Alva Review-Courier -

BARRINGTON HILLS, Ill. (AP) — Fifty acres of sunflowers bloomed in northwest Barrington Hills in one August week to create a unique carpet of bright yellow.

But in addition to providing a vibrant visual along the village's country lanes, these sun-worshipping plants play a practical role in the conversion of the nearly 700-acre Barrington Hills Farm to purely organic.

Among the criteria for such certification is the soil must be found to be chemical-free -- and sunflowers are among the species that can help expedite that process, experts say.

J.R. Davis and his wife, Dawn, took control of the...