Organic farmer will grow on Dundee Township land

Bill Scheffler calls himself a soil and plant nutritionist. He has spent the last 17 years running Pure Prairie Organics, a company dedicated to nurturing the health of the soil to maintain beautiful lawns, and he is a third-generation horticulturist. Next season he will expand his reach, working to bring locally grown organic food to Dundee Township.

After a 4-1 vote last week, the Dundee Township board agreed to a management contract with Pure Prairie Organics, giving Scheffler access to 3 acres. He will pay about $40 per month if he takes all 3 acres and will help the township manage the land and plant his own fruits and vegetables.

"To me it's a win-win," said Sue Harney, Dundee Township supervisor.

But not everyone agrees. Elaine Rathjen is part of a small group of Dundee Township residents who think the contract with Pure Prairie Organics will only lead to further commercial enterprise on land designated open space - something Rathjen thinks is wrong.

"It's a slippery slope to go down," Rathjen said. "No matter how good it sounds."

Rathjen recently has been a vocal critic of the township's land management, especially near her Huntley Road home. At Raceway Woods, it's the trails Rathjen is focused on. She thinks the township has failed in its maintenance, letting the paths become overgrown.

The land in question for Pure Prairie Organics is near Adams Drive on Binnie Road. Scheffler might not use all 3 acres this year because the major growing season has passed. He said garlic is his only option now - it's planted around Halloween and harvested in July. In the future he plans to grow lettuce, tomatoes and maybe fruit. Like Harney, he thinks it will be beneficial for the community as well as himself because of his presence at farmers markets. But also because of the educational aspect of farming.

"The kids can come look and see this is what a half-acre of lettuce looks like, this is what an acre of tomatoes looks like - not wrapped in plastic or put in a can. This is what food looks like," Scheffler said.

Rathjen would prefer the contract go to a local business, rather than Pure Prairie Organics, which is based out of Wheaton. She also would prefer the township manage the property on its own instead of contracting out for a private person to make a profit off the land, though she said the deal is better for Dundee Township than Scheffler.

"What they're doing is manipulating someone to take care of property that they should take care of," Rathjen said.

But Scheffler is a grower at heart. At a time when he was looking for land, Dundee Township was looking for an organic grower. After Thursday's 4-1 vote (with Trustee Ken Schaffer opposed) Harney said the contract should go through in the next few days.