Sauk Valley Grown - Farm Tours & Dinner

Sauk Valley Grown - Farm Tours & Dinner

Join University of Illinois Extension, Whiteside Area Career Center, and Sauk Valley Area Chamber for a day of farm tours, exploring local agriculture and food systems. The day will wrap up with a delicious meal at Whiteside Area Career Center curated by their Culinary Arts Class, featuring local ingredients from across the Sauk Valley.

Farm tours will be available throughout the day. After registering, participants will receive a link to sign up for tours at the following farms:

• Roots Market: Hello, Hey I’m Shannon! Homemaker, Homesteader and Sourdough Baker. Wife & Mother of 5. Owner of Roots Market in NW Illinois, est. 2024. Roots Market is a certified Cottage Food Operation on Historic Route 30 in Whiteside County, where you’ll find my Market Greenhouses full of flowers, plants, homegrown produce, specialty jams & jellies, sourdough bread and more! 
• JL Acres: The Landis family has been farming in the Sterling area since the 1860's. Now going into the 6th generation, JL Acres LLC comprises 3 brothers who, together, seek to nurture healthy soils through organic and regenerative agriculture. In 2026 they managed about 1400acres of certified organic farmland throughout the area. The crops grown this year include corn, soybeans, wheat, hybrid rye, forages, canning peas, and canning sweet corn. They also manage the family organic dairy which uses a robotic system to milk about 60 cows. The tour will focus primarily on the dairy part of the farm operation."
• S&J Hobby Farms: S&J Hobby Farms, in Amboy, was started in March of 2023 as a means to be more self-sufficient for my family. Realizing the growing want from others in my surrounding communities it was turned into a business in April of 2024. We love sharing our talents for growing produce, making homemade foods, goat milk soap, & handmade crafts. We have met so many wonderful people in the past few years and look forward to continuing our journey in producing more products in the near future. You can find us at local farmers markets, vendor fairs, or our farmstand. Follow us on Facebook for all our updates on what's available & where we will be. 
• All Good Things Lavender: Breathe in calm. Our lavender is thoughtfully grown and lovingly handcrafted into health and wellness products you can trust. From soothing body care to gentle aromatherapy, every item is made without preservatives. or toxins, only plant-based goodness.
• Hohlen Homestead: We are a modest estate looking to make a big impact and were officially established in 2021. We were founded with a desire to reconnect to nature and create more wholesome food. The Hohlen Homestead was founded by Justin and Christy Hohlen who have a passion for life and the world around them. One of our goals includes restoring ecological function to our land and have personally witnessed life return more abundantly in the process. There has been a ten-fold increase in species diversity since beginning the transformation of our land and we encounter more species each year. The restoration of the ecology has yielded beautiful gardens full of native plants and highly productive fruit and vegetable gardens. The Hohlen Homestead welcomes you to join us on this adventure as we employ responsible and forward-thinking practices to change our shared world.