Urban Farms (Chicago, Roscoe, Humboldt: transporting, rental, coop)

[chicagocubs]

Does anyone have one? If so, what kind? What are your experiences?


Conversely, does your neighbour have an urban farm that you hate? If so, why?


Any references (newspaper articles, etc) would be appreciated as well.

[oakparkdude]

A farm within the city of Chicago?

[Irishtom29]

Isn't there a farm in Mt. Greenwood? Connected to a school?

[surlycue]

There's a great one in Humboldt Park where you don't rent a plot and personally tend it but instead pay an annual fee of around $350 that covers a weekly bushel of season fruit and veggies from July to October 1st. The plots are tended by local teenagers on a volunteer/school credit basis. It is a super program. The urban farm closest to me is the one on Clybourn and Division and while plenty of the plots are now growing all sorts of things I've never actually seen any of my neighbors gardening in there so I couldn't tell you if they are on a rental basis or managed by some incorporated.

ETA: more info on the Humboldt Park co-op in case anyone in the neighborhood is interested in joining: http://hipmama.meetup.com/124/messag...165/0#27795039

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

Isn't there a farm in Mt. Greenwood? Connected to a school?

Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences

[chicagocubs]

That's great, but, I was actually referring to people that keep chickens (primarily) on fire escapes or on rooftops or backyards; usually for eggs. It is a new trend in cities:

U.S. City Dwellers Flock to Raising Chickens

An "urban chicken" movement has swept across the United States in recent years. Cities such as Anne Arbor, Michigan; Fort Collins, Colorado; and South Portland, Maine, have all voted in the past year to allow residents to raise backyard poultry.

Raising backyard chickens is an extension of a renewed interest in urban farming. After the trend first gained popularity in London, England, large numbers of U.S. city dwellers began to raise chickens in Seattle and Portland, said Jac Smit, president of the Urban Agriculture Network. Within the past five years, the movement has expanded to Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. "Chicken has become the symbol, a mascot even, of the local food movement," said Owen Taylor of New York, who knows of at least 30 community gardens that raise poultry, mostly for their eggs.

Advocates say home-raised livestock or agriculture avoids the energy usage and carbon emissions typically associated with transporting food. Buying local also provides an alternative to factory farms that pollute nearby ecosystems with significant amounts of animal waste.

Some health officials worry that backyard chickens could elevate avian flu risks. But sustainable farming advocates insist that backyard chickens are less of a concern than factory-farmed poultry, which the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production says pose serious risks of transmitting animal-borne diseases to humans.

The spread of backyard chickens has also promoted spin-off businesses that cater to the local market, such as mobile slaughterhouses to manage and distribute the meat.

Some people argue about smells or the loudness of the roosters.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by chicagocubs

That's great, but, I was actually referring to people that keep chickens (primarily) on fire escapes or on rooftops or backyards; usually for eggs...

Did you not ask this question in a thread way back?

Raising Chickens in Chicago?

Besides people having chickens in Chicago is nothing new. It has never gone out of style in parts of the west and south sides. It was even going on in Uptown,Roscoe Village,Lakeview, until about 10-15 years ago

[coldwine]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Did you not ask this question in a thread way back?

Raising Chickens in Chicago?

Besides people having chickens in Chicago is nothing new. It has never gone out of style in parts of the west and south sides. It was even going on in Uptown,Roscoe Village,Lakeview, until about 10-15 years ago

I've been seeing chickens in Northalstead for years now.

[Avengerfire]

^Ok this now confirms you are a gay man.^

[surlycue]

When I was living in New Orleans I had so many neighbors that kept chickens. I lived in a couple of very urban parts of the city without yards to speak of so I always found this very odd. Every morning when I'd drive to school I had to play ******* in my neighborhood to avoid hitting them when they'd escape from whatever shanty style coop their owners had created. Thank Jebus I haven't had any of that nonsense yet here.

ETA: WTF at that bleeping? I typed f.rogger, which to the best of my knowledge is still an 80's arcade game and not an expletive.