January 24, 2025

Common Ground event to connect farmers, landowners

Farmers and landowners in northern Illinois and southeast Wisconsin who cherish land, community and food will enjoy a casual get-together at the Soulful Prairies farm.

WOODSTOCK, Ill. — Area farmers and landowners are invited to the fourth annual Common Ground Gathering from 2 to 5 p.m. Nov. 12 at Soulful Prairies in Woodstock.

“When you ask a beginning farmer about their biggest challenges to being a successful farmer, most will put ‘access to land’ at the top of their list,” said Linda Balek of The Land Conservancy of McHenry County. “We started Common Ground as a way to help beginning farmers find the land they need by connecting them with landowners.”

A highlight of the gathering will be the opportunity to hear local farmers and landowners tell the story of their journey in navigating land access and ownership.

Guests include farmers Silvia Abel-Caines, Garlic eScape Farm; Claire Flavin Hodge, Sunfleck Farm; Katie Kelley, Terra Vitae Farms; and landowner Linda Bruce, Soulful Prairies.

Emy Brawley, The Conservation Fund, will pull back the curtain and relate another side of land access — her story of helping farmer Silvia on her path to farm ownership.

There will be plenty of time for networking in a relaxed, casual atmosphere with locally brewed beer and refreshments.

Local and regional organizations will talk about their programs, services and resources for accessing farmland.

“This is the fourth year that we are holding a Common Ground Gathering,” Balek said. “People really enjoy it and have made valuable connections that have continued beyond the event.”

Farmers and landowners from McHenry County, northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin are invited to attend.

Registration is $10 per person. RSVP at learngrowconnect.org/commonground, or call Balek at 815-337-9502, ext. 102.

Common Ground Gathering is sponsored in collaboration by The Land Conservancy of McHenry County, Liberty Prairie Foundation, Angelic Organics Learning Center and the Center for Agrarian Learning and made possible by Soulful Prairies.

The Land Conservancy of McHenry County is a member-based nonprofit dedicated to preserving natural, scenic and agricultural land.

Farmland