15,000 pounds of produce later… ‘the Talking Farm’ is a pro-bono journey worth its weight in grassroots gold

Imagine a tomato the weight of a full-grown T-Rex… that’s how much produce Skokie-based ‘the Talking Farm’ produced in 2017. #TomatoRex

Puns aside, access to healthy food is no laughing matter, it is life changing. From the obvious and direct health-related benefits, to positive impacts on local economies via job creation, educational programming, community cohesion, and attracting complementary stores and services. Skokie’s ‘the Talking Farm’ serves up all these benefits and then some, sparking innovation and economic opportunity while improving the physical and mental health of locals.

Photo Source: The Talking Farm | Living Classroom

As highlighted in the September 2018 issue of Landscape Architect and Specifier News, ‘the Talking Farm’ is a non-profit organization with the goal of providing communities with their most basic human need: healthy food.” The Talking Farm started in Evanston in 2006, with the common goal of helping city kids, and others, reconnect with where their food came from. In 2011, Teska teamed with a group of consultants to provide pro-bono site planning, landscape architecture and zoning support services to help establish this agricultural farm use in Skokie. The collective efforts resulted in unanimous approvals at the plan commission and village board.

Photo Source: The Talking Farm | Farm-to-Table Dinner

Since 2014 when zoning approvals were made official, the farm’s success has grown ten-fold… literally and theoretically. As mentioned previously, over 15,000 pounds of produce was grown in 2017!?! That’s 7.5 tons; about as heavy as a tyrannosaurus rex whose live weight was estimated to be 14,000 lbs. Beyond the sheer volume of produce grown, the Talking Farm is so much more than a farm — it is a community resource on all levels:

  • an urban farm, providing produce to local restaurants, farmers’ markets, schools, food pantries, and individuals
  • a living classroom, teaching kids of all ages the importance of healthy food and how to grow it
  • a community resource, fostering relationships and cohesion among residents and neighbors
  • a community kitchen, teaming with local restaurants and breweries to host farm-to-table events

“Pre-school students are making art from veggie stamps, while high schoolers are maintaining their own “Edible Acre.” … We are grateful to have experienced several years of citizen passion, commitment and elbow-grease to bring this most basic human need for food back to our community. Our urban farm will help make sustainable agriculture a way of life for all our citizens now and into future generations.”

– Talking Farm Representative

Teska is so grateful to have been a part of this all-hands-on-farm community effort. Read more via the links below and be sure to visit, support and follow the Talking farm online and social media!

In the News

Landscape Architect and Specifier News | 2018 Article

A Farm Grows in Skokie | 2015 Chicago Reader Article