Chicago Tonight covered urban ag in this fun piece. They focused on goats and touched on bees and (of course!) chickens!
Archive for the ‘Urban agriculture’ Category
18 Mar
11th Annual Good Food Festival and Conference! March 19 – 21, 2015
Join us for the 11th Annual Good Food Festival & Conference!
March 19 – 21, 2015 – UIC Forum – Chicago, IL
Buy Tickets for Good Food Festival & Conference Events Online – or You Can Also Pay At The Door!
Check out the Saturday programming for Raise Your Own minisessions on chickens, goats, bees, quail, and more!
Each segment of the Good Food Festival & Conference would make a superb stand-alone event. FamilyFarmed brings it all – financing… trade… producer issues… school food… food policy… an exhibit hall where you can meet more than 100 farm and food vendors… an awesome food and drink tasting event… and a Festival that is a great public celebration of the Good Food movement!
Please join us. You’ll be enlightened, inspired, and delighted! Visit the event website for more information and to buy tickets.
9 Feb
3rd Annual Urban Livestock Expo, Sat. Feb 14
FOR THE LOVE OF LIVESTOCK
3rd Annual Urban Livestock Expo Convenes Prospective & Experienced Critter Keepers on Valentine’s Day
DOWNLOAD THE POSTER: 2015UrbanLivestockExpoPressRelease
In search of a fun and informative Valentine’s Day excursion? What says “I love ewe” better than taking your date to the third annual Urban Livestock Expo? Angelic Organics Learning Center, Advocates for Urban Agriculture (AUA), and the Chicagoland Chicken Enthusiasts will present the 3rd Annual Urban Livestock Expo on February 14, 2015 from 10AM to 1PM at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences (CHAS) at 3857 W. 111th Street in Chicago.
The Expo offers new and experienced keepers of urban livestock the chance to learn about caring for a variety of animals, and to network with each other. Presenters with expertise raising chickens, ducks, quails, rabbits, bees, and goats will introduce visitors to primary needs of each, highlighting issues to consider and steps to take in preparation for keeping livestock in the city.
Area urban livestock groups and businesses will staff resource tables in the school’s atrium, with information about further opportunities for learning, support networks, sources of supplies and equipment, and more. As Expo hosts, CHAS students will give tours of the school’s aquaponics center and livestock barn and sell baked goods and plants from their food science and horticulture programs.
Many Chicagoans are creatively weaving together food gardens, livestock, and composting in small spaces. Presenters at the Urban Livestock Expo aim to help city residents do well by their animals and by their neighbors and the city as a whole. Angelic Organic Learning Center’s Chicago Program Director Martha Boyd explains, “Everyone who raises animals in the city becomes the face of urban livestock for other people. We want to help each prevent problems and be the best example possible. The Expo gives visitors a foundation for taking the next steps toward raising livestock of their own.”
Expo visitors are encouraged to arrive between 9:30AM and 10:00AM for registration. Concurrent presentations begin at 10:00AM and continue until 12:30PM. Visitors can browse resource tables and tour CHAS’s livestock barn and aquaponics center throughout the event until 1:00PM. The detailed schedule can be seen at the three sponsoring organizations’ websites. Admission to the Urban Livestock Expo is free, but donations to help cover costs and to support the sponsors’ programs are encouraged and welcome.
Angelic Organics Learning Center helps rural and urban people build healthy local food systems, as educational nonprofit partner to Angelic Organics, a Biodynamic CSA farm. Advocates for Urban Agriculture is a non-profit coalition of Chicago-area gardeners, farmers, organizations, businesses and others who seek to expand and strengthen urban agriculture, from home- and community-based growing to market gardens and small farms. The Chicagoland Chicken Enthusiasts share advice, information, and resources about backyard poultry keeping and offer an annual Windy City Coop Tour.
7 Oct
Windy City Coop Tour Pictures
Just for fun, here are the pictures from the house I was stationed at on this year’s coop tour! Goats, chickens, ducks, quail–all in the city limits.
21 May
Sustainable Ag Camp at Triton College
Urban Ag Camp July 14-17th 9am-3pm
- Visit Chicago’s best urban farms
- Meet leaders in the local food movement
- Learn about jobs in the emerging green economy
Sponsored by Triton College’s new Sustainable Agriculture Technology program, this experiential 4-day summer camp is designed to provide high school students with a hands-on perspective of our local food system. Participants will learn about opportunities in the emerging green economy through site visits to urban farms, conversations with innovative entrepreneurs, and tastings at local restaurants. The way that we think about food and farming is being turned up-side-down. Register now to learn more!
Taught by Nathan Wright (Triton College) and Cheryl Munoz (The Sugar Beet Coop). Camp materials to be provided. 24hrs of class time.
COST: Free
REGISTRATION: Contact Triton College’s Continuing Education Department, (708) 456-0300 x 3500 and register for CMP C50 101 Sustainable Urban Agriculture Camp. Registration is limited to 20 students, 14 to 18 years old.
FOR QUESTIONS (or to be added to our waiting list): Contact Nathan Wright, Faculty Membernathanwright@triton.edu or (708) 456-0300 x 3073.
26 Sep
Urban Ag Featured on now.chicago
Earlier this month, Home to Roost participated in an urban ag segment on George Blaise’s now.chicago show on WCIU. Watch the footage here. Also featured were Emmanuel Pratt of Sweet Water Foundation and Greg Fischer of Wildblossom Winery and Meadery. Pratt focuses on education urban dwellers about agriculture, especially his tilapia programs. Fischer’s locally produced mead (honey wine) provides pollinators and an eco-friendly, local beverage selection.
Thanks to WCIU for the coverage!
10 Sep
Sept. 21-22, 2013: Windy City Coop Tour
It’s official! We’ve unwrapped the 2013 Wind CIty Coop Tour.
Come on out! Bring your family, friends, neighbors, curious aldermen, and anyone else who might be interested in seeing what REAL city chicken coops are like. Meet chicken keepers and other folks who are interested in chickens.
On Sunday, Home to Roost will be at 1632 N. Francisco in Humboldt Park to talk chickens, answer questions, and give some demos!
For more information, see the Chicago Chicken Enthusiasts web site.
19 Aug
Accepting Applications for Windy City Coop Tour Hosts
Do you
- Love keeping chickens?
- Think you have a great coop?
- Have good chicken-keeping practices?
- Enjoy talking to people about your birds?
Consider applying to be a stop on the annual Windy City Coop Tour, Sept. 21 and 22.
APPLY BY FRIDAY, 8/23!
The Application is HERE and also as a Google form for direct entry. If you use the form, send photos by email to windycitycooptour@gmail.com.
7 Aug
UIC Study on Household Provisioning
The University of Illinois at Chicago is conducting a research study to understand how different households are provisioning (e.g. making a living, providing for families and households) in the current economy. The researchers are trying to understand not only the specific strategies of households, but also the surrounding social, economic, and policy environment.
They are looking for households that provision a substantial portion of their family food and basic needs through gardening, canning, do-it-yourself projects, recycling/repurposing and/or informal bartering. While one person in the household may be working in a paid job, they expect that one or more household members devote considerable time and energy to sustaining the household through these activities. This is sometimes called ‘urban homesteading.’
If you are interested in participating, download the Homesteader Provisioning Information Sheet for more information.
28 May
Debunking Myths Around Urban Chickens
Check out this article by Patricia Foreman if you are interested in legalizing chickens in your town. She addresses the most common arguments against backyard birds in a straightforward, no-nonsense manner.
Home to Roost 