2020 Winter RVC Insights - Flipbook - Page 6
A Prairie Paradise
Rest-A-Bit is home to pollinators and native plants
Jayne Carstensen, Communications Specialist
Nestled on a small piece of prairie in Galva, Illinois, Kathy Huffman has created a pollinators’ paradise.
A passion for plants, pollinators,
and what some may consider pests,
is quite evident in Kathy Huffman’s
prairie restoration project, Restabit
(Rest-A-Bit). This little piece of prairie
paradise, nestled in the middle of a
40-acre farm field just outside of Galva,
Ill, is home to all of the above.
A staff support specialist at River
Valley Cooperative’s Galva location,
Kathy has always had a love for flowers and farming, along with a zest for
learning. When she and her husband,
Jim, purchased a parcel of land near
their current farm, she was particularly
intrigued by a secluded six-acre area.
None of it was conducive for farming,
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especially with its towering cottonwood trees and small creek running
through it.
After plunking down some flowers,
as Kathy put it, she heard about native
plant programs through the Stark
County Soil and Water Conservation
District. Kathy confessed that she
didn’t know what they were talking
about, but that’s how everything got
started.
She learned there were such things
as native plants versus cultivars and
how much more beneficial the native
plants were for the whole ecosystem.
That was about 10 years ago and
things just evolved from there.
When asked why she started such an
ambitious project, Kathy explained,
“I enjoy learning and after going to a
few meetings, I went to more meetings, and the more I learned the more
excited I was.”
Although the prairie itself is less than
an acre, eventually Kathy would like
to grow it to about three acres which
would encompass what the Huffman
family farms on either side of it. With
a smile on her face, Kathy said, “I
only do small amounts at a time, that
which I can handle, because I don’t
have as much energy as I used to. It
doesn’t take a lot of maintenance, but
I just like to keep a close eye on it.”