like being able to see all 12 acres of our farm, rather than driving around 1,000 acres to see everything," says Cloud. "Our whole farm is right there in front of us."
Cloud and Lara currently run a 150- member Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operation and take their products to a farmer's market in St. Louis every Saturday. They sell 60 different vegetables, as well as meats on a small scale.

The property has no electricity, and their only source of water comes from a city water line. Ideally, they would like to build a well. But Elsah is located on bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, so it is impractical to do so.

Currently, they wash their produce in Rubbermaid tubs, but most of the water goes back into the ground, creating large mud puddles and causing soil erosion. To deal with this problem, they received the grant in April of 2007 and set to work designing the new water-handling system. With the new system, the water used to wash produce will flow to a sloped, 4- by 16-foot concrete floor, which drains into an underground tank.

They are also planning to create a gutter system to collect roof runoff from their barn, funneling the water into a cistern located at one of the corners. Then a solar pump will convey water from both the cistern and the underground tank into a drip irrigation system. The irrigation system will probably reach only a third of their acreage, Cloud says. They plan to irrigate the rest of their land from a 500-gallon water tank on the back of a truck—a tank filled with water from either the cistern or the underground tank.

Cloud projects that they will collect and reuse about 55,000 gallons the first year but will increase the total considerably down the road as their operation expands.
City water recently spiked from $5 per thousand gallons to $6.50 per thousand gallons, so they use it sparingly.

2007 was very successful, Cloud says, and they plan to increase the CSA by about 50 members each year until they reach roughly 500 members, if all goes as planned.
"I like the concept of CSA's, being able to bypass the middle-man and determine what we consider to be a fair price for our product," says Cloud. "It's a win-win situation. People are getting the best produce around, and we get the opportunity to grow more interesting and tasteful varieties."

- Jason Peterson

Utilizing Cover Crops in Conventional Cropping Systems – A Three-Part Telenet Series

A three-part lunchtime telenet series titled "Utilizing Cover Crops in Conventional Cropping Systems" is scheduled for August 26th, September 9th and September 30th, all Wednesdays, from 12:00-1:15 p.m.

According to event organizers Earl Allen, U of I Extension-Fulton County Director, and Dr. Loretta Ortiz-Ribbing, U of I Extension Crop Systems Specialist, the series is being offered as a professional development opportunity for U of I Extension staff, NRCS and SWCD personnel, CCA's and other agriculture professionals. Primary sponsor for the series is the NCR SARE Professional Development program.

August 26 – Part I: Cover Crop Concepts
Overview of the Midwest Cover Crops Council

(Dr. Tom Kaspar, Plant Physiologist, USDA-ARS National Soil Tilth Laboratory, Ames, IA) and A Michigan Perspective on Utilizing Cover Crops in Conventional Cropping Systems (Dr. Dale Mutch, Cover Crops/Field Crops IPM Specialist, Michigan State University)

September 9 – Part II: ­Cover Crop Species and Their Management
Grass Cover Crops, Benefits and Management (Mike Plumer, Natural Resources Educator, University of Illinois Extension) and Legume/radish Cover Crops, Benefits and Management (Dr. Joel Gruver, Assistant Professor, Soil Science and Sustainable Agriculture, Western Illinois University)

September 30 – Part III: Cover Crop Economics
Economic Impacts of Cover Crops in Conventional Cropping Systems

(Alan Sundermeier, Ag and Natural Resources Educator, The Ohio State University Extension) and Grower Experience using Cover Crops - Benefits and Challenges
(Dave Campbell , LilyLake Organic Farm, Maple Park)

To register as a hosting extension office or as an individual extension staff member, go to the Fulton County Extension website (web.extension.uiuc.edu/fulton/), find the Program Registration section of the main page, and click on each session for which you wish to register. All other individuals must register by contacting your local extension office. If your local extension office is not hosting the program, contact the Fulton County Extension office (309-547-3711) to find the hosting office nearest you. If you have other questions or you need reasonable accommodation to participate in this program contact Earl Allen, U of I Extension, Fulton County Director, at erallen@illinois.edu

Continuing Education Program Available From SARE
The national Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program is now offering a continuing education program. This continuing education program is designed primarily for Cooperative Extension and Natural Resource Conservation Service personnel (particularly new staff members), and other agricultural, natural resource and community development professionals. It emphasizes core concepts and a basic understanding of sustainable agriculture, its goals and its relevance to every farming and ranching operation – large or small. The program includes five courses, available free of charge. Courses 1 and 2 are offered now through the eXtension online campus. For more information, visit http://sare.org/coreinfo/ceprogram.htm

5th National Small Farm Conference

The 5th National Small Farm Conference -- "Roadmap to Success for Small Farmers and Ranchers"-- will be held September 15-17, 2009, at the Hilton Springfield and the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield, Illinois. The conference will provide you with an opportunity to share new ideas in research, extension and outreach, and to strengthen collaboration and partnership among your colleagues that are working to support small farmers and ranchers.

The conference registration fee ($250) will cover costs for a registration packet, two breakfasts, two lunches, one reception, one dinner, conference tour, and refreshments at breaks. The Tuesday evening reception will feature an entire menu of local foods, while other meals and breaks will include some local food items. After August 25, the registration fee will be $300.

You can register for the conference online at www.conferences.uiuc.edu/smallfarm or you can pay by check, money order, or purchase order. Fax registration to University of Illinois Conferences and Institutes at (217)333-9561 or mail to Small Farm Conference, Cashiering Office, University of Illinois, 162 Henry Administration Building, 506 S. Wright Street, Urbana, IL 61801.

Special hotel group rate registration is $83.00 for single and $98.00 for double (plus 12% taxes). Additional guests (over 2) will be $15.00 each. Reservations should be made directly with the hotel (217-789-1530 or 800-445-8667) and must be received by August 25 to guarantee the institute rate. If making reservations by phone, ask for the "Small Farm" room block.

For more information, contact Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, Conference Chair,

cvnghgrn@illinois.edu,(217)968-5512.

Stewards of the Land, LLC

The Stewards of the Land, LLC is a group of local families (all located within a 50 mile radius from Fairbury, Illinois) helping to change the world by producing fresh foods for kitchens across Illinois. The mission is to create, maintain, and support the family farm, to help them become and remain sustainable and profitable, and to provide the same opportunity for future generations.

www.thestewardsoftheland.com/index.htm

July 16, 2009
Western Illinois University Alternative Crops Research 2009 Field Day
Location: Western Illinois University Agriculture Field Laboratory, Macomb, IL
Visit: www.wiu.edu/altcrops

July 23, 2009
Preserving the Harvest: Canning and Freezing
Location: McCully Heritage Project, Kampsville, IL
Visit: www.mccullyheritage.org/MHP%20Location.html

July 29, 2009
Sheep and Goats: What they can do for you
Location: webinar
Visit:www.attra.ncat.org/webinars2009/sheepandgoat

August 6, 2009
Illinois Conference on Agricultural Land Use Planning: Tools, Planning and Preservation in a Transitioning Economy
Location: Oak Ridge Golf Club, LaSalle, IL
Visit: webs.extension.uiuc.edu/registration/?RegistrationID=2958

September 4, 2009
Tri-State Local Food Conference
Location: Fairfield Arts and Convention Center, Fairfield, IA
Visit: travelfairfieldiowa.com/food-conference/

Additional events may be found on University of Illinois
Extension's small farm website at:http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/smallfarm/events.cfm

August 13
Creative Community Co-op Farming Basu Natural Farms
Location: Pembroke, IL

August 15
Raising Elk and Innovative Farming Mackinaw Valley Elk Farm and Blue Schoolhouse Farm
Location: Congerville, IL

September 22
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables River Front Berry Farm
Location: Martinton, IL
www.riverfrontberryfarm.com/

For more information visit:
web.extension.uiuc.edu/smallfarm/ag_tours.cfm

Extension is asking for your help gathering information on farmers producing both cash grains and local foods. The results of this survey will help us understand the particular needs of these farmers and the information will be used to provide models for other cash grain farmers who might want to consider diversifying their farming operations. If you are interested in completing the 20-minute survey, please email Elise Benveniste at ebenven2@illinois.edu with your name and address, or give her a call at (847)513-4116.

Summer 2009 Illinois Small Farm News