Greetings From U of I Extension

Welcome to the latest issue of the University of Illinois Extension's Logan, Menard and Sangamon Counties Local Food Systems and Small Farms (LFSSF) newsletter. This issue has information about upcoming programs and meetings of interest to farmers as well as those interested in local food systems and small farm issues. Programs include webinars, workshops, conferences and even a film screening. The Local Food Systems and Small Farms newsletter will be sent out biannually, however we do offer programming throughout the year. If you would like to be notified of programs, please send me your email address so that you can receive the periodic notices of meetings, workshops and field days.

Wishing you every happiness this Holiday Season and throughout the coming year!

Small Farm Webinar Series

Small Farm Webinar Series will be held on Thursday afternoons at 1:00 pm, beginning January 10 and concluding March 28. The topics will be varied but designed for small farm application. Topics are: Raising Broiler Turkeys on Small Farms; Strawberry Production; Water Sanitation For Small Farms; Wildlife Damage Control; Basics of Fruit Insect Management; Farm Financial Management; Seed Saving; Managing Crop Rotations in High Tunnels; Farm to School Sales; Beneficial Insects; Weed Control in Pastures; and Crop Budgeting Resources.

Sessions are presented by U of I Extension Educators and Specialists. There is no cost to participate. Programs will last approximately one hour. You can log on from home or attend at the Springfield office. You can register online at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/

All these sessions will be recorded and available for viewing.

Putting Small Acres to Work

Putting Small Acres to Work will be held on Saturday, March 2 at the University of Illinois Extension Office, 700 S. Airport Drive, in Springfield. If you're looking for ideas on how to use smaller acreages for income producing activities or for fun and leisure, then this program will provide you with a number of options to consider. Concurrent presentations (three, one-hour sessions) during the morning will include the topics of: Beginning Beekeeping; Growing and harvesting herbs and marketing herbal products; Low-tunnel production; Managing your small farm woodlot; Pastured poultry production; Sheep and goat production; Small fruit production and Vegetable production. There will be a general session addressing the topic of Getting Started in Small Farm Production. All the presenters have been or are currently involved in the enterprise/topic that they will discuss. There will be plenty of time in each of the sessions to allow for discussions. The program will begin at 8:30 am (registration starting at 8:00 am) and conclude at 1:30 pm. Cost is $30 per person. Additional persons from the same household are $10 (which is the charge for students). Lunch, refreshments and a proceedings will be included. Register on line at: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/

Growing Unusual Vegetables

Want to learn more about some unusual vegetables to consider growing for next year? On Tuesday, February 5, from 6:00-7:30 pm we'll offer a webinar exploring some new and unusual vegetables for growers to consider. We'll be discussing varieties (tomatillos, arugula, chois, edamame, sprouts, swiss chard, Jerusalem artichoke, bitter melon, salsify, celeriac, ginger, turmeric; color variations of vegetables and baby vegetables. You can log on from home or attend at the Springfield office. The program is free of charge. Register online: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/

Composting Symposium

Lincoln Land Community College's Green Center is hosting the 10^th Annual Central Illinois Composting Symposium , "Composting for a Sustainable Community" on Wednesday, Feb. 20 from noon to 5:00 pm in the Trutter Center .

The symposium is a forum for sharing composting information; stimulating the composting market and bringing composters, educators, and businesses together . A Build Your Own Bin workshop will follow the symposium at 5:30 pm. Symposium registration is $25 before Feb. 5, $30 after Feb. 5. The symposium is free to students with a valid ID. Registrations will be accepted at the door the day of the workshop. An additional fee will be charged for the Build Your Own Bin workshop.

The symposium is sponsored by the LLCC Green Center, Illinois Stewardship Alliance, University of Illinois Extension, City of Springfield's Division of Waste and Recycling, and Illinois Department of Agriculture. www.llcc.edu/greencenter

Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism and Organic Conference

The Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism and Organic Conference will be held January 9-11 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield. The conference, which features more than 100 speakers and 50 trade show exhibitors, will again host four concurrent preconference workshops, general sessions, and breakout sessions aimed at helping Illinois specialty growers cultivate their operations. Preconference workshops will be held on Janaury 9 and include: Cover Crops, High Tunnels, Basics of Orchard Establishment/Tree Fruit Production, and Sweet Corn.

The conference opens Thursday, January 10, with a general session highlighting the Illinois specialty crops industry and its partners and addressing a range of issues. The remaining days are devoted to breakout sessions, divided into six different tracks, including: Agritourism; Fruits; Vegetables; Herbs; Organic Foods; and Emerging Issues and Opportunities.

A conference agenda and registration information can be found at: www.specialtygrowers.org

Tree Fruit and Vegetable workshop

Tree Fruit & Vegetable Workshop will be held on Friday, February 22 at the Extension Office in Quincy. Drs. Mohammad Babadoost and Rick Weinzierl will be present to lead discussions on: Important apple disease issues; Identification and control of major tree fruit and vegetable insect pests; Disease management in pumpkins; and more. In addition, we'll have updates from several companies. Cost for the program is $10 per person, which includes lunch and publications. The program will start at 9:00 am and conclude at 2:00 pm. To learn more and to register: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/abhps

Fresh Market Tomato Workshop

Fresh Market Tomato Workshop - a distance program - will be offered on Monday, February 18, from 6:00-7:30 pm. We'll be discussing every aspect of tomato production, from planting, to pruning, to disease management to harvesting/marketing. Sessions are presented by U of I Extension Educators and Specialists.

There is no cost to participate. Program will last approximately one hour. You can log on from home or contact our office if you need access. Register online: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/

Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs)

Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) webinar will be offered during Mondays in April, beginning April 8, through April 29, from 6:00-8:00 pm. The webinar is designed to provide information to growers on how to keep produce safe- from production to the market. The past few years we've all seen and heard about examples of where food has been contaminated and the result has been catastrophic. Infection with E coli and other organisms has made headlines with cantaloupe, lettuce, beef and other foods. GAP's training discusses methodologies to reduce potential contamination. Topics of this webinar will include: What is GAP's; Water quality and testing; Soil management; Record keeping; Traceback, etc.

Each registered participant will receive GAPs manual and related handouts. There is a $20 fee per participant and pre-registration along with pre-payment is required by April 1, 2013 so that your handouts can be shipped out. Please register online at web.extension.illinois.edu/gkw For more information contact University of Illinois Extension, Kankakee County at 815-933-8337.

Illinois Strawberry, Small Fruit and Vegetable School

Illinois Strawberry, Small Fruit and Vegetable School will be held at the Mt. Vernon Holiday Inn, February 12-13. Cost is $30 per farm family preregistered, $40 per farm family at the door. Lunch will be on your own. The small fruit and vegetable spray guides are included with the registration.

Registration details will be forthcoming. For more information go to http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/ or contact Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, 217-782-4617, cvnghgrn@illinois.edu

Illinois Cover Crops: Practical Strategies for your Farm

Illinois Cover Crops: Practical Strategies for Your Farm will be held on January 29 & 30, 2013 at the Decatur Hotel and Conference Center in Decatur. The meeting will provide a forum for farmers to exchange information and learn about the new and successful practices related to cover crops. Case study presentations will identify and discuss strengths and pitfalls of real applications. Speakers will include farmers, crop consultants, and university researchers who have extensive experience in cover crop management. Two meals, a reception, multiple general sessions and concurrent session topics and multiple roundtable sessions are included in the program. Registration is just $49 if you register by January 21, 2013. To register http://www.swcs.org/en/conferences/

Soil and Water Management Workshop

University of Illinois Extension will host a Soil and Water Management Workshop for Certified Crop Advisors and others interested in the topic on February 28. The workshop is planned to provide up to 2 hours of CEU's (in Soil and Water Management and 1 hour in Crop Management) areas. The workshop will be a web conference presentation, using Telenet and PowerPoint.

Registration fee for the workshop will be $20 per person. Advanced registration is required no later than Tuesday, February 26. The workshop will be held from 8:30 am to noon at the Extension County office located at 980 N. Postville Drive in Lincoln. For more information contact Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, 217-782-4617, cvnghgrn@illinois.edu

Please register online at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/ For more information contact Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, 217-782-4617, cvnghgrn@illinois.edu

Urban Roots screening

The 5th Annual Slow Food^® Springfield Film Festival will present a screening of the documentary film "Urban Roots on Friday, January 25 at 7:00 pm at Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 745 Woodside Road, Springfield. Doors open at 6:15 pm with refreshments and beverages available for purchase provided by RealCuisine Catering. The film will be followed by a discussion. Cost $5.00 per person. Slow Food® Springfield members, $3.00 and students with I.D., no charge. "Urban Roots" tells the story of the urban agriculture movement in Detroit. This screening is presented by Slow Food® Springfield, Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation and the University of Illinois Extension. For more information http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/

Tomato Grafting Workshop

A workshop showing proper techniques of grafting tomatoes will be held on Monday March 4 at 6:00 pm at the Extension Office in Quincy. Gardeners who routinely use heirloom tomatoes will find this workshop very beneficial as these heirloom varieties have very poor root systems. Grafting these heirloom varieties to a modern rootstock offers significant yield improvement. Grafting is not a hard task to accomplish, however there are a few guidelines that will allow your grafting to be much more successful. There is no cost to attend. Register at: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/abhps

Non Discrimination Statement

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences • United States Department of Agriculture • Local Extension Councils Cooperating

University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment. If you need reasonable accommodation to participate in any program, please contact your local extension office.