By KAREN BINDER
Illinois Correspondent

THOMPSONVILLE, Ill. — Most strawberries in southern Illinois ripen in May and June, but Ernie and Judy Duckworth have found a better way to grow strawberries that uses fewer chemicals and extends the growing season.

The combination of bare root plantings in July with black plastic and compost made from manure instead of methyl bromide allows the Duckworths to see one acre of strawberries outproduce their 43 acres of cattle.

“We plant July 1 using a bare root strawberry plant on compost and plastic, which is about half the cost of a conventional plug plant. We got a lot of great information from the (University of Illinois) science station in Dixon Springs,” Ernie Duckworth said.

Jed’s Farm – an acronym for Judy-Ernie-Duckworth – has been in operation since 1983 in Franklin County. On 43 of the 80 acres, the Duckworths have a cow/calf operation.

 “We have 20 to 25 head of cows,” Duckworth added. “We have about 20 acres in hay for the cow herd and have 43 acres divided into 12 paddocks for rotational grazing. The cows get a fresh paddock every three days.”

Although just three of the remaining acres are devoted to a strawberry and vegetable business, Ernie said the strawberries are more lucrative than the cows. One of his secrets allows him to plant in July rather than September.

The compost is created over the course of a year – recycled from the manure in the cow operation.

“We try to use as little pesticide as possible. We have three high tunnels for early production and a greenhouse to start our own plants. We gain two to three weeks of growing at the beginning of the season,” he said.

The farm sells strawberries and vegetables at a roadside stand as well as at the Benton Farmers’ Market. Duckworth also allows customers to pick the strawberries themselves, saving about $1 per pound over the prepackaged berries.

To learn more about the Duckworths’ natural and sustainable farming methods, the UoI extension is sponsoring a June 19 visit of Jed’s Farm as part of its sustainable agriculture tour. The tour includes a luncheon presentation by John Pike, extension educator, Community & Economic Development, Carbondale Center.

“There is a lot of interest and opportunity in producing a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables,” Pike said. “I’ll be presenting an overview of successful marketing strategies being utilized by both new and established producers.”

Pike said while growing specialty crops has a lot of similarity from one farm to the next, marketing strategies tend to be widely varied according to aspects such as location, product mix and the volume of production.

“We’ll look at some of these issues as well as related consumer trends affecting the current market situation,” Pike said.
Other upcoming Illinois tours include:

July 7: Grass-fed Beef, Pastured Chickens and Eggs, Meadow Haven Farm and Graze N’ Grow Farm, Sheffield
Aug. 13: Creative Community Co-op Farming, Basu Natural Farms, Pembroke

Aug. 15: Raising Elk and Innovative Farming, Mackinaw Valley Elk Farm and Blue Schoolhouse Farm, Congerville

Sept. 22: Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, River Front Berry Farm, Martinton

There is a fee of $20 per person for each tour, which includes lunch. Registration at least one week in advance is required, by visiting http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/small farm/ag_tours.cfm or calling 217-241-4644.