Upper Midwest CRAFT 4-Season Production/Income Field Day

Date/Time
Monday, November 5
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Location
Angelic Organics

About the Panelists

Philip and Kelli Anderson: Anderson Organics manages about 12 acres of veggies and cover crop across 3 different locations and is in its 9th growing season. We have been certified organic since 2012 and market our produce through farmers markets, restaurants, a local health store, and a CSA.

In the 4 season production/income field day we will discuss strategies to maintain cash flow and sales through the winter by having a diversity of crops to market. We will talk about storing roots, potatoes,onions, and winter squash as well as production of fresh greens and brassicas in a high tunnel. Planting dates, methods, and production issues pertaining to high tunnel growing will be discussed as well as winter post-harvest handling. We will also have time for questions and information sharing by other farmers with experience in 4 season production and income.

David and Susan Cleverdon: The advent of Green City and Evanston winter farmers markets made Kinnikinnick Farm’s year round income possible. In addition to its organic produce production, the farm also raises broiler chickens and Berkshire feeder pigs during the summer for winter and summer sale and keeps a laying flock of hens year round. 18 chest freezers in the basement holding an inventory of pork and poultry make winter sales possible. Our basic customer base are farmers market customers and families who have stayed at the farm.

David and Susan Cleverdon left their city life in Chicago and started Kinnikinnick Farm as a ½ acre certified organic market garden in 1994. Today the farm is a highly diversified and integrated enterprise that raises organic produce, produces pastured poultry and pork, and conducts a popular May thru October Farm Stay Program. It sells direct to retail customers at the summer and winter Evanston Farmers Markets, the winter Chicago Green City Market, and to the hundreds of guests who stay at the farm. The farm’s main crops are hearty Italian greens, arugula, lettuce, tomatoes, pastured pork and poultry, honey, and eggs. The farm is also home for a handful of dairy goats, some Katahdin sheep, a couple of donkeys, two Tatra Livestock dogs, and a bunch of barn cats.

Chris and Marcy Prchal: Trogg’s Hollow CSA and Market Farm is a family-owned and run microfarm doing biointensive urban farming in Poplar Grove, Illinois. We offer 25 year-round veggie CSA shares to Chicago, the Northwest and Far West suburbs, and Rockford. We also sell seasonal veggies at local farmers markets and at our on-farm stand.

We will be discussing how we use high and low tunnels to extend our growing season, and how we incorporate these methods to put together a year-round vegetable CSA program.

We’ll finish off the day with a potluck and conversation. Bring a dish to share!

FREE to Upper Midwest CRAFT members. Members must RSVP by Tuesday, October 30th by emailing AJ Boucek at grow@learngrowconnect.org. $20 for non-members who must register below.

Not a member, but interested in joining? Click here.