Ropp Jersey Cheese and Twin Groves Wind Farm -- Tuesday, April 13, 2010

We've seen the massive wind turbines popping up all along the interstates, and OLLI got a chance to learn about the technology first-hand when we visited Twin Groves Wind Farm.

The farm, located in eastern McLean County, houses 240 Vesta turbines that produce enough energy to power nearly 118,000 Illinois homes each year. Our tour, which included time on an outlook platform to view a turbine, was guided by one of the 130 landowners who participate in Twin Groves with long-term leases that cover the wind rights.

Also included in this trip was a visit to Ropp Jersey Cheese, a family-owned dairy farm in Normal. While at Ropp's, we had the opportunity to watch the cheese-making process, feed calves, milk cows, and sample fresh cheese!

For more information about these farms, please visit Twin Groves Wind Farm and Ropp Jersey Cheese.