'Organic' growth

The Times They Are A-Changin...Bob Dylan...

Organic farms: Buying into organic farms - chicagotribune.com: "As consumers become increasingly aware of what they eat, they are also taking control of where their food comes from. Some shop at farmers markets. Fewer go out and buy stakes in an organic farm.

It's a small trend in Illinois that reflects the growing interest in organic food consumption. But the recession also has helped nurture this idea for people of means who want to invest their money in places other than the volatile, and now languishing, stock market or in certificates of deposit or savings accounts that pay 1 percent interest or less.

Another investor, Howard Harris, said a side benefit is the fun his children have when visiting the farm: "The kids like saying that they are farmers."

Axel's mom, DD Burlin, is not only a believer that organic products are healthier and better for the environment, she said she is also helping test a model for organic agriculture than can be replicated around the country.

The River Forest mom also is a trained cook and for years has been focused on nutrition in preparing meals for her two boys and husband. Then last year she read "The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals" and realized she knew little about the origin of food.

The book prompted Burlin, 42, to buy food from local farmers who let their cows graze on pasture and didn't spray vegetables with pesticides. But that wasn't enough. She wondered how she could help other farmers move away from conventional agriculture so that more families would benefit. Then, at a conference on family farming, she met David Miller, a man on a mission to build an organic farm business that could compete with conventional farms."