Willow City Farm

The Farmstand will open late at 2pm this Wednesday, April 26th, while we participate in LLCC’s Earth Day Vendor Fair from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. @ the A. Lincoln Commons.  It’s open to the public, so stop by!

Discover and learn about the various organizations, individuals, and businesses on campus and in the community working on programs, projects and educational tools geared toward sustainability and earth stewardship. Participants can experience a human-powered bicycle making fresh fruit smoothies, recycled paper being turned into art and demonstrations on making recycled beads. Locally grown items will be available for purchase. The LLCC Environmental Club will sell Earth Day T-shirts and take orders for heirloom tomato plants, and the LLCC Epicurian Club will provide snacks. Vendors include: Acbees Apiaries, City of Springfield Public Works Division of Waste and Recycling, Elevate Energy, Food Fantasies, Girl Scouts, Grow Springfield (a network of community gardens), Habitat for Humanity, Inspiro Café, Jubilee Farm, LLCC Epicurean Club, Springfield Vegetarian Association and Willow City Farm.

For information on willow city farm's CSA, click here.

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CSA Day Offers Second Chance for New Year’s Resolutions

Celebrate Community-Supported Agriculture on Feb. 24

PITTSBURGH, January 24, 2017 – Are your New Year’s resolutions already in the rearview mirror? If so, you’re not alone, but you still have time to make good on those resolutions. February 24 marks the third annual CSA Day when you can join other like-minded people around the country who are committed to:

• eating healthful foods and preparing them for their families;

• supporting their local farmer;

• being kind to our planet;

• learning something new; and

• being adventurous in the kitchen.

CSA (community-supported agriculture) is a subscription to a season’s worth of sustainable, locally grown produce that is distributed to members throughout the harvesting season. It is a form of investment that allows small farmers to continue growing on a scale that may not be sustainable without the CSA model. CSA members enjoy the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables for their family, while supporting their local farmer.

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According to Small Farm Central’s CSA Farming Annual Report, the most popular time to join a CSA each year is at the end of February. To promote this important time for farmers, CSA Day was coined, and each year it falls on the last Friday in February. It’s an entire day dedicated to the celebration of community-supported agriculture, and CSA farmers enjoy an influx of sign-ups from members, which gives them revenue when they need it most for the growing season.

Getting food from a CSA is different from going to a farmers market or using a grocery delivery service. As a CSA member, you make a seasonal commitment to a small farmer in your area, and the produce is either delivered to your door or you pick it up at a local distribution center. CSA members take pleasure in knowing where and how their food is grown, and typically have an open line of communication with their farmer.

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“Community-supported agriculture is all about relationships and feeding families,” said Simon Huntley, CEO of Small Farm Central, a company that provides marketing support for small farms and started CSA Day. “CSA farmers typically teach members what’s in season throughout the year, and help them appreciate and cook food to which they may not otherwise be exposed.”

How to Get Involved with CSA Day

If you believe in the value of the work your local farmer does and would like to help that farm be successful, sign up for a CSA on February 24, and use the hashtag #CSAday to join the online conversation. To find a CSA in your area, search this directory.   You can also sign up here to stay up to date on news and updates about CSA Day. 

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About Small Farm Central and CSA Day
In 2006, Simon Huntley combined his passion for helping small farmers and his experience in technology to found Small Farm Central. The organization serves the technology needs of small business farmers, including websites, ecommerce, CSA member management and marketing tools. Small Farm Central coined CSA Day in February 2015 to celebrate local agriculture among CSA members and farmers. Small Farm Central has worked with more than 1,000 farms across the U.S. and Canada. For more information, please visit www.smallfarmcentral.com and www.csaday.info.

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For information on willow city farm's CSA, click here.

Willow City Farm will be closed from Thursday, October 6th - Sunday, October 9th.  During this time you will still be able to pick up items at Farmer's Market at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on Thursday, October 4th from 4-7pm or Saturday, October 8th at the Downtown market from 8am- 12:30pm.  Pre-orders will also be available.

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Willow City Farm is a sponsor of the Youth Charity Horse Show, and our very own Chloe Davlin will be competing with her own Arabian mare, GS Celeste in Hunter and Saddleseat classes, and Marilyn Gleibe's mare, Fleet Dream Girl ("B & W") in Western Showmanship classes.

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Chloe will be riding our new horse, Sun in the Sky's Kiowa, in the opening ceremony of the event while Mary Jo Curry sings the national anthem at 8am on Friday, October 7th.

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Feel free to come visit us at the Illinois State Fairgrounds and watch some amazing young equestrians and their horses compete, all for charity! 

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When we sell someone a quarter or side of beef, we often keep one side for our retail customers.  Although these cuts are available for pick up at our farm seven days/week frozen, we offer them unfrozen and fresh the day the butcher processes them.   The dates vary, but we will usually give three weeks notice, and orders must be in a few days in advance.  We can almost always accommodate any custom cut you'd like, even if it isn't on our normal product list! 

2016 Fresh Cut Days: (check back, as we are always adding days)

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October 1 - 31 & November 1 - 22

We have steer and hog available almost every week during October and November.  Please place all orders by Sunday evening for delivery or pick up on Wednesday.

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November 23 - December 31

TBA
 

Keefner's, located at 1941 W Iles Ave in Springfield, Il will be using WIllow City Farm ground beef for their "Meatloaf Monday" on April 25th!  Be sure to support this local business, and make sure to thank Angie for serving local beef! #knowyourfarmer #knowyourfood