Illinois Farm Families Blog

If you have never been on a farm before, here’s your chance to experience the real deal.

Linda and Dale Drendel are again opening their Hampshire farmstead to the general public for a dairy breakfast and farm tour from 6 to 11 a.m. Saturday, June 15.

The Drendels offer this unique experience to visit a farm and provide others with a better understanding of the origins of their food, such as dairy products.

“This Saturday morning, family activity is meant to be enjoyed by all ages,” Dale Drendel said. “We welcome visitors and hope they see this as an opportunity to learn more about how we care for our animals and produce fresh and wholesome milk.”

A highlight of a visit to the farm, known as Lindale Holstein Farm, is watching some of the 150 dairy cows being milked in the milking parlor. The modern parlor accommodates 11 Holstein cows at a time and offers viewers an up-close look at the farm’s automation and the transfer of milk from the cow to the bulk tank.

Milking demonstrations will occur from 6 to 9 a.m. during the tour.

The farm visit offers a tour of the barns to see the young dairy calves, heifers and cows. And visitors get chance to milk a cow by hand just as farmers used to do many years ago.

Visitors will see all aspects of dairy production, from the feed used in their special diets to the care taken by farmers to assure their animals are comfortable and healthy.

Besides the cows, visitors to the farm will see farm equipment used on the dairy and grain farm, and get to sit on the seat of a modern tractor.

To top off the morning, a hearty farm-style breakfast will be served complete with pancakes, sausage, applesauce, cheese, milk, coffee and ice cream, from 6 to 11 a.m.

A donation of $8 for adults and $5 for children (5-10 years) will be collected at the farm. The price includes breakfast and the farm visit. There is no charge for children 4 and under.

The Dairy Breakfast and Farm Tour is being sponsored by local dairymen from DeKalb and Kane counties who are members of the Kishwaukee Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA).

The Drendels are avid promoters of the dairy industry, whether it’s welcoming visitors to their farm, showing cattle at fairs, serving in leadership roles or educating others about agriculture. Dale serves on the boards of the Illinois Milk Producers Association, Foremost Farms, Kishwaukee DHIA, and Dairy Lab Services. Linda, a former teacher, also has an active role on the farm and serves on the Midwest Dairy Association.

The Drendels are also participants in Illinois Farm Families and host Chicago moms for farm visits.

Their son, Jeff, works alongside them on their dairy farm. Their daughters are Carrie Corson, public relations project manager for COUNTRY Financial in Bloomington; and Julie Ashton of Marseilles, farm broadcaster for The Big Ag Radio Network and Nelson Multimedia Group.

As livestock caretakers for the past 40 years, Dale and Linda Drendel hold themselves accountable to the hundreds of dairy animals on their farm.

“We take personal responsibility for feeding and caring for our animals,” said Linda, “and providing top-quality milk for consumers.”

They grow corn, soybeans, alfalfa, oats and wheat, much of which is used for dairy feed.

To learn more about the Drendels, visit their farm website at www.lindaleholsteins.com.

The Drendel Farm address is 15N057 Walker Road. Handicap parking is available at the farm.

For additional information, call Bill Lenschow, Dairy Breakfast chairman, at 815-895-9690.

 Reprinted from the Beacon News.

At the insistence of our favorite babysitter, Kathy Schnell – think a country Mary Poppins – our parents enrolled my siblings and I in 4-H. Kathy and her sisters showed polled Herefords, goats and vegetables. Their mom was the club leader and Kathy was convinced that we would benefit greatly from monthly club meetings, service projects and those dreaded (my words) talks and demonstrations.

4-H is far from a farm-kid club, and while its history is steeped in traditional production agriculture and homemaking, today the national organization pushes STEAM (science, technology, engineering, agriculture and math) projects with a service-learning, agriculture basis.  Of course, at 9-years old, I didn’t realize how the 4-H clover would shape my life.

As a Face of Farming & Ranching for the US Farmers & Ranchers Alliance, I’ve found myself in front of various groups, large and small, talking about agriculture. Ironically, as a 4-H member, the annual talks & demonstrations required of each member were the banes of my existence.  I don’t know how many “how to make rice krispies” demonstrations I’ve sat through. I know I gave my fair share of “identifying cattle breeds” speeches. We’d all stand rooted in one spot clutching our note cards, forcing those stomach butterflies down. Every speech started the same. “Hi. My name is Katie Dallam and this is my 4th year in 4-H. Tonight I will tell you how to show a cow.”

I think my parents appreciated the 4-H lessons of responsibility, accountability and follow-through more than us kids. As they were prone to point out, it wasn’t their 4-H projects being swallowed by weeds or waiting for morning chores, it was ours. My beef and dairy cattle projects taught me patience (a virtue I’m still learning), commitment to something other than me (those cattle couldn’t feed and water themselves), and the value of the almighty dollar. Those projects funded my college education.

And 4-H showed us the value of investing in our communities; showed us every spring on an early Saturday morning during ditch clean-up.  It wasn’t glamorous work, but the next time we traveled that road we knew who had walked those miles. Pride in work ethic is a powerful motivator for a young person.

So when given the opportunity as a Face to make a donation to an agriculture organization on behalf of the US Farmers & Ranchers Alliance, 4-H was first on my list.  It’s famous four-leaf clover, symbolizing head, heart, hands and health, has given me powerful life-long tools and a commitment to making the best better.

Katie Pratt, Dixon

• Most farms in Illinois are family owned, only six percent are Corporately owned.
  

• The Ward's farm is family grain and pork farm.
  

• Prior to receiving a new litter of piglets at six weeks of age, the Wards pressure wash with hot water to clean the pig pens for the new arriving piglets to prevent diseases. 
  

• All boy pigs are castrated and all the piglets get their
  tails cut off.
  

• They are held in nursery until four months of age.
  

• Every farm has a personal Veterinarian because all pigs need to be vaccinated just like humans.
  

• Farmland has standard which regulates the Trucker Quality Assurances how many pigs on a truck.
  

• Older pigs are used to produce Sausage. 

• I was surprised to learn that Sow could have 6 to 7 different litters of piglets and pigs can't sweat. 
  

• The purpose of raising pigs indoors is the Wards are able to control the environment for the comfort of the pigs, using natural resources, monitoring health and nutrition of the pigs.

A WatchUsGrow.org reader recently asked us to define "modern farm equipment," so we put the challenge to our bloggers to share what's new on their farms. This is the second part of that series.

This is the controller in our hog nursery. We have 2400 little pigs in there from the time they are 3 weeks old until they reach around 60 pounds. This panel regulates the air temperature, which is very important to pigs since they do not have sweat glands to regulate their own body temperatures. The controller also turns fans on and off to regulate the interior temperature for optimum pig comfort.

The controller also runs the feeder system. Gone are the days of slopping the pigs with kitchen scraps. Today’s pigs are fed several different, carefully-balanced diets as they grow. The ingredients are ground, blended and then distributed through pipes to feeding stations in each pen to make sure the pigs get the nutrients they need.

It also has an alarm that alerts us by phone if the power has failed, the temperature gets too hot or too cold or noise levels get too high (an indication that something is upsetting the animals). This doesn’t replace people checking on the pigs and the equipment. We still walk through the barns every day, but the alarm gives us extra peace of mind knowing that if something goes wrong when we’re not there, we’ll know about it right away. Hopefully, that means we can keep our pigs healthy, comfortable and well-fed.

Jen Sturtevant
Lanark, Illinois

Since I am a bit late joining the Field Moms, they brought me up to speed last night on a call.  Last month they went out to a pig farm near DeKalb.  The latest update is the farm owners dedicated a litter of piglets, baby pigs, to the 2013 Field Moms.  The mother, a sow, gave birth to 17 of which 2 were still born. The remaining little ones are so cute.  The mom and piglets stay at the sow farm, think labor and delivery for pigs, until the piglets are 20 days old. The farmer was explaining the extensive biosafety measures in place to ensure the health of every pig at the farm. One example is they needed to take showers in and out of the sow farm with special clothes just to visit their pigs.  Their camera needed to wiped down with a bleach wipe. Wow!!  I never imaged the sanitation level a farm needs to go through for pork.  Kind of always thought it was a lower quality meat since some religions ban it in their diet.

Getting back on the pig track........  When the piglets are a few days old their tails are removed to prevent fighting within the pen.  It was explained that they can be very agressive to one another and this reduces the likelihood of picking on the smaller animals.  The detailing makes everyone equal.  Who knew?

The biggest takeway from the call was how concerned the farmer was with her sow and new piglets.  She explained the safety measure for the mom and little ones.  The sow stays in a confined pen with her piglets to prevent her from laying on the little ones.  The pen gives the piglets enough warning the mom is moving and to get out of the way. I never realized how small piglets are in comparison to a full grown pig.  Now, it makes sense.  In years past, piglets were known to die under their mother's own weight. Kind give new motivation for a human to lose the baby weight.

Revin’ Up Roger's Disney Piglet is cute, but not as cute as the 15 piglets we saw last night.

On a side note, the other field moms explained on their blogs that pigs are never given hormones. Hence, you never need to buy hormone free pork, it already is!

Sharon Blau, Des Plaines

My first family farm tour was to the Ward Family Farm in Sycamore, IL.  I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I’ve been on farms before.  My grandparents used to own a dairy farm.  Lots of extended family members also lived on farms.  I remember visiting and smelling the smell and wanting nothing to do with it!  My parents raised my siblings and I in a small town surrounded by farms & farmland.  We always dreaded getting stuck behind the combine on the highway.

Upon exiting the bus, we were filmed & photographed. A lot!  We went inside the farm’s machine shed.  It had been cleaned!!

The pig barns were really cool!  Having never been inside one before, I was impressed!  Very clean! 20-22 piglets in a pen seem like too many to me.  The nursery where the piglets are kept was empty on our visit.  Every 6-7 weeks new piglets arrive.  Farmers are busy!  The stalls have to be cleaned thoroughly with a disinfectant and a high pressure washer before new pigs are allowed in.

Piglets are given medicine while in the nursery.  Illness prevention & growth promotion are the reasons.  Wouldn’t pigs grow on their own?  We don’t give our children growth promoting medicines.

The second barn we visited was for finishing.   I thought 50 pigs in a stall was a lot until I saw them.  Pigs seem to always bunch together so there is lots of space to spare. Male & female pigs are separated and are fed different diets.  Ten stalls of each sex are on a side in the barn.  The farmer walks through the barn twice each day to check on the pigs.  He is looking for illness or misbehavior or equipment malfunctions.  Sick pigs are kept in a smaller pen near the entrance until they are well enough to be put back.

Pigs are fed a diet of corn, soy meal, dried distillers grain, bakery & other items at the Ward Farm.  The bakery products are unique to the area due to the close proximity to Chicago.  Leftovers from Pepperidge Farms, Kraft, Nestle, Azteca & Sara Lee are ground into a fine powder & added to the pig’s feed.  We were able to feel the different feed between our fingers.  It reminds me of almonds when I grind them in the food processor.  Anti-microbials are also given to the pigs to help balance the bugs in their guts.  Dried distillers grain is a co-product of ethanol production.  It is what is left after fermentation.  It can replace part of the corn in the pig’s diet.  Corn has higher costs & less availability.

The barn monitoring system is very high tech.  Pigs are kept at a comfortable temperature.  Sprinkler systems, fans, heaters all contribute to their comfort. 

When pigs are raised outside, their body temperature is hard to control.  The taste of the meat would also fluctuate.   To control the health & nutrition of the pig, farmers now raise them indoors.  When pigs are cold, their bodies require more feed because their thermo-neutral zone is challenged.  I now understand it is in the farmer’s best interest to raise them indoors.

Bio security was a term I never associated before with farming.  This was all new & fascinating to me.  Wearing the white suit was fun.  I do hope they aren’t too expensive as they are put in the trash much too quickly after being used for only a short time.

Sitting in the tractors is something my boys always do.  This time it was my turn.  The seats in the newer tractors are very high up off the ground.  A farmer should be able to see many miles while driving through the field.  I like the simplicity of the older tractors.

Lunch was yummy!  I’ve never had a pork chop sandwich before.  

Farmland Foods was very generous to donate pork tenderloin to each Farm Mom.  What Jay Hofer from Farmland Foods told us about the slaughtering processes was eye-opening.  They put their pigs to sleep instead of electrocuting them; a simple and very humane process.  All this effort is for the benefit of the consumer who wants great tasting pork.  After being killed, their throats are slit, blood is drained and intestines are cleaned.  Then they are chilled for 24 hours before cutting.  Pork tenderloin or pork loin comes from the neck/shoulder region.  Bacon, our family favorite, comes from the underside of the pig.  

Farmland is definitely a local food producer.  They work with farmers within a 150 mile radius of their plant.  They ship to local grocers in Illinois.  If you want to eat local food, this is one company that provides.  Their All-Natural brand means no vaccinations for the animals.  My family prefers to buy direct from the farmer, but if in a bind we will to purchase Farmland’s All-Natural pork.

Jammie Esker-Schaer, Elmhurst, IL

My quest to further educate myself {and my family} about local Illinois farmers started when I recently enjoyed an insider's journey into Wards Farm in Sycamore, Illinois. The Wards Farm is a family grain and pork farm located 55 miles northwest of Chicago, Illinois. I was able to learn all about the Wards Farm's history, agriculture, land preservation and sustainable food production from their family.

Agricultural roots run deep in this father-son Ward team as the 7th generation runs the farm today. Raising hogs has been a family business for over 150 years. The Wards Farm is a wean to finish hog operation. I was able to take a personalized tour of the finishing buildings with Steve Ward -- not open to the public -- where I was able to feel like a privileged insider peeking inside to witness the hard work that goes into the hog operation.

Before I arrived, I just assumed the hogs would be free-range. I never considered that the hogs would be kept in finishing buildings. These buildings are quite elaborate and there is a delicate balance between the nursery and the finishing buildings that house the hogs until their ideal weight is met. I was informed of the purpose of each building as well as how the Wards have changed their buildings throughout the years in order to improve the life of the hog. The Wards have created an environment that is the best for the hogs.

Because of bio-security issues, I couldn't simply just go walking about these buildings at my leisure. I was suited up and properly covered to insure the health of these hogs. I was able to fully grasp why pens are used on the in-depth tour of these buildings.

After the informative tour of the finishing buildings, our small group headed inside to have a chat with Illini Farms and Farmland^®. Illini Farms actually birth the piglets and keep them with their sows until they are ready to move to Wards Farm for finishing. The piglets arrive at approximately 12-14 pounds and leave at approximately 250-300 pounds. This all takes place in a six-month span.

Farmland is the end of the production line for the hogs. Farmland processes quality all-natural pork products that are locally born and grown. Farmland's excitement for the pork product and enthusiasm at creating new and inventive dishes utilizing the entire animal is truly fantastic.

I think that as adults we take the concepts we have as children to keep a visual alive in our heads. In our perfect visualized stories we hear of pigs frolicking about with rats, geese and spiders and we forget these animals are not cute, cuddly pets to be coddled, nurtured and loved. Instead, these hogs {on Wards Farm} are valued, cared for and provided with the best conditions to be raised as food for consumption.

We are not going to quit eating and there are more people everyday. The Wards Farm will continue for generations and we need to support local farmers in our local economy and most importantly, remember that our local farmers have the highest possible standards of animal welfare.

Meet the Sturtevants - a family farm for five generations

Our family has farmed in northwest Illinois for five generations. One part of our land has belonged to the Sturtevants for 150 years! This ground has seen the desperation of the great depression and was once planted with three-horse hitch teams. Now it’s farmed using huge four-wheel drive John Deere tractors and equipment (yes, had to say John Deere, it is a big deal to us farmers what color our tractors are!).

And, our farm continues to be a family affair. Our boys, Bryson and Jaxson, love to ride our gator (a small farm utility vehicle) around in the fields to pick the big rocks and boulders that work their way to the surface in the spring thaw, so the rocks don’t damage machinery later in the season.

When my husband Brian and I first started farming with his family, we had a sow-to-finish hog farm. By 1998, we decided to switch to a wean-to-finish facility, and we moved all of our pigs to indoor facilities. By doing both of these things, we drastically cut down on sickness and death loss on our farm. Controlled-temperature buildings that keep the pigs out of the elements and a good balanced diet have made our animals happy and healthy. 

Now, our piglets are born at a sow farm called Elite Pork near DeKalb, Ill. This is a farm that many family farms own together. This type of collaboration is very common among Illinois pork producers. The sow farm has the perfect set-up and expertise for taking care of sows (mother pigs) and baby piglets, while our farm can provide the best care for pigs as they grow. When the pigs “move in” to our farm, they will stay with the same group of animals as they grow. They develop social relationships with the other pigs and enjoy their space to run around together. You can follow a group of pigs on our farm through the Field Moms’ Acre and Pen.

Farming teaches patience. You have to work hard, and it humbles you. But most of all, farming makes us thankful every day for what we have.

Jen Sturtevant
Hog and grain farmer
Lanark, IL

Last weekend, we ventured to the Old Elm & Dayton Farms in Sycamore, Illinois. The Farms run by the Ward family are currently being run by the 5th (John & Betsy) and 6th (Steve & Jolene) generations with a 7th generation on the horizon. The Ward family farm is a wean to finish pig farm which basically means that they receive pigs when they are about 12 pounds and then raise them until market.

Utilizing climate controlled buildings and a unique feed blend, the Wards raise pigs for their livelihood in addition to acres of grain. One of the more interesting facts was that the Wards actually lease their pork farm to Illini Farms which means that as part of the lease arrangement, the Wards provide the daily care for the pigs until they are sent to market for sale. Separating the process between two farms of breed to wean (sow pregnancies and piglets) and wean to finish is that the outcome is healthier pigs, smaller farms and allows for specialization so that caregivers can best utilize their area of expertise.

When we had the opportunity to tour where the pigs are held, Steve explained the process a bit more and I was amazed to see that the pigs seemed to recognize him and come to him for comfort. As he spoke to us, he took the time to touch each one that came up to him and you could tell he genuinely cares for his animals for the time that he has them.

One of the biggest questions in the days following the tour centered around why the pigs were raised inside. One of the primary reasons is that keeping the pigs indoors gives better control over the environment for the comfort of the pigs - shelter during bad weather days and breeze, climate-controlled for the other times of the year. Additionally, this ensures that the pigs are receiving the proper health and nutrition. When pigs are free-range or left outside, a herd hierarchy can develop causing some pigs to become weaker and malnourished compared to others. After seeing the pigs that were cared for by the Wards, you could tell that they were properly cared for and received what they needed.

Being a Field Mom, I have the unique opportunity to see where my food comes from and how some of it gets to my table. I had no idea that Farmland Foods pork products come from Illinois family farms which brings new meaning to the idea of supporting local businesses. Something that I can find in my local grocer very well may have come from a family farm. I also enjoyed learning more about the family behind the farm. As Steve Ward shared, he does it because he enjoys it and because he loves it. This bird’s eye view definitely showed that.

Five Take-Aways

• Farm life for many is a family effort that occupies much of the week. Whether it’s checking in on the pigs or taking care of the land, families have to work together to keep things moving!
• Equipment and machines, such as tractors and combines, can be a significant expense to farms and therefore, some farms choose to share equipment.
• The labels found on our food can be misleading. It is important to always read the labels, investigate what they mean and make educated decisions based on what we as consumers find.
• Education is the biggest asset that we as parents have to making decisions for our children and part of that education is learning more about what we put into their bodies and where it comes from.
• If you don’t know, ask. I never felt that the Ward family or any of the other farm representatives wanted to push information on us and they were willing to answer all of our questions, even if the questions may have seemed silly.

Samantha Schultz, Indian Head Park

Old Elm and Dayton Farms, owned by the Ward Family, was not what I anticipated when I envisioned visiting a hog farm. First, called a “finishing farm” the Wards don’t own the pigs. Illini Farms, who owns the pigs, supplies them when the pigs are 21 days old. Steve Ward, son and co-owner of the farms, explained that once the pigs come to his farm, he is responsible for everything involved in the daily care of the pigs including the administration of medicines and vitamins. Prior to my visit, my knowledge of pig farms was based solely on what I had read and seen in documentaries. I was concerned that I might see unclean conditions and animals contained in tight pens. Fortunately, these nightmarish images were far from the truth. In fact, I was in for quite a few surprises during my visit.  

I was impressed with the number of safety protocols established to maintain the health of the animals. Almost immediately, John Ward informed my group that there was absolutely no smoking permitted anywhere on the farm.  Prior to visiting the buildings where the pigs are housed, we were asked to cover our shoes with protective “booties” and our clothing with disposable “jump suits.” The farm owners want to ensure that there was little opportunity for our group to inadvertently transfer viruses or disease to their animals. In fact, Steve told us that the “swine flu” was a misconception. Swine (or pigs) didn’t transfer the flu to humans; it was the other way around--humans can give it to the pigs.

Steve led our group on a tour of both the West Building (or the Nursery) which houses the pigs until they are 6 weeks old and the East Building where the pigs live until they are 115 days old and weigh (on average) 280 pounds. Unfortunately, there were no piglets in the nursery.  But that didn’t stop Steve from showing us how clean and well ventilated the building was.  Through the use of a series of heaters and fans, Steve also demonstrated how he is able to maintain and monitor the temperature in both buildings: warmer in the nursery and well ventilated in both buildings.  Sincere, forthright and enthusiastic about sharing his livelihood, Steve encouraged us to ask questions (even about things that didn’t necessarily have to do with pork farming), take pictures, and invited us see all aspects of the production. He showed us the feeding system in the barns and how he monitors each animal’s health (segregating those who are either not growing at the expected rate or are not well.) I was surprised and delighted to learn that, unlike what is sometimes propagated in the media, the pigs eat what one would imagine pigs should eat: Dried Distillers Grain (DDG), Corn, Bakery Products (Jack’s Pizza anyone?), Soybean Meal as well as other dietary supplements like oil, calcium, vitamins and salt.

Yes, gone are the days of pigs living in outside pens burrowing in mud and eating the family’s left-overs.  The Ward’s pigs aren’t eating slop, that’s for sure.  And they are not rolling in their own manure either. These farmers truly love what they do and the animals that they care for.  This family business truly exemplifies what it means to “love what you do and do what you love.”

Five Things I Learned From My Visit

1. The difference between “farrow to wean” farms and finishing ones.  More importantly, why specialization may be the key to ensuring a farm family’s continued success
2. Eating pork labeled as “organic” may not necessarily mean that you are eating the cleanest and healthiest meat on the market.
3. The current method of butchering pigs is humane and does not cause stress for the animals.
4. Children raised on farms are encouraged to get involved in farm life but cannot do the same chores that their parents did at their age due to the sophistication of the machinery.

5. Approximately 50 pigs are housed in each enclosure.  Even as the pigs grow, there is still plenty of room for them to move and interact with each other without being shoved together due to lack of space.

 Renee Keats,  Highland Park