Common Ground gathering Nov. 12 to connect farmers and landowners

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

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

"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," says 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 be in house to talk about their programs, services and resources for accessing farmland.

"This is the fourth year that we are holding a Common Ground Gathering," says Balek. "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.

Common Ground Gathering is sponsored in collaboration by The Land Conservancy of McHenry County, Liberty Prairie Foundation, Angelic Organics Learning Center, 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. For more information, contact Linda Balek with the information provided above.