First training will cover agritourism in detail

Champaign, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/19/2014 -- The Land Connection is pleased to announce a new series of farmer training intensives that will delve deep into agricultural topics that are critical to entrepreneurial farmers. These intensives will typically span three days and be composed of farm tours, hands-on experience, and presentations from highly knowledgeable speakers. Meals and welcome packets are also provided, and participants will earn certificates of completion.

The first intensive will be held June 23-25 and will cover agritourism from every angle. Agritourism is any activity that brings the public onto a farm, from pumpkin patches to classes to gourmet dinners. These activities have the potential to be a moneymaker for farm businesses and have a number of corollary benefits such as opportunities for volunteer labor, public education, and potential for word-of-mouth and other free publicity. Participants in the agritourism intensive will learn about these opportunities by:

-Participating in tours and presentations of four successful farms in the region that will cover topics from start-up and capital access to pricing, marketing and infrastructure
-Learning from tourism experts and The Land Connection staff about the potential markets and opportunities for growth in agritourism
-Walking through the risks and risk mitigation strategies of successful agritourism businesses with a farm law expert
-Observing an on-farm commercial kitchen and processing facility through both presentation and delicious meals provided by the farm's chef

The Agritourism Intensive will be held from June 23-25 at Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery in Champaign, Illinois. The cost is $350.00 before May 15, and $400.00 after May 15 until close of registration on June 15. Partial scholarships are available. More details can be found on The Land Connection website http://www.thelandconnection.org/farmers/farmer-training-intensives

About The Land Connection
The Land Connection is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting farmland, training sustainable and organic farmers, and promoting a vibrant local food system.

Contact:
Jeff Hake, Farmer Training Program Manager
The Land Connection
jeff@thelandconnection.org
217-840-2128
505 W University Ave, Suite 203
Champaign, IL 61821

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Champaign, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/14/2014 -- The Land Connection is hosting a series of workshops called Farm Dreams that introduce community members to the possibilities and necessities of starting their own farm business. As the demand for fresh, healthy foods produced by local farmers continues to rise, more and more people are thinking about starting entrepreneurial farm businesses.

These three-hour workshops are designed to help people decide if farming is right for them through initial assessment of resources and finances and thoughtful goal setting. The workshop will also look at what's happening in entrepreneurial farming in Central Illinois today and provide an overview of crop and marketing options for farm and food start-ups, through both presentations and a panel of experienced sustainable farmers.

"The best part of these workshops is meeting and asking questions of local farmers, some of whom are also graduates of our training program, Central Illinois Farm Beginnings," says The Land Connection's farmer training program manager, Jeff Hake, who will facilitate the workshops.

Leah Roeschley, a 2014 graduate of Central Illinois Farm Beginnings, says that Farm Dreams helped her discover in more detail what her own farming goals were. "I needed to actually put into practice what I have been dreaming and learning about. I needed to build confidence, and I needed to test if I was cut out to be a farmer. The Farm Dreams workshop encouraged me to take more concrete steps toward my farming goals."

Farm Dreams workshops are being held at the following times and locations:
- April 7, 6-9 p.m., Urbana, Common Ground Co-op's Flatlander Classroom
- April 21, 6-9 p.m., Effingham Farm Bureau office
- May 5, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Kankakee Public Library
- June 2, 6-9 p.m., Danville Public Library
- July 7, 6-9 p.m., Peoria (exact location TBD)

A light supper featuring local breads, cheeses, and vegetables is included in the registration fee of $20.00. To find out more, or register for the workshop, call The Land Connection, or visit the website http://thelandconnection.org/farmers/farm-dreams-workshops .

About The Land Connection
The Land Connection is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting farmland, training sustainable and organic farmers, and promoting a vibrant local food system.

Contact:
Jeff Hake, Farmer Training Program Manager
The Land Connection
jeff@thelandconnection.org
217-840-2128
505 W University Ave, Suite 203
Champaign, IL 61821

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Farm Fresh Now! Secrets of a Seasonal Cook

Bloomington, IL -- (ReleaseWire) -- 06/12/2013 -- Farm Fresh Now, a new series of 26 weekly vegetable articles, has been launched by The Land Connection, a central-Illinois-based educational nonprofit, just as hundreds of farmers markets are opening across Illinois.

Each article profiles a new vegetable as it comes into season;these profiles are available to any farmer, market manager, food blogger, gardener, cook, or consumer for free, thanks to a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant that The Land Connection received through the Illinois Department of Agriculture. To see the articles, visit www.thelandconnection.org/blog. Anyone can receive the articles by email each week by signing up at www.thelandconnection.org/veggies."From May to November you can get Illinois-grown produce items ranging from bok choy to Brussels sprouts, herbs to hops, and currants to quince," says Land Connection Executive Director Terra Brockman. "And since they are picked at their peak of ripeness, you get great taste and nutrition, while also supporting your local farmers."

Because many people are unaware of what to do with many local specialty crops, each Farm Fresh Now! article provides background, nutritional information, a simple recipe, and a photo-montage showing an in-season vegetable going from the soil to the supper table.

"The Farm Fresh Now! series is a lively, fun way to increase consumer awareness of the huge variety of Illinois fruits and vegetables," says Land Connection Associate Director Cara Cummings, who is taking the photographs for the series. "At the same time, it helps busy fruit and vegetable farmers communicate with their customers by simply cutting and pasting the photo or recipe or excerpts from our articles on to their blogs or Facebook pages."

The Illinois Department of Agriculture awarded funding to The Land Connection to produce the Farm Fresh Now! series in order to raise awareness of Illinois specialty crops among consumers. In addition, the series will raise specialty crop farmers' ability to share specific vegetable information with their customers, thereby enhancing the overall competitiveness of lllinois specialty crops.

About The Land Connection
The Land Connection is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting farmland, training sustainable and organic farmers, and promoting a vibrant local food system.

For more information on the Farm Fresh Now! series, please contact Cara Cummings at cara@thelandconnection.org or visit our website: www.thelandconnection.org/veggies

PHOTO & ARTWORK AVAILABLE: For a digital copy of a photo or artwork related to Farm Fresh Now!, contact Cara Cummings at cara@thelandconnection.org.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm