On our farm in western Illinois we are in the midst of planting season and in Chicago, so are the Field Moms! The Field Moms and their families are growing soybeans in planters that they’ll keep in their urban patios and suburban yards. My husband, Ron, and I have been farming and growing soybeans for more than 30 years, and we’re especially looking forward to bringing these new farmers along on the journey from planting to harvest. 
This past week the weather changed from unusually warm temperatures to more spring-like conditions. After a cool front moved through the area on May 6, we received up to one inch of rain in the west part of the county. The temperatures returned to highs in the 70’s and the lows in the upper 40’s.
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The 2011 crop season has already been quite eventful. When farming in northern Illinois, the goal is to start planting by April 15th. Due to an unusually cold and wet spring, we were not able to get out in the fields until May 1st. Even then, we had to carefully determine which farms to plant, as they were not all dried out. Yields are threatened by the late planting start which means farm revenue is already affected even before planting is complete. Read more...
Welcome to our farm! Our family is made up of our two sons, a daughter-in-law, and grandson. My husband David and I, with help from our oldest son Matthew, farm 1,000 acres of mostly corn and soybeans. My husband is a 3rd generation farmer. We live on what at one time was his grandparent’s farm. My husband has lived within one mile of the home farm all his life.
I grew up in a small town and was thrilled to move to the farm after we were married 38 years ago. We farm along the Illinois River, so we have had our share of flooded fields. Even though there have been some rough times, I wouldn't change anything. Read more...
I'm so excited to help kick off the Watch Us Grow blog!
I am Holly Spangler, farm wife to John, farm writer for Prairie Farmer, former farm kid from southern Illinois, and farm mother to three little farm kids. That's a lot
of farm, and I am a little bit exhausted just thinking about it.
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Welcome to the Illinois Farm Families Blog, where farmers and consumers will be talking about farms, farming and how your food is grown. We know today’s consumers have questions about your food and where it comes from. We also know you have a lot of resources at your fingertips to find out about food. But are any of those resources the actual farmers who grow it? I am one of those farmers who grow your food. But I did not grow up on a farm. In fact, I grew up in the Chicago suburbs. I was born and raised in Cook County, went to college at Western Illinois University and married a farmer. Now I live, work and have raised my family on a farm in western Illinois. I hope this blog will address your questions as we explore topics ranging from what happens on our farm everyday and how we care for our animals and the environment, to when and why we use antibiotics or apply chemicals to our crops. |
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