After a quick stint on the interstate, I take Exit 159 toward Gibson City and drive among the corn and soybeans for a bit. Before too long, just off Route 54, I find one branch of Crider Farms, the sheep operation. This branch of the farm is run by Chris Crider, his wife Erin, and their two boys.
Sunny Summer Salad
This delicious salad is a great way to incorporate several fresh market vegetables. This salad is also very customizable! Try offering different dressings or ingredients like cooked pasta, sweet peppers, or feta cheese so kids can customize their own Sunny Summer Salads.
Field Notes: Part Two – Cow Creek Organic Farm
Driving through vast farmlands and the occasional swamp, located near the start of the Middlefork River, and just southeast of Paxton, IL, I find Cow Creek Organic Farm. Cow Creek is a multi-generational family farm owned and operated by Jeff and Rita Glazik along with their four children: Will, Clayton, Dallas, and Abby.
Notes from the Field: The Land Connection’s Organic Grain Mentorship
The Land Connection is pleased to share updates about our pilot year of the Organic Grain Mentorship Program. This program has been in development since as early as 2021, when The Land Connection partnered with farmers to build a model for supporting conventional row croppers as they transition some of their acreage to organic practices.
Field Notes: Part One – Savannah Ridge Farms
While driving through the country roads just south of Indianola, there are some common sights: rows and rows of corn and soybeans, land so flat you can see the curvature of the earth, and perhaps an occasional coyote, turkey, or deer loitering in the fields. But, if you take those one-track dirt roads far enough, you may eventually come across an unusual creature snacking in the fields of eastern Illinois, yaks. At this point, you will know you have come across Savannah Ridge Farms, a first-generation family farm owned and operated by Ron Bailey and his two sons, Shane and Colin.
Field Notes: Introduction
Hello! My name is Dale Mize, I am a second-year Ph.D. student in the history department at UIUC, and this summer the Humanities Research Institute Summer Bridge Program and The Land Connection have partnered up to allow me to develop a project as a venue for farmers to share their stories and experiences.
