Through the Eldorado Impact Program, Food Works of Southern IL is leading the charge of growing crops under the panels of the Eldorado Solar Project. We sat down with Morgan Schmitt, Food Works’ Farm Manager to learn more about her background and what she’s looking forward to at the Sol Farm on at the Eldorado Solar Project.
Q: Where are you from?
A: I am from the small village of Equality, Illinois, just down the road from Eldorado. I actually worked in Eldorado while in high school at Big Johns!
Q: How did you get connected to Food Works?
A: In my last semester at Southern Illinois University, I went to visit Dr. Leslie Durham during her office hours to talk about plans after graduation, knowing I wanted to work in a setting that valued local foods and sustainable agriculture. Dr. Durham connected me with a couple of farmers in the area, as well as the non-profit organization Food Works of Southern Illinois. Food Works was hiring a Kids Club Coordinator for the upcoming Winter Farmers Market season. After meeting with the team, it truly felt meant to be. Since joining the team over a year ago, I have I have done an array of jobs with Food Works, including running the Mobile Farmers Market Truck throughout the Southern Illinois region. I am grateful for Food Works and the work they do, and even more grateful I get to take on this new role of farming in an area that is very dear to me.
Q: What will you be doing in Eldorado?
A: I will be working in Eldorado at the Sol Farm, thanks to a grant that Food Works received from Sol Systems. We are creating an agrivoltaics farm in Eldorado, farming in a field of solar panels. To me, it's more than just farming: I will be planting, caring for, and harvesting a wide range of vegetables, specialty crops, herbs, and flowers within the solar array so that we can simultaneously produce food in the same space as energy. The goal of this project is to grow and produce nutrient-dense local foods to sell and give away to the Southern Illinois community.
Q: What are you most excited about in this new role and working on the site?
A: I am excited about many elements of this new role. I hope we show that certain crops do very well in an agrivoltaic environment, so the information and set-up we use can be shared and implemented not only in Eldorado but all over the Midwest. I am excited to help teach other farmers what we discover at the Sol Farm; it may be our future of energy and food production. I want to live in a world where energy production and food production can co-exist in the same area to benefit the local community and environment. This project is a combination of many things I care so deeply about: local foods, the health of the environment and ecosystems, clean energy, teaching new farming methods, and community.