Ogle County Farm Stroll happening Oct. 15

    The University of Illinois Extension will host the Ogle County Farm Stroll on Sunday, Oct. 15, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The stroll is a self-guided driving tour of highly diversified family farms in the county, all open to the public on one big day. There will be farm tours, demonstrations, and of course fresh local food samplings and sales.

    This is a free event, but bring some cash to stock up on local, farm-fresh products from each location.

Farm Stroll Guidelines

    To make this an enjoyable event for you and your family, here are a few Farm Stroll guidelines:

    • Dress appropriately for a farm visit. This event takes place rain or shine.

    • Be sure to follow each farmer’s instructions and be respectful of all the animals.

    • Wash your hands regularly.

    • For the safety of livestock and other participants, do not bring your pets.

    • Pick up, complete, and turn in a Farm Stroll Passport at any of the farms for a chance to win prizes.

    • Most importantly, be safe and have fun!

Participating farms

    The six farms participating in this year’s event are:

    • Barnhart’s Stone Corner, 2169 E. Honey Creek Rd. in Oregon: John and Cindy Barnhart collect and display antique farm equipment and a miscellany of historical oddities. In addition, they maintain a unique collection of stones (hundreds of tons of them) with many marked with dates and point of origin, all arranged in stone fences and sculptures on their property.

    • BerryView Orchard, 7504 W. Midtown Rd. in Mt. Morris: Jeff and Julie Warren are growing the superfruit aronia berries using organic practices. Taste aronia berries, learn about their benefits, and find ways to add them to cooking, baking, and juicing. Pick your own berries and apples, or purchase pre-picked ones. Take a moment to sample jams, jellies and cookies or walk the orchards and see what’s growing.

    • Dietrich Ranch, 4575 N. Leaf River Rd. in Mt. Morris: The animals at Dietrich Ranch are 100% grass-fed, using intensive rotational grazing and holistic management. They raise 100% grass-fed/grass-finished beef, lamb, free range pastured chicken and pork. All of the products the farm offers are raised without use of chemicals, antibiotics, or hormones.

    • Happily Homegrown, 4938 S. Scout Rd. in Oregon: The Bruns family lives on a 12-acre homestead where they grow and raise most of their food. This includes pigs, cows, rabbits, chickens, and all kinds of fruits and vegetables. How do they get through the winter? A greenhouse, of course!

    • Hough’s Maple Lane Farm, 3788 N. Mt. Morris Rd. in Mt. Morris: Rob and Lynnette Hough and their two children collect maple sap in the spring and boil it down into maple goodness using the family’s sugar house. Each year, 20 to 30 gallons of maple syrup are made and sold. Other maple treats are also created including candy, cookies, granola, pickles, and dog treats.

    • Orion Organics, 885 W. Stone Barn Rd. in Franklin Grove: Tim Benedict’s apiary and garlic farm is surrounded by thousands of acres of native prairie and woodlands. He adheres to strict organic farming methods to produce artisanal raw honey from the native prairie wildflowers among the Nachusa Grasslands.

How does the stroll work?

    There is no beginning or end to the Farm Stroll. Just choose which farms you want to see, gather your friends and family, and enjoy a relaxing, educational, and fun afternoon. Come satisfy your local food cravings and curiosities.

    Follow Ogle County Farm Stroll on Facebook for up-to-the-minute information, brochures, maps, and spotlight features on each farm: www.facebook.com/northernilfarmstroll.

    Contact Cindy Jankiewicz, Program Coordinator, at Extension’s Ogle County office at 815-732-2191 or email [email protected] with any additional questions or if a reasonable accommodation is required for an individual to participate in this program.

    Event brochures can be picked up at the Ogle County Extension office located at 421 W. Pines Rd., Suite 10 in Oregon, during their regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or go to their website at extension.illinois.edu/bdo.

About Illinois Extension

    Illinois Extension leads public outreach for University of Illinois by translating research into action plans that allow Illinois families, businesses, and community leaders to solve problems, make informed decisions, and adapt to changes and opportunities.