Jacksonville Couple Wins Sustainable Farming Award at Illinois State Fair

A Morgan County couple has been named Sustainable Agriculture Farmers of the Year and will be honored at the Illinois State Fair.

Jim and Mary Burrus raise organic, grass-fed beef at Indian Creek Farm in rural Jacksonville. They are scheduled to receive the sustainable farming award Tuesday during the Agriculture Day Luncheon at the fairgrounds in Springfield. The state agriculture department selected them as the winners.

The couple lives on the farm where Jim Burrus was born and raised. Their first grass-fed beef was sold in 1999 and the herd was certified organic in 2006.

The Burruses are vendors at the Illinois Department of Agriculture's Thursday night farmer's market on the fairgrounds.

The Illinois State Fair continues through Sunday.