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.
Read more...
Greetings from Maple Park, IL. The Gould Farm is located exactly 50 miles west of the Loop, and situated roughly between St Charles and DeKalb. On our farm we grow corn, soybeans, winter wheat, and hogs. I farm with my parents, Eldon and Sandy, and wife Dana. Dad focuses mostly on the hogs, while I focus on the crops. Dana helps in the office with bookkeeping. Dana and I have three children – Kelsey, 17, Vanessa, 13, and Andrew, 11. Read more...
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...
Hi, my name is Lynn Martz and welcome to our farm. My husband, Mike, and I farm with my parents, brothers and our son, Justin. Our farm consists of beef, corn, soybeans and wheat located in northern Illinois just 65 miles west of Chicago.
We are one of the farm families you can tour on the Watch Us Grow website. We hope, along with other farm families, to help answer questions about farm life and why safe nutritious food is important to us too. I hope you will follow along with our blog and ask questions if you like.
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.
1
