Last chance for LLCC farm stand survey Monday

Monday, Jan. 23: Last chance to take a survey about the LLCC farm stand! The Workforce Development department is looking for your feedback to develop our gardening plan for growing produce that will be available at a campus farm stand beginning late spring. Share your interest in purchasing LLCC grown food and flowers through this 3-5 minute survey:  https://lincolnland.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_237rel9qMlTzSsJ. Your answers will determine what the campus farm stand will have available, where it will be located, and what time and day the farm stand will be held. We greatly appreciate your time in responding to the survey!

What’s the Buzz!?

photoLLCC is now home to two donated honey bee hives! The LLCC Sustainability Committee was approached in the spring about placing bee hives on the campus. Beekeeper Dr. Stu Jacobson worked with committee member Steve Handy and workforce specialist Marnie Record to make sure the bees found a location identified as a good place for the bees as well as a safe place for those on campus. The bees are located on the southeast end of campus along the tree line. Signs will be posted near the hive area to alert people of the location. Most recently, community education students in Bee Series: Fall Management, were able to have a live demonstration at the site. In the future, credit classes will be able to incorporate the bee hives into their academic learning and Community Learning will be able to expand their class offerings. If you would like to read about all the benefits of bees, check out Jessica Tucker’s article on One Green Planet titled: How Bees Benefit Other Living Things. The college will surely benefit from bees in ways described in the article which include:

  • Benefits to our prairies and flower bearing plants – the perfect relationship in nature; bees need flowers and flowers need bees!
  • Agriculture – did you know pollination of agricultural crops are responsible for one out of every three bites of food we eat!
  • Providing food – who doesn’t like honey!
  • Acting as environmental indicators –the decline of bees is an indicator that something is amiss in our environment – perhaps the effects of pesticides!

For more information contact Julie Rourke, chair, Sustainability Committee.

LLCC to offer Agricultural Watershed Management program

LLCC’s Workforce Development department is launching two Agricultural Watershed Management certificate programs this fall for farm owners, farm operators and agricultural service providers, as well as traditional agriculture and environmental science students.

The new courses are being offered at the LLCC-Springfield campus beginning Aug. 22. Additional courses will begin Oct. 18, Jan.10 and March 14.

“Agricultural nutrient loss reduction and sediment retention are very valuable in today’s farming economy, resulting in a higher net income for the producer while increasing land values to the owner,” said David Bowman, workforce coordinator and developer of the Agricultural Watershed certificate program curriculum. “This pioneering new program is a cross between hands-on laboratory practice and online learning for emerging agricultural watershed management technologies, and aligns within stated goals of the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy. Our program expects to contribute to the reduction of nutrient and soil sediment losses for Lake Springfield with its watershed, an EPA-designated “priority watershed,” and around the state, while building Illinois’ bioeconomy.” Continue reading

Ribbon cutting for new bird banding station

Biology students conduct research in new structure built by construction trades students

(Click HERE for a short video of the ribbon cuttig ceremony and demonstration.)

Ribbon cutting Rothering, Kleen, Roehrs, ShackelfordLincoln Land Community College cut the ribbon yesterday on a new structure that will house the college’s bird banding research program. In cooperation with the Lincoln Land Association of Bird Banders, LLCC biology students participate in the capture, banding and release of birds, recording information which is added to a massive data pool on bird migration patterns.

The 36’ by 24’ building with a porch and overhang was built by LLCC construction trades students, a program funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Cutting the ribbon were LLCC Trustee and Board Secretary Dennis Shackelford, LLCC Biology Professor Tony Rothering, Lincoln Land Association of Bird Banders (LLABB) President Vern Kleen, and LLCC bird banding student Lizzie Roehrs.

Bird banding Rothering, Roehrs

Professor Rothering and Mr. Kleen began the program in fall of 2012 on the northeast edge of the LLCC campus and to date, approximately 11,000 birds representing 113 species have been banded. LLABB members, school groups and organizations also participate in banding activities. Until the new structure was built, all bird banding took place outside and was cancelled during inclement weather. Banders can now do research inside when needed during the fall and spring banding seasons.

Speaking at the ribbon cutting, Rothering thanked the LLCC Board of Trustees, college administrators, LLABB and the construction trades program for support on the project. He noted the significance of the collected data on international weather and climate change research.

“The LLCC bird banding station provides students with a practical scientific experience outside of the classroom,” said Rothering. “Our hands-on approach allows students to appreciate the biological importance of studying bird population and migration patterns and how they relate to the greater ecological world.”

READ MORE

In the Community

Marnie Record, workforce specialist, Value Added Local Foods Program, recently participated in the Tri-State Local Food Summit held at John Wood Community College in Quincy. A variety of food service managers, parents, farm to school program administrators, and community members from Illinois, Iowa and Missouri attended the day of education to learn more about various aspects of growing and using local foods.

Marnie spoke at the conference about farm to school programming in the states of Illinois and Iowa and gave an overview of how the program works to include education, procurement, and school gardens.  Attendees learned how to start and improve farm to school programs and get involved with farm to school work in their respective communities. Marnie also spoke on a panel about “what is local” that discussed various definitions and implications of local food.

Dr. Judy Jozaitis speaks at Midwest Transportation Workforce Summit

Judy Jozaitis, Ed.D., vice president, workforce development and community education, presented twice at the Midwest Transportation Workforce Summit at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Dec. 8. The first presentation was “The CDL, A Pathway to Success.” The second presentation was “Workforce Inclusion and Diversity Partnerships, Ticket to the Middle Class: Overcoming Barriers, Including Former Incarceration.”

LLCC garden farm stand open Wednesday

The LLCC garden farm stand is open Wednesday, Dec. 2 from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and is featuring spinach, cilantro, scallions, carrots, mesclun mix and kale grown on campus. Some quantities are limited and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Congratulations to Marnie Record and the Value-Added Food program!

LLCC’s Value-Added Food Program and Marnie Record, workforce specialist, have been selected as winners of the Illinois StewardshipGolden Beet webtag Marnie Record Golden Beet webtag Marnie Record2 Alliance (ISA) Scaling Up Golden Beet Award.

The Golden Beet awards are given out annually by ISA in order to recognize those outstanding individuals, organizations and businesses that are paving the way for local food system development throughout Illinois.  Six Golden Beets are awarded each year under the following categories: farm to school, restaurants and institutions, community food projects, innovative farmer, scaling up, and other varieties.

An unbiased selection committee made up of individuals involved in local food work around the state selected Marnie as the winner of the Scaling Up category for your work in creating the Value Added Food Program at Lincoln Land Community College.  The awards will be presented Thursday, Dec. 3 at the ISA’s annual meeting.

Congratulations, Marnie!

Winter Vegetable Gardening begins Sept. 14

Join Workforce Development for a rare opportunity to learn about winter vegetable production from experienced genHkids farmer Andy Heck during Winter Vegetable Gardening being held Mondays, Sept. 14-Dec. 14 from 10:30 a.m.-noon in the community garden behind Montgomery Hall.

Follow the planting and harvest through hands-on demonstration and exercises, while learning everything you want to know about growing produce year-round. Each week offers new instructions as the season changes. Gardeners can expect to learn about planting schedules, optimal planting techniques for weed reduction and space maximization, high tunnel and low tunnel technologies, pest and disease management issues specific to winter growing, and more. Participants are welcome to come for the full time or drop in for part of the time, and can come one time or come each week. Bring questions and work gloves. For more information contact Marnie Record at marnie.record@llcc.edu or 217-786-4993.

Get your food questions answered!

Have a food or cooking question? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu

The authors of Epicuriosity 101 – Nancy Sweet, Marnie Record and Jay Kitterman – are ready to answer any questions you have about food (including organic and local food), cooking, baking or eating. Your question and their answer may appear in a future Epicuriosity 101 column in the State Journal-Register. Take advantage of the knowledge of these experts. Send your question to epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.