Julien's Journal September 2016 (Volume 41, Number 9) | Page 40

Life Farm located in Sinsinawa Mound Farm in Sinsinawa, Two Onion Farm in Belmont, Kristi’s Perfect Produce in Cuba City, and Honey Hill Organic Farm & Apiary in Potosi. The public is invited to visit with farmers and others who produce local food that will be sourced to Dubuque and Western Dubuque schools in October. Tours, samples, and demonstrations will be available at each of the farms. Each site will also offer activities designed just for kids. The Farm Crawl is free and open to the public. Visit www. DriftlessFarmCrawl.com for downloadable maps, field guides, and more information on featured farms and farmers. The September 10 Farm Crawl also offers urban tours and demonstrations at the Dubuque Community School Alternative Learning Center (ALC) garden located at 1090 Alta Vista St. and the Dubuque Rescue Mission Community Farm and greenhouse located at 300 Iowa St. behind the Canfield Hotel. “At ALC, we’re highlighting what’s going on with Dubuque Community Schools,” said Olson. “We’ll have teachers and administrators from elementary, high school, and NICC showing what’s happening on the ground and in the classrooms with gardens, chicken coops, and hydroponics. It’s a grassroots look at what’s going on with teachers and students, as well as what’s happening at the A birds eye view of the Dubuque Rescue Mission garden. Contributed photo. top administratively. It’s a look at what’s going on behind the lunchroom door – what it takes to source local foods.” ISU Extension & Outreach horticulture and youth educators will also be at the ALC to talk with teachers and families interested in exploring farm to school curriculum and resources. The ALC garden is one of five school gardens planted in Dubuque in the past two years with the help of Iowa State Extension’s School Gardens 101, a five-week training course designed to help teachers, faculty, Farm Crawl Information and volunteers build a dynamic team for a successful school garden. Other local schools boasting gardens include Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC), Sageville Elementary, Hempstead High School, and Jefferson Middle School. The Dubuque Rescue Mission began their downtown food production in 2008 on a half-acre urban plot. “Our goals for the space are multi-faceted,” said garden manager Ashley Neises. “Primarily we engage Rescue Mission residents in farm cultivation, provide healthy and fresh food to our The Two Onion Farm family is participating in this year’s Farm Crawl. Photo contributed by Four Mounds. The Iowa Food Hub (IFH), managed by Georgia Windhorst, is located in West Union, IA. The farm is a nonprofit organization first established in 2012 as a series of pilot projects. It has grown into its current role as a local foods distributor with an emphasis on small to medium farms and beginning farmers. The IFH is GroupGAP Certified, and evaluates all of its growers to ensure that food safety mea- 38  ❖  Julien’s Journal  sures are enforced. The Food Hub is located in Northeast Iowa, and sources all of its products from within 150 miles of its warehouse. Tree of Life Farm, located in Cuba City, WI and owned by Marc Millitzer, provides carrots, green pepper, and tomatoes for the Farm to School program. Tree of Life is an organic farm, serving the tri-state