Illinois Farm Families Blog

Hello all.  My name is Katie Pratt and welcome to our farm. Literally. Welcoming tour groups to our farm is a family tradition starting back in the early 1970s when my husband’s grandfather hosted students from Chicago-area schools on his dairy farm.
 
Some of my best childhood memories are those that include the people who visited our farm.  There were the formal “industry” groups – farmers from Asia, Europe and Australia – visiting in the 1980s to see how my father was raising mother pigs and their babies indoors sheltered from Mother Nature’s unpredictable mood swings. There were friends and family from the city who brought new playmates and cousins with whom my sister, brother and I had great fun, racing through the rolling wooded pasture that stretched south of our farmstead. 

Now that my husband and I are building a life and farm of our own, we continue to host a variety of groups from European farmers to a university class researching the use of corn stover (the stalk and leaves) as an energy source.  Every two years we welcome local teachers to the farm through the Summer Ag Institute program, a continuing education seminar based on agriculture. 

This May my family welcomed the fourth grade from St. Vincent Ferrer School. When students and parent chaperones gathered off the bus, I gave them three rules. #1: Have fun. #2: Have fun. #3: Ask questions!

Did they ever! “Who works on your farm?” “Did you sew this blanket?” “How much does this tractor cost?” Seeing my farm and the way we live through the students’ eyes was slightly overwhelming. I didn’t think such a divide existed between city and country, and yet this was illustrated by some of their innocent, simple questions. “Where do you shop?  Where do you buy groceries?  We haven’t seen a town all day!”

I explained that I shop just like they do, although I am not an enthusiastic shopper by nature. We just drive a bit farther to get to a town with a mall and a variety of stores.  Groceries?  Find them at the grocery store just like they do. While I do freeze and preserve some produce from my vegetable garden, I still make a weekly grocery trip to purchase the basics – milk, bread, deli meat, cheese and fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Our visit with the students ended too soon with so many more questions to be asked and answered. That is why I am so excited to be contributing to this blog. This is the perfect place to ask any question and get it answered by the people who know - Illinois Farm Families who are living the farm life and growing the food, fiber and fuel for your family and community. 

Katie Pratt
Grand Prairie Farms

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.

Here you’ll find posts from real Illinois farmers - men and women, moms and dads, grandparents, even farm kids - who care about their families and farms and who hope to have a conversation around issues you care about.

You may be surprised by our farms’ diversity. Illinois Farm Families grow and raise a variety of crops and livestock. But you won’t be surprised that we share many of the same values as you, including feeding our families safe, healthy food.Watch Us Grow is your chance to get to know Illinois Farm Families and see how we’re growing your food with care.

In fact, if you’re a Chicago-area mom, we’d like you to see a few of our farms firsthand by applying to become one of our Field Moms. I would love to have you come to my farm so I can show you what we do each day to grow your food.

We’re ready to listen, and we hope you’ll join the conversation. Check back often to see what we’re chatting about.

Deb Moore
Roseville, Illinois