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Road Trips! Check Out Two Great Regenerative Farm Tours
- Bob Benenson
- 23 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Reminder About Friday's Grain/Spirits Tour, and a Brand New Listing
I'm going to take a wild guess that most people reading a publication called Local Food Forum are always interested in learning how the Chicago region's local-focused farmers are doing their better-for-people-and-the-planet thing. And there really is no better way to get a close-up view than taking one of the many farm tours occurring during the summer's peak growing season.
This article highlights two of them, starting with a reminder of the Organic Seed to Spirit Field Day Friday (July 24) in the east-central Illinois town of Paxton.
There are now many farmers who employ regenerative practices to advance soil health and sustainable agriculture. There are distillers and brewers who use organic grain in their beverages.
The Glazik family of Paxton in east-central Illinois is among the few producers anywhere who do both: growing grain regeneratively at their Cow Creek Farm, and utilizing their yield to produce organic spirits and brews at their Silver Tree Beer and Spirits.
You can see how this all comes together by joining them on the Organic Seed to Spirits Field Day. The free event takes place Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. — with an optional social mixer until 7 — in Paxton (located about 25 miles north of Champaign and 115 miles south of downtown Chicago).
I can personally vouch for this one because I attended last August's version of this event and enjoyed it so much that I'm making the return trip on Friday.
And there is a bonus perk for those of us in the Chicago area: There will be a shuttle to the event from the Amtrak station in Rantoul, Illinois. (Really affordable... Train tickets are priced as low as $20 each way, and I've often spent more than that on Uber rides here in Chicago.)
That means not driving there and back in one day. It also means I just may be able to splurge on an extra taste or two of their delicious spirits!
The event is a partnership of five major sustainable farming groups: OGRAIN, Artisan Grain Collaborative, The Land Connection, IDEA Farm Network, Mad Agriculture, and Rodale Institute.
The Michael Fields Agricultural Institute is a non-profit that promotes organic, sustainable and regenerative agriculture. Alternative crop research is a core focus of the organization, which does trials of diverse, non-traditional crops such as Kernza, millet and buckwheat to help farmers diversify crop rotations, improve soil health and boost water conservation.
That is also the focus of their Annual Alternative Crops Field Day and Alternative Crops Lunch, to be held Wednesday, August 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at their New Farm, N8832 Pickeral Lake Rd., in the Institute's home town of East Troy.
East Troy, located about 95 miles northwest of Chicago by car, is best known as the location of the Alpine Valley outdoor music theater.
Here's how the organizers describe the event:
We’ll spend the day exploring research plots, production fields, and conservation practices, followed by a lunch featuring alternative crops grown on the farm. Guests are also invited to stay for a wagon ride in the Southern Kettle Moraine and a happy hour in East Troy.
The New Farm’s production fields and research plots are managed in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy’s Pickerel Lake Fen Preserve near East Troy.
The farm sits upland from the fen and includes several kettle depressions through which contaminants can infiltrate groundwater. MFAI uses careful practices - prairie strips, agroforestry, alternative crops, reduced tillage, and cover crops - to protect this sensitive landscape while creating research and demonstration opportunities. Come see conservation and crop production in action!
Here's what you can expect to see:
Trial plots of Proso Millet varietals, Buckwheat varietals, Mung Beans, Pennsylvania Dutch popcorn, and Kernza in 2- and 6-year-old fields
Educational stations focused on agroforestry, agricultural policy, soil health, and cover crops
Lunch prepared by MFAI staff featuring savory millet crepes and cakes, Indian chutneys, buckwheat desserts, and a salad topped with mung bean sprouts
Farm tour of research fields, prairie strips, and conservation practices
Fields Best Market Table with alternative crop flours and baking mixes for sale
Wagon Ride to explore the farm's wooded kettle, a deep depression with fascinating geological history
Happy Hour in East Troy
The Field Day is free, but registration is requested to help us plan for lunch.
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