Earlier this season, I joined The Conservation Fund and their partners from Carbon Yield for a day-long tour highlighting four Chicagoland farms. Several of the properties on the tour were secured through the Chicago Farms Fund, a program of The Conservation Fund that uses a Buy-Support-Protect-Sell model to position new farmers to eventually take ownership of their land, transforming sensitive properties into working food production systems.
The collaboration between The Conservation Fund and Carbon Yield aims to measure outcomes that show how Farms Fund farms feed their communities while building resilience across their regions. Midwest Foods serves as a thought collaborator to The Conservation Fund and a wholesale partner to Farms Fund farms like Chicago Urban Farm Solutions and Otter Oaks Farm, so I joined the tour to share insights into both the successes and the challenges small farms face when selling to local businesses and institutions.
Four Stops, Four Stories
The day started at Z-Farm in Chicago Heights, an Urban Growers Collective site on unincorporated land just 25 minutes from the city. The farm features an on-site market, several hoop houses that extend the growing season, and a robust composting system.
Next was Fresher Together, a farming and hospitality project led by Chef Fresh Roberson that connects the south side of Chicago with nutritious food, the earth, and each other.
Just Roots sits adjacent to Fresher Together and, while not a Farms Fund property itself, is doing its own work feeding the community. We had a gorgeous lunch of locally grown produce there, and I got to connect with the other attendees and hosts while hearing how Grace United Church of Christ’s farm grew out of a 2018 grocery store closure to become a hub for community engagement and youth education.
The tour ended at Kakadoodle Farm, home to goats, chickens, and 30 honey-producing bee colonies, all raised on chemical-free feed. Kakadoodle delivers to 600 families a week and sells eggs, cheese, honey, Cahokia rice, and other goods through their market.
A Celebration Worth Sharing
The tour was a wonderful celebration of the conservation and food systems work being done by farmers and partner organizations building a more resilient future. Midwest Foods is proud to continue supporting them in their work.
This post is adapted from a recap that first appeared in Midwest Foods’ Local Newsletter. For more information or to subscribe, please email marketing@midwestfoods.com.
Carissa Remitz
Director of Marketing & PR, Midwest Foods
Carissa has spent her career at the intersection of food and storytelling, from early years in food and wine journalism after graduating from culinary school, to nearly two decades leading PR and marketing for top hospitality brands. She’s also co-founder and Chapter Director of Together Hospitality Chicago, a network supporting the Chicagoland restaurant community.
