Illinois Specialty Crop Podcast Series

Illinois Specialty Crop Podcast Series

Our Illinois Specialty Crop Podcast Series showcases specialty crop producers and growers here in Illinois and looks at the stories are behind their farms. The short interviews are recorded by Jim Lewis at WDWS NewsTalk 1400 in Champaign, IL. All of the producers featured in the series sell their products at local farmers markets or at their own farmstead stores here in Central Illinois. We hope you will enjoy learning about the featured specialty crop producers and check out our accompanying Specialty Crop Cards Series that can be found on our website: https://thelandconnection.org/farmers/resources/specialty-crop-podcast-card-series Enjoy the series, and let us know what you think. Please subscribe!!

Episodes

October 28, 2018 9 mins
David Wickboldt of Havilah Gardens Micro Farm in Bellflower, IL joined Jim Lewis at NewsTalk1400 for the final interview in our Illinois Specialty Crop Podcast Series to discuss his 3.5-acre farm and the amazing work he’s doing in both seasonal and year-round specialty crop production through aquaponics and typical agriculture. On the side of typical agriculture Havilah Gardens has a 45-tree orchard, perennial crops including aspar...
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Katie Bishop made the journey from Atlanta, IL (Logan County) to speak with Jim Lewis about PrairiErth Farm as part our Specialty Crop Podcast Series. Listen as she talks about the farm, it’s history, the role she plays in daily operations, and how PrairiErth Farm is partnering with other local farms through their new Food Hub. Katie manages the diversified vegetable portion of the 350-acre Certified Organic farm with her husband H...
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September 30, 2018 10 mins
Shea Belahi, co-manager of Blue Moon Farm, stops by to talk to Jim Lewis about their operation, how she became part of Blue Moon Farm, and what some of their plans are to increase awareness about local and organic foods in the community. Located just a couple miles north of Urbana, Blue Moon Farm is a Certified Organic, diversified vegetable farm that operates year-round and sells at the Urbana Market at the Square, through Common ...
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Anna Schweig, the co-owner of Big Thorn Farm & Brewery, stops by to talk to Jim Lewis about how she and her partner Aaron got started with their off-grid farm and brewery operation. All of the fruit and herbs that they use in their beers, Anna grows on their farm, which is a beautiful 15-acre plot just West of Georgetown, IL near the Little Vermillion River in Vermillion County. On the farm they have gooseberries, pear trees, r...
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September 2, 2018 10 mins
Marty Schulz, the Farm Manager at The Seasonal Plate in Cullom, IL, stopped by to chat with Jim Lewis about all of the various ventures The Seasonal Plate is involved in, where you can get their produce, and what interesting things you can expect from the farm in the future. Marty grew up with an interest in farming and horticulture, but after attending Parkland and the U of I he ended up managing the Pro Shop at the Pontiac Elks G...
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August 19, 2018 11 mins
John Williams stopped by to chat with Jim Lewis about Red Crib Acres, his orchard business in central Illinois. When John was younger his dad encouraged him to plant a small orchard on their families farm near Sibley, IL. Now, John has taken over the orchard on his family’s farm and taken over management of the orchard that used to be Wolfe Orchard near Monticello, IL. Both those orchards are part of John's new apple endeavor, ...
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Molly & Ben Oberg sat down with Jim to talk about their farm Meyer Produce (no relation to Meijer stores) and how they got into farming. After getting married and taking over the farm from Jeff Meyer about 3 years ago they've continued his name and mission to produce an incredibly diverse group of specialty crops and sell directly to consumers at local markets. If you haven't gotten a chance to check them out at Urbana&...
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Mark Hartstein, known by many as “Shades”, has been a long-standing figurehead in the Champaign-Urbana food scene for almost 3 decades. In that time he has become one of the leading cooks in utilizing local and hyper-local food products with a focus on seasonality and in some instances foraging for wild foodstuffs. He sat down with Jim Lewis to discuss what got him to this point in his career, what he sees as the some of the pros a...
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Thomas Harrison, the owner and operator of Crooked Row Farm in Champaign, IL sits down with Jim Lewis to discuss why he started Crooked Row Farm, what kinds of specialty crops he likes to grow, and what he views as his role in the local food system. If you've been to Bacaro in downtown Champaign, IL, you've probably had his farm-fresh produce, and know that it is some of the most delicious local produce you can get. Tom foc...
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Joan Jach, the owner and cultivator of Old Town Flowers in Champaign, IL sits down with Jim Lewis to discuss how she got started flower farming, why it's so important to buy local flowers, and where you can find her bouquets and assorted herbal products. Joan has been urban flower farming for a number of years now and has been a fixture at the Champaign Farmers Market since its inception. Check out her gorgeous flowers in perso...
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Kacey and Stephanie Nelson are the owners and operators of Two Million Blooms, a small-batch bee company located in Champaign, IL. They sat down with Jim Lewis of WDWS NewsTalk 1400 to talk about how they got into the honey and bee business, why honeybees are so important to agriculture, and why local honey is so much better for you than store-bought honey. They are a family-run, local, small business that was a Good Food Awards wi...
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Wes Jarrell, half of the dynamic duo that owns and manages Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery in Champaign, IL (he runs it with his wife, Leslie Cooperband) joins Jim Lewis to talk about how they got started, why they chose Central Illinois, and how important it is to collaborate with other farmers to grow the local food system and teach people about the importance of supporting local farmers. Wes and Leslie have La Mancha and Nubi...
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Traci Barkley from Sola Gratia Farm sits down to talk about all of the important community work that Sola Gratia does to provide local produce to families with limited access to fresh, local food and the history of their organization.
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Listen as Taidghin O'Brien, our Marketing & Outreach Manager, as he discusses the Illinois Specialty Crop Podcast & Card Series, the Champaign Farmers Market, the importance of shopping locally and supporting local farmers, and ASPARAGUS!
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