TLC hosts Learning Circle for women farmers and farmland owners Aug. 14

DUNDEE, Ill. — Women who own or manage farmland or who have an interest in farming are invited to the Learning Circle hosted by The Land Conservancy of McHenry County.

The Learning Circle will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 14 at Gold Fern Farm, within All Grass Farms, at 18N681 State Route 31, Dundee.

Participants can register online at ConserveMC.org or email chodge@conservemc.org. The event is $5 per person. Morning refreshments and lunch are included. The deadline to register is Aug. 12.

The Learning Circle topics will include growing cut flowers, including incorporating native flowers; flower breeding; transitioning away from tillage and plastic; and hosting on-farm workshops.

Jeanne Janson from Illinois FarmLink will share information on how the group connects farmers and land. Other speakers will include of Sarah Michehl of The Land Conservancy of McHenry County, and Anna Guziak-Prochnicka of Gold Fern Farm.

The event is open to women with all levels of experience, whether they are actively managing a farm, or they’ve recently inherited a farm and are learning about how to run a healthy and productive operation.

Nearly half of all farmland in Illinois is owned or co-owned by women, and many women manage farmland on their own.

The Learning Circle will provide women the opportunity to meet other landowners, share their farm successes and challenges, discuss goals for their land and get advice and technical assistance.

The Land Conservancy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the health and preservation of natural and agricultural land in McHenry County.