Encore! Mt Morris

Country Living Tour:
Local Foods, Technology
& The Arts

Saturday,
August 26th at 12:30 p.m.

Tour four neighboring farms, enjoy the great out-doors, and discover more about the production of healthy, local foods and the most recent use of advanced technology in agriculture. The tour starts on the campus at 12:30 pm.

Wander through the Mt. Morris campus and view the giant straw sculptures featured in Encore’s “Fine Art in Straw”, U.S. National Straw Sculpting Competition.

Visit an art exhibit of 58 framed oil paintings of the most important poultry breeds, presented by Watt Global Media and located in the Old Sandstone Art Gallery, open from Noon – 6:00 pm.

Saturday’s Country Living Tour is a local agricultural tour presented free of charge by the Village of Mt. Morris’s Tourism Committee, also a committee of Encore! Mt. Morris, on Saturday afternoon, Aug. 26th, starting at 12:30 pm. Come to the Mt. Morris campus band shell at Wesley Avenue and Front Street to receive maps, driving instructions, and more detailed tour and farm information. Wear comfortable, closed shoes and a sun hat or cap, use insect repellant, and bring water or other soft drinks.

The farms are open for your education, entertainment, and exploration. Educational presentations and fun activities will be provided by the farmers and families who expertly manage the land, the crops, the livestock, or the maple syrup production on their farms. All four farm tours start on the hour at 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 pm. Two farms have a fourth tour at 4:00 pm. More details are available at the Farm Tour information booth open at 12:30 pm on the campus. Visit one, several, or every farm in any sequence.

BerryView Orchard

Education:
Learn about the health benefits of the Aronia Berry, several times higher in antioxidants than blueberries. Aronia Berries are rich in vitamins, minerals, and folic acids. Fast becoming a much sought after and favorite fruit due to increased interest in healthy, local foods. Discover the intricacies of planting, cultivating, and harvesting Aronia, along with apples, pears and other fruits at the orchard.

Activities:
Tour the orchard and learn about what else is being grown. Taste samples of Aronia Berry mixed fruit jams, jellies, and cookies which are also available for purchase. This is the first U-Pick weekend of the season. Pick your own Aronia Berries, or learn when Berry View Orchard is open for your next visit. Some apple varieties are also available.

U-Pick Information for 2017
U-Pick weekends are Aug. 26-27 and Sept. 9-10. Open 8 am-6 pm. Closed Labor Day weekend. Aronia berries $5.00 per pound (first pound free). Bring your cooler. Stock your freezer. Other aronia items include jams, jellies, and recipe books. See midwestaronia.org or berryvieworchard.com for more information. Open weekday evenings by appointment. 815-440-5159.
berryvieworchard.com. Jeff and Julie Warren. 7504 W. Midtown Rd. Mt. Morris, Il. 61054

The Dietrich Ranch

Education:
Presentations about outdoor, pasture-based, holistic cattle production; the health benefits of grass-fed
beef, sustainable agricultural practices that promote healthy environments and animals, and cooking tips
for the proper preparation of naturally raised, grass-fed beef.

Activities:
Hayride, pasture, and farm tour. Networking. Informational handouts about the Dietrich Ranch
and how to order meats from them.

About:
The Dietrich Ranch has practiced outdoor, pasture-based livestock production for four generations.
100% grass-finished beef provides the most natural product by using holistic management practices.
No chemicals, hormones, or antibiotics are used. The cows are rotated daily to new paddocks of grass
where they graze, trample, and fertilize the field before moving on, thereby invigorating the pasture
and stimulating new growth. Grass-fed cattle produce a natural beef that is a major source of healthy
Omega-3 fats, is leaner that grain-fed beef, and provides multiple vitamins and minerals. See Dan and
Erin Dietrich’s website for more information about the ranch. dietrichranch.com 815-973-6879

Hough’s Maple Lane Farm

Education:
“Pure” maple syrup? Consider there is nothing “maple” in most store brand maple syrups. Ingredients
include high fructose corn syrup, flavorings, cellulose gum, caramel coloring, and other chemicals.
Visit Maple Lane Farm’s sugar house and learn more about sugaring and the creation of pure maple
syrup. No chemicals, preservatives, or additives. Pure maple products. Pure enjoyment!

Activities:
Tour the sugar house and better understand the sugaring process. This includes the tapping of Mt.
Morris and area maple trees in the early spring, the collection of sap, the evaporation process, and the
bottling of the pure maple syrup. Multiple maple products are for sale.

About:
The Hough family has been making maple syrup for four generations, starting on a small farm between
Cedarville and Dakota, Illinois, when the family used to go “sugaring” and set up camp amidst a hard
Maple grove. While the process has not changed too much, some of the technology and equipment is
more advanced. The sugar house was built in 2011. According to Rob Hough’s grandmother Ginny,
the daughter of Ralph Angle, the original Hough family syrup maker, the syrup is just as great as it
ever was. Owners: Rob and Lynette Hough. Houghsmaplelanefarm.com 815-734-6006

Witmer Precision Services

Education:
You will better understand the science and practice of precision agriculture and the use of modern
technology and farm equipment, computers, satellites, and data information systems on today’s farms.
Farmers can more effectively and holistically monitor, manage, and produce peak performance,
higher and improved yields, and increased profits.

Activities:
Educational presentations and information packets. Explore modern and computerized farm
equipment and other agricultural technologies and services.

About Witmer Precision:
Witmer Precision Services provides equipment technology data services made simple and
profitable and has expanded their service area to nine counties. Witmer offers assistance with
GPS and guidance, flow and application control, and precision agriculture. Educational classes
are now available to help farmers stay current with new trends and advances in precision farming.
The company branched off to become a Premier Precision Planting dealer, and later expanded
to work with other state-of-the-art, high quality technology and equipment vendors. Greg Witmer,
owner. witmerprecision.com 815-734-6236