2016 Fall Farm

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2016 Logan County Fall Farm Outlook Magazine Lincoln Daily News Oct. 27, 2016 39
and also grains such as open-pollinated corn. He said
that he had been told that working with crops such as
this cannot work in Illinois, but he said he’s working
with farmers who are already doing it, so, apparently
they didn’t know it couldn’t be done.
Davison mentioned, in particular, a farm in Iroquois
County that is growing a six crop rotation, including
winter wheat. He said this farm of 2,500 acres
produced 55,000 bushels of organic grain. The
wheat this farm is growing is being sold to markets in
Chicago.
Currently, stone mills that are being established
with the goal to move consumers toward a whole
wheat milled flour, but right now, the consumer is
accustomed to, and desires white flour. The mills
being established have sifters that will refine the flour
to the specifications that the commercial bakers want.
Flour formulation would be adjusted annually, and
bakers would be educated on the newer, better whole
grain products, adjust their recipes until eventually
they are working with a pure whole grain product.
He concluded that what is needed now is a
demand for the organic flour and other products at
institutional levels such as schools and hospitals.
One of the challenges for any farm operation is
defining a market and planning for storage and
transportation. Smaller farm consortiums have been
forming, such as the Land Connection - Champaign
area and Legacy of the Land - Bloomington area
growers, have pooled their efforts for efficiency and
to get more product with greater diversity to more
markets.
Right here in Logan County, the ALMH Market held
May to October launched with much success this
year. The all Illinois products indoor market draws
a regular crowd offering numerous health conscious
activities. One vendor was Bean Sprouts, a soon to
be opened in Lincoln café/restaurant where the goal
will be to offer as many “farm-to-table” dishes as
possible.
Bishop noted that transporting small farm products
can be a very costly challenge for producers.
Currently, Amtrak has a pilot program transporting
from the Champaign area to Chicago. Cheeses are
being shipped via Amtrak in special coolers. He
hopes to see Lincoln gain rail service for product
shipping as well.
Resources:
USDA
Organic Certification - Technical Training and
Financial Resources - Data and Research http://www.
usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=organic-
agriculture
Illinois Organic Growers
Legacy of the Land
The Land Connection
Locally Grown, Fresh Food Market | The ALMH
Market