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Officially opened October 5, the Project Expands Non-Profit's Education Mission
Grayslake, an outer Chicago suburb near Illinois's northeast corner, became a focal point for sustainable development in 1993 when then-new Liberty Prairie Foundation launched Prairie Crossing, a conservation-focused "agri-community."
Over the next 25 years, the foundation funded sustainable agriculture and land access activities, including an incubator in Prairie Crossing called the Farm Business Development Center (FBDC). Among the graduates were Jen and Jeff Miller, who first partnered with an existing farm on the foundation's land holding, then in 2017 started their own Prairie Wind Family Farm and built a loyal clientele for its community supported agriculture (CSA) subscriptions.
The foundation's funding mission ran its course, though, and in 2022, with the hiring of Karen Wilkes as executive director, set a new course. Dropping "Foundation" from its name, it became the Liberty Prairie non-profit, focused strongly on food system education and sustainable land management. And early last year, the Millers' farm merged into Liberty Prairie.
The organization's education mission expanded almost immediately, with Jeff becoming the farm extension educator for Grayslake Community High School District 127 and hosting students for practical experience on the farm. The organization's Prairie Farm Corps enabled youths to work on the farm over this past summer.
And while the farm incubator was terminated, a new education-focused project called Living Laboratory was created, with its grand opening held on Saturday (October 5). Living Laboratory is designed to exhibit the interconnectedness of plants, animals and people on the farm.
Visitors can connect with sheep and goats in an outdoor pen...
... Chickens in a hoophouse...
... And the outdoor and indoor growing spaces on the 95-acre, holistically and regeneratively farmed property, which includes an Education Garden and a Community Garden.
Click the button below to learn more about Liberty Prairie and its programs, or to make a tax-deductible donation to help advance their mission.
When you visit, you'll also have the opportunity to buy hyperlocal produce from Prairie Crossing Farm, as well as other better-for-people-and-the-planet products, at the Liberty Prairie Farm Store. It is located about a mile and a half from the farm on the opposite side of the Prairie Crossing agri-community.
So did Barb and I bring our rolling backpack to do some shopping before heading back home to Chicago?
Of course we did!
Click below to learn more about the Liberty Prairie Farm Store, which accepts Senior and WIC FMNP program checks and SNAP/EBT, and offers Link Match vouchers.
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