Partners

Another step toward increasing access to fresh fruits, vegetables and more at food pantries across Illinois kicks off soon. Hear what it's all about from Steve Ericson, Executive Director of Feeding Illinois, and Matt Klein, Kane County farmer and Farm to Food Bank participant.

This spring gardening preview features Jan Phipps, Partners gardening writer, and Candice Hart, University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener specialist, on what you need to do to get growing and become a Master Gardener.

As the seasons change and we recognize National Agriculture Day, two Illinois farmers reflect on current times and challenges they face during one of the busiest periods of the year on Illinois farms. Hear from Richard Guebert Jr., president of the Illinois Farm Bureau and a Randolph County farmer, and Cheryl Walsh, "The Pig Lady" featured in the spring edition of Partners magazine, and vice-presi...

Daylight Saving Time or Standard Time, which do you prefer? Illinois-native Jeff Jenkins, Ph. D. , University of Southern California, and Thomas Gray, Ph. D., University of Texas-Dallas, have conducted research on time change. In this episode, they help sort out the pros, cons, twists, turns as we continue the biannual ritual of springing forward and falling back.

It's that time of year to prepare for more wacky weather as peak season for severe events is upon us. Brian VanVickle, sheriff of Ogle County, shares his personal story surrounding the April 2017 tornado that tore through his community, and Chris Yates, chief meteorologist with WMBD-TV offers some advice on hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

Check out these food options for what remains of winter, start spring in a healthful way and discover a unique way to wrap them all up. Jodie Shield, a registered dietitian and Partners food and recipe author, along with Colleen Flinn, who owns and runs Nothing Fancy Supply - an all natural food wrap maker - help us out with the change of seasons.

Head with us to a different part of Illinois, where a community winter farmers market breathes new life into an available, heated space. Plus, learn how winter farmers markets fit in with Live Local, Shop Local in Illinois and what things such as high tunnels, low tunnels and cold weather crops do to keep fresh vegetables coming. This episode features Karen Jensen-Britton, Manager of the Carbondal...

How do you find local, farmers-market quality fruits and vegetables this time of year? Go to one or more of the growing indoor, winter farmers markets. In the first of a two-part series, hear from Nilda Esparza, market manager of the Logan Square Farmers Market in Chicago, and one of its farmer-vendors, Kyle Jacobson, with Jacobson Family Farms.

Did you notice a new label showing up on some food? Hear from Leia Flure, RN, LDN, University of Illinois Extension, known as the "Moderation Maven," explain what they do and don't mean. Sarah Gallo, Vice President of Agriculture and Environment, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), provides an update on the technology behind the acronyms BE, GE and GMO.

Artificial intelligence has made its way into agriculture too, and this Ph. D. candidate wants us to know what it might mean when it comes to what is grown, who grows it, and how we grow our food. Explore the topic with Monica Sziron, a doctoral candidate at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.

Frigid temperatures merit a watchful eye on farm animals to ensure they receive the care they need to survive and thrive. Hear what's required, and what options exist from Tasha Bunting, a livestock farmer who also serves as Asst. Dir. of Commodities & Livestock Programs, Illinois Farm Bureau, and Sarah Ison, Ph. D., also a livestock farmer who sells her family's beef, pork and poultry online.

What does it mean to be sustainable, it's impact on climate, and what are the farming and food sectors doing to make it happen? From the 103rd convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation, hear from Roxi Beck, Dir. of Consumer Engagement, Center for Food Integrity; Jennifer Crall, Global Head Partnerships, Bayer Crop Science; Callie Eideberg, Dir. of Govt. Relations, Environmental Defense Fun...

After three decades of creating custom ice creams and other dairy products, Prairie Farms Chef Rob Lagerlof hangs up his scoop and other test kitchen gadgets and will be off soon to Iceland. Find out why.

The Top 5 Partners podcasts of 2021 feature many diverse farm, family and food-related places, events and people across the state but they all share one thing in common. Each tells a story of Illinois farmers and about the food, feed and/or fuel they raise. Count them down with us.

New traditions and old abound will greet you with a visit to Chicago and in particular, The Loop, which includes State St., Millennium Park and more. Michael Edwards, president and CEO of the Chicago Loop Alliance, and Nancy Villafranca-Guzman, deputy commissioner of programing, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, share what you can expect yet this year and next.

The world's largest museum has a traveling exhibit on tour in Illinois, and you can see it now and into the new year. Explaining Voices and Votes: Democracy in America includes Matt Meacham, program manager, statewide engagement, Illinois Humanities; Bobbi Perryman, executive dir., Vespasian Warner Public Library in Clinton; Dave Blanchette, bd. chairman, Jacksonville Area Museum.

The most populous county in Illinois also includes a thriving food and farming sector. Cook County Farm Bureau president Janet McCabe, a farmer from Orland Park, and Ruth Zeldenrust, the organization's secretary-treasurer and farmer from Chicago Heights, share some of their farming adventures in county with more than five million people.

There's a green, winter blanket appearing in some farm fields across Illinois this time of year. Illinois farmers Clint Robinson and Lucas Roney share what's green before farm fields might soon turn white and what - what's out there - do for them, and us.

These two sisters help run one of the last remaining family-owned turkey farms in the nation that raise, process and sell turkeys right from their farm. Kayla and Nicole Kauffman share everything you might want to know about raising this holiday favorite.

Go behind the headlines and take a deeper dive into Thanksgiving meal costs and other items like ingredient availability, how to defrost, menu options, leftovers, and ways to avoid a big binge. Veronica Nigh, senior economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, Nick Fitch, supermarket director, Steve Promenschenkel, chef and Brook Rush, registered dietitian, all with Hyvee.

Like a modern-day barn-raising, community harvests bring the farming community together to lend a hand for those in need. Come inside this community harvest and hear why some Illinois farmers organized it, what took place, and from the farm family that welcomed friends and others from two states to help them wrap up harvest.

An area representing one-third of the value of food produced in the United States remains mired in drought, including a stubborn area of Illinois that has pulled through with some surprising results this growing season. Hear from farmers Julie and Marshall Newhouse, along with Brad Pugh, meteorologist with the Climate Prediction Center in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Many farmers and other vendors have capacity to store or can still grow and offer locally-grown fruits, vegetables and other products at indoor farmers markets. Hear how and what you might expect from Raghela Scavuzzo, the Assoc. Dir. of Food Systems Development for Illinois Farm Bureau. Two farmers market-vendors, Carolyn Waldee, and Valeriy Bianco, share how they'll juggle cheeses and mushrooms...

Involved in one of the most dangerous and risky of all businesses, those that produce food use some innovative ways to manage both successfully. Jeff Kirwan, a farmer from western Illinois, shares what he's dealt with in recent years and how he manages. Doug Yoder, crop agency manager with COUNTRY Financial, provides details on how one tool to manage risk has evolved and how it works.

Built by a Chicago grain merchant, this historic site and non-profit arts park now hosts a farmers market, fast proving the place to be each Sunday in the Chicago suburbs. Volunteer Sharon LeCoque, and farmers and market vendors Mike Biver with Terra Vitae Farms, and Colin Raclawski with Von Bergen's Country Market, share what it's all about.