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There is no end to the successful farming that can happen when two soil scientists get together. Leslie Cooperbrand and Wes Jarrell have been cultivating a wonderful, agricultural life on their farm in central Illinois since 2003. The first thing they did was to plant their acreage in buckwheat with the intention of restoring the fertile prairie soil known in this area. They were licensed to make cheese with milk from their herd of Nubian and La Mancha goats in 2005. The goat herd has expanded to about 70 milkers and through an acquisition of additional acreage, Leslie and Wes have been able to transition to growing all of their own hay- not to mention more berry plants and fruit trees- and grazing their herd rotationally. Prairie Fruits operates seasonally. In 2010, their herd and their cheeses were certified Animal Welfare Approved. In 2008, Prairie Fruits started purchasing sheep milk from an Amish sheep dairy with similar animal husbandry and sustainability practices less than 50 miles away. This has allowed them to experiment with some sheep and mixed milk cheeses.
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