Partners

Discover major findings of a series of surveys taken among 1,000 consumers on how we're coping with food prices, perceptions of the people who produce it, and some of the environmental and other policies that help keep food on our plates. Guests include Brenna Ellison, Ph. D., Associate Professor, College of Agriculture, Purdue University, and Jonathan Coppess, J.D., Associate Professor, College o...

We change clocks twice a year. Does it affect you? Does it matter to the people who grow our food, and the animals they raise? Explore some history, modern day challenges, the pros and cons of Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time, with Dr. Sabra Abbott, M.D., neurologist and sleep medicine physician, Northwestern Medicine, and Doug Scheider, Stephenson County dairy farmer.

What does it take to restore old buildings, let alone revitalize old main streets across Illinois to make them viable today? Brenda and Scott Haare helped do it with their building in west-central Illinois and have lived to tell about their adventure. Also featured is Chris Merrett, Ph. D., director and professor, Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, Western Illinois University.

Learn about Frank and Lucy McWorter and the family behind New Philadelphia, the newest unit of the National Park Service, in Illinois. Gerald McWorter, Ph. D., great-great grandson of Frank and Lucy and vice president of the New Philadelphia Association, shares some of his family history and the town's legacy. Heather Feezor, program manager for Looking for Lincoln, describes how the site fits int...

Want to meet and talk with the farmers who grow or raise what you're buying? Welcome to the Bull Valley Farm Country Store, located in the Chicago suburbs northwest of the city. Chris and Hannah McKee, of Rush-Mar Farms, a few miles away, along with Michele Aavang, who owns Bull Valley Farm and store, share what the new farm-to-table shopping experience is all about, what you might find and why yo...

A couple hundred couples have been through what's called the Strong Couples Project over the past couple years in an attempt to refresh, renew and reconnect relationships. Two partners who have been through the program, Lauren Olson and Joe Viola of Mansfield, Ill., share how they participated and what they experienced. The project's leader, Allen Barton, Ph. D., Assistant Professor, Extension Spe...

Think you can't get fresh greens, fruits, vegetables in Illinois this time of year? Think again. Michael Hatfield, who grows hundreds of pounds of food offers up information on his specialties along with Janie Maxwell, Executive Director of the Illinois Farmers Market Association, who provides details on what you can and where you can find winter freshness in Illinois.

Want to know how some food companies decide what to sell and choices we have in stores? Shedding some light on how, where, what and why they source what they offer - is Mikel Hancock, St. Director of Sustainable Food & Agriculture for Walmart, and Rob Meyers, Vice President, Sustainable Agriculture for PepsiCo.

For several years, some farmers have been advocating for the ability to fix the increasingly complex equipment they use to grow food, animal feed and fuel. Hear why, what's transpired on the issue and what might be in store in the future on the right to repair issue. Those featured include Richard Guebert Jr., Randolph County farmer and president of the Illinois Farm Bureau, Zippy Duvall, Georgia...

They support farmers in your community and the vibrant Illinois farm and food sector at the local level. Listen to five specific examples of award-winning county Farm Bureau programs and why you might want to get more involved. Guests include Jill Frueh, manager of the Bureau County Farm Bureau, Bailey Conrady, assistant manager of the Champaign County Farm Bureau, Ruth Zeldenrust, Chicago Heights...

The local foods movement in Illinois continues to evolve, with expanding fruit, vegetable and herb availability and variety, new farmers markets and places to experience Illinois agriculture. Randy Graham, a farmer who runs Curtis Orchard and serves as chairman of the Illinois Specialty Growers Association (ISGA) and Raghela Scavuzzo, ISGA executive director, discuss what's happening in the sector...

Come with us to count down the top five Partners podcasts according to downloads of 2022. You just might be surprised to find out what interested most subscribers and listeners. Got an idea for one ini 2023? Send it to us at partners@ilfb.org

These two women make ensuring people enjoy and have fun in our state's largest city a priority because it's their job. Joyce Fong and Debbie Sawyer both serve as concierges at major hotels in Chicago and share what you can expect from them and what's worth discovering this time of year and beyond.

These two young men heavily influenced by their fathers share what they're making and/or marketing and rather unconventional ideas for holiday gifts. Both featured on the Partners website and in the winter 2022-23 edition of Partners magazine meet and hear Nicholas Burke of Carbon Forge Design in McLeansboro and Kirk Gregory Jr., with COUNTRY Financial in Chicago.

They have fun with food in classrooms and share how agriculture could lead to great careers too. Meet Eva Manzke, Interventionist at Walker Elementary School in Bedford Park, the newest Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year, along with Katrina Milton, Director of Ag Literacy for the Cook County Farm Bureau.

In the 4th part of our 4-part series on local, food-related farms and businesses, discover all you might want to know about saving some money buying meat in bulk. Hear from Brandon Klehm, University of Illinois meat judging coach, Cassie Rae, manager of Farmhouse Meats, and Kristin Huls, beef and dairy farmer.

'Tis the season to gather with family, friends - and maybe those you'd rather not be around or just want to enjoy without squabbles, conflicts, disagreements. Allen Barton, Ph. D., Asst. Professor of Human Development & Family Studies and Extension Specialist, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign discusses low- to moderate-grade conflicts and how you might consider handling them during the h...

We all know we're paying more for what's on our holiday tables. Roger Cryan, Chief Economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and Veronica Nigh, Senior Economist for AFBF, help sort out who gets what share, prospects for taming costs, and some ways we, and the people who grow our food, are meeting these challenges.

Meet Sandy and John Brix, whose dog Bernice serves as more than a typical farm dog. John, a retired veterinarian, and Sandy, who helped manage the veterinary practice, have had a lot of dogs, but share why Bernice made a national list of outstanding farm pooches. Cyndie Shearing, a director of communications for the American Farm Bureau, also shares the "People's Choice Pup" roster for 2022 and ho...

They all had the opportunity to do something else than farm, but farming is what they stayed with or came back to do. Ride along with us during harvest, with Earl Williams, who farms near Cherry Valley, Bart Bittner, who farms near Bloomington, and Kim Meier, who farms near the Village of Ridott, as they shed light on the adventures of farming during harvest and more.

Results have been tabulated for favorite farmers markets across the state. Did your favorite make the Top 10 in Illinois list? We share results and hear from two vendors who sell their products at the top two, Mike Biver, Terra Vitae Farms, Woodstock, and Aaron Kinney, Piscasaw Gardens Farm, Harvard, along with managers of the top two markets, Linda Wozniak, Open-Air Farmers Market+ at The Dole, a...

Some Illinois farms that welcome visitors now include such things as crop mazes and haunted trails. Hear from John Lyons, which features a "Fear on the Farm" trail at Indian Creek Farmstead, and Jess Podany, with Bomke's Patch and it's "Udderly Amazing" corn maze.

After a first-year pilot program, the farm to food bank effort continues to expand. Farmers Michelle and Wayne Sirles of Rendleman Orchards share why and how they are participating.

Autumn's not only for harvesting but planting as well, in part to protect farmland and water quality, in some cases, from the sky. Hear from Illinois farmer Joe Curless, who also co-owns and operates a flying service, and Laura Christianson, Ph. D., an agricultural and biosystems engineer, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Creativity flourishes on some Illinois farms with multiple opportunities for fall fun, from live entertainment, to food trucks, to haunted corn mazes added to traditional things like apple and pumpkin picking. In Part II of our II-part series, Jenny & Scott Schroeder with The Peachbarn Winery & Cafe describe what they have to offer in Illinois' Shawnee National Forest, along with Jenna Spychal wit...