Released June 1, 2009
URBANA, Ill. - Two unique and successful livestock farms are the destination for a sustainable agriculture tour sponsored by University of Illinois Extension. The tour of two Sheffield farms in Bureau County will take place beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7.
The tour starts at Meadow Haven Farm owned by Allan and Jeanne Sexton and Jeremy and Cherie House. They raise certified organic grass-fed beef and pastured poultry - 185 head of cattle, 3,000 chickens and 250 turkeys, orchard and alley cropping for small farm production.
Allan Sexton and his partners draw heavily on his experience as a holistic veterinarian in treating his animals. Sexton said that on the tour visitors will see the cattle, poultry, and turkeys. "They'll see what we do, how we do it, and learn about the benefits of eating good food."
"Soil and pasture development are fundamental components of each farm's operation, growth and success - reinforcing that good food comes from good soil," said Roger Larson, director of the University of Illinois Extension Peoria County Unit Office.
At 11:00 a.m. the tour will caravan to the nearby Graze N' Grow and Red Barn Nursery, owned by Jim and Ruth Draper.
The Drapers raise Katahdin sheep which have hair rather than wool. "My husband Jim has raised sheep all of his life. About six years ago, we switched to Katahdin sheep because there wasn't a good market for wool and these sheep just shed their hair in the field, so we didn't have to hire a shearer. It costs a lot to have them shorn, and we couldn't get a good price for the wool," said Ruth Draper. Katahdin sheep are named for the highest mountain in Maine, Mount Katahdin in the Appalachian Mountains.
The Drapers sell lambs "on the hoof" and deliver them to be slaughtered for their customers. They don't use hormones or antibiotics, which is something their customers like. "We have a very ethnically diverse customer base. We sell a lot of our lamb to the Hispanic, Muslim and Greek population. We're on I-80 and people see our sheep and turn off the road to find us," she said. Ruth Draper also runs a green house and nursery business on the property called the Red Barn Nursery.
The tour will officially end at 1:30 p.m. but visitors who are interested are welcome to stay for an informal tour of Meadow Haven Farms' geothermal house and orchard, concluding at 3:00 p.m.
A fee of $20 per person will be charged, which includes lunch.
Registration at least one week in advance is required. Visit https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/registration/default.cfm?RegistrationID=2845 to register and for more details about each of the tours including a map and agenda.
To register by phone, contact Donna Cray at 217-241-4644. For more information, contact Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant (217-968-5512; cvnghgrn@illinois.edu).
--30--
http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/news/stories/news4803.html
Source: Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant (217) 968-5512, cvnghgrn@illinois.edu
Editor: Debra Levey Larson, (217) 244-2880, dlarson@uiuc.edu
