Real Impact stories spotlight the real difference people, programs and partnerships – across the system – make on the state’s economic, social and cultural well-being. For more, meet the team at Prairie Research Institute.
By Laura Mabry
People in and around Pope County need access to free and for-sale fresh produce like never before.
High tunnels allow Dixon Springs Agricultural Center (DSAC) to grow fruits and vegetables for its neighbors all year. Essentially unheated greenhouses, high tunnels produce crops more bountiful than those at the mercy of the weather. The protected growing environment also greatly reduces chemical use to deal with weeds and pests.
For nearly 90 years, DSAC has welcomed farmers, students, and other community members to its 5,100-acre site. Run by Illinois Extension, a unit of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES), the southern Illinois gem in Shawnee National Forest is the largest experiment station of its kind east of the Mississippi River. In addition to conducting agriculture, livestock, and forestry research, DSAC hosts a wide variety of community and educational events – such as backyard maple syrup production courses, gardening classes for children, and beginning landowner programs – with in-person and virtual attendance topping 7,400 in 2022.
It’s the tomatoes, though, that blow his mind.
Last season, planting 350 tomato transplants in his new high tunnel – following guidance from DSAC experts – produced the same amount as more than 1,000 plants outside. Inside, McLaughlin’s daughter’s plants stayed free of timber rot, or white mold, which can wreak havoc on tomato and other crops.
The high tunnel setup also protected her plants from two weeks of super-high temperatures that caused her outdoor plants to abort their blooms. What she was able to harvest outside produced far less fruit in a longer time frame.
“Anytime I try something new it’s because I leaned into what I learned from the Extension folks at Dixon Springs,” McLaughlin said, crediting Bronwyn Aly, local food systems and small farms educator.
To meet the needs of farmers and communities, DSAC’s vibrant facility links locals to knowledge from labs and classrooms at the College of ACES at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Like DSAC, McLaughlin donates what he can to nearby food pantries and churches. But until a coworker shared her story of hard times, McLaughlin wasn’t keen on giving away his extra produce.
“She told me with tears in her eyes how uplifting it was to walk into a food pantry and smell fresh fruit. That got my mind right,” he said. “When I can, I give to those in need. The need is significant.”
Youth in action
People don’t always realize how hard access to good food – and the ability to pay for food – can be for some.
“Here we just don’t have the population to support a grocery store in every town,” said Aly who has worked at DSAC for about 30 years, starting with her first summer-work job at age 16.
Melissa Wilson works closely with today’s young people as a 4-H youth educator at DSAC.
“We strive to raise our communities’ children with empathy. Food insecurity isn’t a faraway problem. It can affect the kid sitting next to them at school or on their baseball team,” she said.
Pope-Hardin 4-H’ers built and stock a community box at DSAC so their neighbors don’t have to drive 25-plus miles to get fresh produce or reach a food pantry. Or feed their families with what’s available at gas stations and discount stores.
Anyone can help themselves to the produce DSAC youth grew – peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and more – as well as boxed dry goods and refrigerated perishables. The caring group contributed 1,100 pounds of produce last year.
“We welcome people when they stop by, but we don’t ask questions. If they visit our community box, it’s because they have a need,” Wilson said.
Rural reality
The state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides short- and long-term help for those unable to afford food. In tandem, Extension’s SNAP-Ed program promotes and educates about healthy food and physical activity.
“Taking care of one another means being part of a collective, working with community partners,” Wilson said. “No one organization has the resources to do it alone.”
One in 12 people in Illinois – and one in nine children – struggle with food insecurity daily, says Feeding America. That amounts to an 8.3% food insecurity rate. Messmer’s territory covers Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Pope, Saline, and White counties in far southeast Illinois where 2020 food insecurity rates ranged from 12.8% to 16.3%.
“While our area faces many challenges, we experience a lot of good too,” Wilson said. “We have a love for our community and the beauty and nature here. There’s just a certain pride here in rural America.”
High tunnels bounty
Boosting production with DSAC’s high tunnels boosts giving. It also attracts visitors who leave impressed, both with the facility and its bounty.
“People can’t believe how much more growth the high tunnels create. From June through September, they’ll see lush tomato plants 5 and 6 feet tall,” said Aly, adding much of her work focuses on helping small farmers try new crops and techniques to increase their income.
“Based on what we’ve learned from of our variety trials, we’re producing 22 pounds of marketable tomatoes per plant in the tunnels compared to the usual 12 to 15 pounds when growing outside.”
DSAC also provides plants for community gardens to grow and share nutritious food.
The University of Illinois System giving back to communities is just part of what makes us Altogether Extraordinary. To share a story idea, please message lmabry@uillinois.edu.
