Wes Jarrell, half of the dynamic duo that owns and manages Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery in Champaign, IL (he runs it with his wife, Leslie Cooperband) joins Jim Lewis to talk about how they got started, why they chose Central Illinois, and how important it is to collaborate with other farmers to grow the local food system and teach people about the importance of supporting local farmers. Wes and Leslie have La Mancha and Nubian goats with which they produce milk for their farmstead creamery, a large orchard which they harvest from for a variety of value-added products (including gelato) and which offers U-pick in the late summer and early fall, and incubator plots which they have rented to up-and-coming farmers who want to get their hands dirty and learn what it takes to be get started farming.
Wes Jarrell, half of the dynamic duo that owns and manages Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery in Champaign, IL (he runs it with his wife, Leslie Cooperband) joins Jim Lewis to talk about how they got started, why they chose Central Illinois, and how important it is to collaborate with other farmers to grow the local food system and teach people about the importance of supporting local farmers. Wes and Leslie have La Mancha and Nubian goats with which they produce milk for their farmstead creamery, a large orchard which they harvest from for a variety of value-added products (including gelato) and which offers U-pick in the late summer and early fall, and incubator plots which they have rented to up-and-coming farmers who want to get their hands dirty and learn what it takes to be get started farming.
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![Wes Jarrell - Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery [5-26-18]](https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_square_limited_720/images.spreaker.com/original/97e8bcb6c84db2e7fd8dc4f13e3f76d6.jpg)
