Strategic Plan 2027-2029
WORKING DRAFT
Executive Summary We are excited for the next evolution of Liberty Prairie, where the extraordinary assets (people, plants, animals) of this historic place line up in partnership to solve 21st century challenges.
In a state where 96% of land is privately owned and access to locally grown food is limited, Liberty Prairie serves as a bridge between people, agriculture, and the natural world. Liberty Prairie operated as a private foundation from 1994 to 2024.
Steward 95 acres of prairie, farmland, wetlands, and woods in Lake County. Opened the Farm Store in 2023. Products sourced from 40+ farms within 300 miles.
-Eliza Fournier, Board Chair
Transitioned to a public charity in 2024 deepening impact and expanding access. Summer Farm Camp began in 2025 for ages 6 -12.
OUR VALUE PROPOSITION
Food System Strength through Youth and Workforce Development.
MISSION
VISION
To grow community by cultivating lfood, land, and relationships through sustainable farming, education, and shared experiences.
A thriving, connected community where food, land, and people grow together.
Who We Are Located along the urban edge in Lake County, Illinois, Liberty Prairie is a nonprofit organization and working farm that stewards its 95 acres of certified organic farmland for the public good. We are a part of the Liberty Prairie Reserve, a 5200 acre network of both wild and working, public and private land; a living example of how people, plants, and animals can thrive together.
Our farm grows more than food. It grows skills, opportunities, and relationships -welcoming people of all ages to become active participants in the life of the farm while deepening their connection to the land, their food, and each other.
Historical Fact: Liberty Prairie was created alongside Prairie Crossing, the first development to center around a working farm and conservation.
The Need We Meet Every acre matters to community resilience. Illinois holds about 96% of its land privately, far above the national average of 60%, and unlike Michigan or Wisconsin, residents here have little public land to draw on for its ecological, educational, and community value. That makes privately held land central to the public good: resilience takes more than local food, it takes real chances to connect with land, build skills, and steward local resources. Liberty Prairie makes these connections on 95 acres. It is home to Lake County’s only certified organic farm and year-round marketplace for locally grown food. At the urban edge, surrounded by commodity crops that don't feed local communities, we show how one piece of land can nourish people, strengthen the local economy, and restore ecological health all at once.
This mascot was created by Sara Miller, one of LPs first interns and camp counselor.
LIBERTY PRAIRIE STRATEGIC PLAN 2027–2029
(continued) This extends to the small farmers who depend on us. Entering the marketplace takes upfront capital, institutional relationships, marketing reach, and administrative capacity most small farms don't have. The Farm Store removes those barriers: we pay farmers up front at fair market prices, promote their products alongside our own, and aggregate what dozens of small producers grow into a single storefront, generating demand no one farm could reach alone. And because we handle SNAP, WIC, and senior voucher administration ourselves, that growth never comes at the cost of access. Farmers stay in business with customers who understand why buying local matters. Connecting people, of all ages, to the land, natural cycles, and their food is part of the same effort as the Farm Store: it's how we grow the conscientious eaters a healthy local economy depends on. Support the farmer, educate the eater, and the local food system sustains itself.
Summer Campers with chard that they harvested, washed, and boxed for Avon Township Food Bank.
Our Strategic Pillars REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE AND LAND STEWARDSHIP Become a financially sustainable conservation agriculture organization.
Build a full cost financial model, PHASE(S) debt pay down schedule, and catastrophic risk reserve; establish institutional partnerships that offset operating costs; asses agritourism, native plants nursery, and renewable energy.
Create a holistic land management and stewardship plan that models sustainable systems.
Steward healthy soils, habitats, and working lands while growing certified organic food; convert acreage to grazing, perennials, and agroforestry; continue holistic land planning and rotation; combat invasive species.
GOALS
REGIONAL FOOD SYSTEM STRENGTH AND ACCESS GOALS
Increase the amount of local food Lake County purchases.
GOALS
Expand access to regional food.
ACTIONS
PHASE(S)
Grow the Farm Store’s product mix and sourcing; maximize efficiency and peak freshness from receiving to sales; increase product education; create a frequent buyer program; relocate to a building with a three compartment sink.
Assess area food-access partners and their service gaps; explore community gardens and gleaning opportunities; identify "Veggie Rx" partners; formulate a food-access strategy.
LIBERTY PRAIRIE STRATEGIC PLAN 2027–2029 PHASE(S)
A Plan We Can Measure, Share, and Grow. EDUCATION AND SKILL BUILDING Develop a continuum of agriculture-based learning opportunities.
Survey community interest; develop partnerships; develop partnerships with Lake County anchor organizations; survey community interest; create targeted messages; launch a diverse public calendar; refine programs annually against feedback.
Prepare the next generation of land stewards, entrepreneurs, and community leaders through real-world job experience.
Map in-demand land-managementadjacent careers; identify workforce/technical training opportunities and partners; define LP’s role in a regional food incubator; establish the internship partnership framework.
GOALS
COLLABORATE, LEARN, AND LEAD GOALS
Create opportunities for people of all ages to gather, celebrate, and build meaningful relationships with the land, food, and each other.
GOALS
Be a leading voice in Lake County's regional food system.
PHASE(S)
Bring visitors directly onto the land to strengthen the broader movement; develop and implement a communications and marketing plan; implement constituent stewardship; provide opportunities at a variety of price points.
Coordinate with larger food-system efforts; position Liberty Prairie as a regional conservation-agriculture expert; present LP’s model for learning and replication on the local to national stage.
LIBERTY PRAIRIE STRATEGIC PLAN 2027–2029
Our Path Forward Simplify complexity.
Scale what’s already proven.
Align growing and land stewardship with youth and workforce development. Listen, stabilize, strengthen, and establish foundational partnerships.
Invest in systems, infrastructure, people, and land stewardship.
70%
EARNED REVENUE
Build a continuum of hands-on and work force development opportunities.
30% CONTRIBUTED REVENUE
Farm Store
Innovation
Farm Camp
Capital Investment
Strategic Partnerships
Access Outcomes
Other Programs
Build Smart ~ Build Together ~ Build Lasting Impact
This plan includes a three year implementation budget and a dashboard to track strategy, operations, and finance efforts quartely. The board reviews progress semi-annually. Liberty Prairie is building a working model in which land nourishes people, strengthens local economies, develops the next generation, and restores ecological health. Investors, store customers, partners, parents, and funders each have a role in helping this model take root.
Join the next phase of the work.
Acknowledgements A special thanks to Food Works . Group for leading our board and staff through this strategic planning process. There is tremendous value in being able to benchmark our work alongside national food-system leaders and see it through that broader, national perspective
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Eliza Fournier, Chair David Alexander, Treasurer Kristy Miller, Secretary Adam Carson Don Malin Emily Paul Gina Schuyler Sebastian White
STAFF
Abbe Beslow Nancy Jansen Jordan Kulis Karen Kunz Jeff Miller Jen Miller Saul Rico Karen Wilkes
Leadership Retreat