The weather this past week has been ideal for field work as well as other activities. With temperatures ranging from the lows in the mid 50’s to the highs in the low 80’s, low humidity and no rain allowed farmers to continue to plant their crops.  Read more...

As we drove by a tractor last fall, my 1-year-old son cried out, “Tractor, Daddy, Papa!” and started crying. He desperately wanted out of his car seat and into the random tractor where he assumed Daddy or Papa would be.  Read more...

Greetings, my name is David Hankammer and I’m a farmer from Millstadt, IL area which is located about 30 miles from St. Louis, MO.  I farm about 1,000 acres of corn, soybeans, and wheat with my brother Tony.  I am a third generational farmer.  Farming has always been part of my family’s heritage with my mom and my dad’s families both being involved in agriculture.  The reason why I love being a farmer is because I love being outdoors and love to watch the crops grow.  I’m happy to write this blog for Illinois Farm Families.  I hope that my reports help keep you informed as to what is going on on our farm.         Read more...

When it comes to all things porcine, my knowledge is pretty limited to Miss Piggy, the conniving mustachioed pigs from Angry Birds, Olivia, Charlotte’s Web, that George Clooney kept a pot-bellied one, and the popular tag line, "the other white meat." Read more...

Prior to our visit to the Gould’s farm, I hadn’t really thought much about pork production. Where I live our food comes in packages and our farm stories come from children’s books. For the most part the only thing I know about pork is how to cook it. My family eats more pork products than any other type of meat—so it was fun (the piglets are SO cute) and interesting for me to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how the meat that makes it to my table gets it start in life.  Read more...

As soon as we got on the bus, I was excited and eager to speak with Pam Janssen. We Field Moms peppered her with question after question.  She was a great sport along with Tim (Maiers, Illinois Pork Producers) in answering all our questions, from how the pigs are kept to even how they are bred! I enjoyed the candid conversation very much. We had a lively conversation going, and before we knew it, we were already at Gould Farm.  Read more...