Locations

https://northcentral.sare.org/news/ncr-sares-2024-partnership-grants/

This page will aggregate findings, reflections, and document the project as it evolves.


Proposal abstract:
 
This proposal establishes community through the re-integration of sustainable mixed-power livestock and crop systems, addressing critical environmental and land concerns by increasing biodiversity and restoring resilient farming environments in McLean County, IL. Partners will work collaboratively to cultivate and apply mixed-use power systems to prairie pollinator/native plant plots (PNPP) at three small farms, and a flagship public demonstration site at the Illinois State University Horticulture Center (ISUHC). To empower Partners and the broader public, community-building and discovery will occur through two public farmer-led field days, ongoing expert and peer-to-peer training, workshops, and field trips, among other activities. We aim to reconnect people with sustainable methods of establishing biodiversity and increase the awareness of healthy food production on small farms in our county.

The importance of this project is related to biodiversity and farming community but is also site-specific: in the 1820's, teams of oxen “prairie breakers” removed native prairie to make way for human-directed agriculture in Central Illinois, an economy now dependent on specialized crop production. The specialization of crops changed farmer’s relationship to labor and time but came with environmental cost. 200 years later, how might we use mixed-power systems to regenerate ecologically diverse communities, soil, and land?
 
Project objectives from proposal:
​
Objective: to raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity and healthy food systems in Central Illinois through events and the mixed-power establishment of two PNPPs and two PNPP earthworks (“art that is made by shaping the land itself or by making forms in the land using natural materials). PNPPs create pollinator
habitat, enhance soil health, and balance pest and pathogens using livestock/crop integration. We aim to provide Partners and target audiences the skillsets and knowledge to implement sustainable, mixed-power practices in their farms and their homes, and to foster resilient community infrastructures that exist beyond the project duration.​


PRESS:

    1. A Living Land Acknowledgment Breaks Ground at Horticulture Center with the Help of Horses and Oxen, by Lauren Warnecke and Courtney Conroy, May 6, 2025. https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-05-06/a-living-land-acknowledgment-breaks-ground-at-horticulture-center-with-the-help-of-horses-and-oxen

    2. Ag art: Ruth Burke uses oxen team to create pollinator-friendly earthworks, By John Twork, Redbird Scholar Magazine, March 17, 2025. https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2025/03/ag-art-ruth-burke-uses-oxen-team-to-create-pollinator-friendly-earthworks/

    1. Ruth Burke merges art and nature on Redbird Buzz, By Dani Schroeder, Redbird Buzz Podcast, March 20, 2025, https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2025/03/ruth-burke-merges-art-and-nature-on-redbird-buzz/

    2. Field Day at the Illinois State University Horticulture Center, By Joe Mischka, Rural Heritage Magazine, May 4, 2020. 

    3. Finding Horsepower in Unique Places, by Jared White, Brownfield Ag News, April 29, 2025. https://www.brownfieldagnews.com/news/finding-horsepower-in-unique-places/

    4. Artist uses oxen to design pollinator-friendly creation. By Doug Graves. Farm World Online. April 14, 2025. https://www.farmworldonline.com/news/NewsArticle.asp?newsid=35816

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      https://pantagraph.com/news/local/education/illinois-state-university-student-grant-sustainable-ag-news-local-ruth-burke/article_9b55f33c-0c91-11ef-91d8-f385d7480a61.html

      ​      https://pantagraph.com/life-entertainment/local/events/article_fb0a2fbc-9035-46bb-a67b-33dd85682f2b.html

    1. A Living Land Acknowledgment Breaks Ground at Horticulture Center with the Help of Horses and Oxen, by Lauren Warnecke and Courtney Conroy, May 6, 2025. https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-05-06/a-living-land-acknowledgment-breaks-ground-at-horticulture-center-with-the-help-of-horses-and-oxen

    2. Ag art: Ruth Burke uses oxen team to create pollinator-friendly earthworks, By John Twork, Redbird Scholar Magazine, March 17, 2025. https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2025/03/ag-art-ruth-burke-uses-oxen-team-to-create-pollinator-friendly-earthworks/

    1. Ruth Burke merges art and nature on Redbird Buzz, By Dani Schroeder, Redbird Buzz Podcast, March 20, 2025, https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2025/03/ruth-burke-merges-art-and-nature-on-redbird-buzz/

    2. Field Day at the Illinois State University Horticulture Center, By Joe Mischka, Rural Heritage Magazine, May 4, 2020. 

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    3. Finding Horsepower in Unique Places, by Jared White, Brownfield Ag News, April 29, 2025. https://www.brownfieldagnews.com/news/finding-horsepower-in-unique-places/

    4. Artist uses oxen to design pollinator-friendly creation. By Doug Graves. Farm World Online. April 14, 2025. https://www.farmworldonline.com/news/NewsArticle.asp?newsid=35816

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