Illinois Farm Families Blog

I admit I did not know what to expect when visiting the Ward family farm, we have all seen the media coverage of the horrific scenes from pig farms. I ended up learning a lot and really enjoyed the experience.  The Wards were very open and willing to share all their knowledge about farming and how their farm is run. Though the Ward’s keep their pigs in climate controlled barns, for many reasons I still do not agree with keeping pigs indoors their entire lives. 

While speaking with the farmers, the representative from Illini Farms and the representative from the slaughter house the topic of GMOs and organics was discussed many times and the discussion often ended by them saying that there is no visible difference in GMO and non-GMO food and that they all feed it to their families and think it is safe. In these discussions the research showing that our bodies can detect the difference between GMO and non-GMO foods was never mentioned. 

Mike Woltmann from Illini Farms presented us with a slide show and in it he educated the group about breed to wean farms. From that discussion I learned that I am not in agreement with those practices. The sow’s lives at a breed to wean farm consist of artificial insemination, being put into a small pen to have her piglets, nurse them for 21 days and then repeating that process continually for a few years until she is sent to market but not the regular market because her meat is now not as good, her meat is now only used for sausage and the like. 

The Ward’s veterinarian and slaughter house representative explained how the withdraw times of antibiotics and random testing done at the slaughter house ensures that there are no antibiotics in the pigs system at time of slaughter. I do believe that to be true but have also read many scientific research studies that conclude the use of antibiotics in livestock creates antibiotic resistant bacteria, which is being passed to humans when they consume the meat.   

 While I may disagree with a lot of the practices used on the Ward’s farm their family farm is run with passion and the Wards care for the pigs using the methods that they believe to be the best. Seeing how the Wards farm is run gave me a brighter look at conventional farming in Illinois and if I were to buy conventional pig meat I would want it to be from the Ward’s farm.

5 Things I Learned or Experienced on the Ward Family hog farm:

1. The farmer himself walked us thru the entire farm and explained what happens from the time the piglet arrives to the time they are sent to slaughter.
2. Whether I agree with the practices of this farm or not, the farmers do think that they are doing what is best for the pigs.
3. I experienced the smell of waste produced from thousands of pigs, it is an awful smell and I can’t imagine it not being toxic to those inhaling it.
4. I learned about the breed to wean farms and that artificial insemination is the process they use for “mating” them.
5. A representative from a slaughter house explained how the pigs that come to his facility are processed.

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.

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

From the moment we stepped onto the Ward Family Farm and met our hosts, John and Betsy Ward and Steve, Jolene and Sarah Ward, I felt warm and at ease.  They opened their doors to us and were wonderful hosts.  I enjoyed learning about the original homestead of the Dayton Farm and the Old Elm Farms, dating back to the mid-1800’s and the early 1900’s respectively.  I also got a tear in my eye when John spoke of how proud he is of Steve and of Betsy, his city wife, being by his side all these years.

I enjoyed learning the in’s and out’s of the daily life and going on the hog barn and equipment tours.  I wasn’t aware that a litter of piglets was just under 4 months gestation and on average a litter was about 12 piglets, each sow having 2.2 litters per year.  I also thought it was interesting that the males and females were kept separate and that pigs are kept with the same ‘cage-mates’ for the entirety of their lives from wean to market.

The presentation from Illini Farms was interesting.  I am saddened that the cost of food for the hogs outweighs the price that farmers get for their product and if it weren’t for the futures market right now, the hog farmers would be losing money.

Also enjoyed knowing that a few of the Chicago corporate headquarters used product not fit for the shelves to go into pig feed, including:  Sara Lee, Azteca, Kraft, Nestle

Overall, a great experience and I look forward to the next one.

5 Take-Aways

• From The Wards – Behind every successful farmer is his spouse.
• From Farmland – Thanks for the recipe Jim, going to try it!  Also, IL is the #4 state in U.S. pig production.
• From Illini Farms – Learned and remain interested and slightly concerned about amino acids coming from Korea.
• From Pam – Farming as with everything in life takes dedication from the whole family.
• From Tom – Marinate a Pork Chop with a Rub for 3 days, the sandwiches were delish!

Kimberly Findlay, Chicago

It’s been a long time since I have been on a field trip, and outings with my children do not count. I felt like a 6th grade girl again, giddy to be traveling on a bus full of newfound friends (a.k.a the other “Field Moms). My first trip with the Illinois Farm Families Field Moms program proved to be exciting, informative and sure, a little bit smelly.

When one thinks of a pig farm, naturally the pungent smell might come to mind and you are certainly not wrong in that assumption. But waiting for us beyond the ammonia-laced smell of portly pigs was the Ward Family. It was so evident that they were all proud of their vocation and not just because they were providing for their own families. I got the sincere feeling that they were proud to be contributing to mine.

Upon entering the building, I was pleasantly surprised to find the pens extremely tidy and the pigs well cared for. Did you know pigs are pretty clean animals? We learned that Illini Farms teams up with farmers like the Ward Family by entrusting them with the care and wellbeing of the pigs. The Illini Farms network contracts growers like the Ward family to take care of the pigs when they leave the nursery until they reach market weight (200-250 pounds). The pigs are then shipped off to be processed into Farmland Pork products in the Chicagoland area.

A large part of my interest in becoming a field mom was to wade through all the conflicting information being presented to me from the media. I was becoming quite disgruntled listening to report after report of farmers and agricultural companies “doing it wrong” out there.

“There has to be someone who cares, someone who takes care of their farm and their livestock,” I reasoned.

I wanted to know what goes on at a farm before my food hits my plate?

Here is what I learned…

• Sows have baby pigs every 5 months, which usually results in 6-7 litters.
• The sows are artificially inseminated with boar sperm.
• Male and female pigs are separated in the stalls. Why separate, you ask? For healthier pigs.
• Vaccinations are administered to each pig at birth and a documented paper trail of the health and any medication given to the livestock is reported.
• Boars can be up to 700 pounds and are aggressive!
• Instead of pooping in their pens, pigs saunter up to the side of the pen, press their behinds up against the bars and eliminate. (I saw this up close and personal.)
• Under the building is an 8-foot deep hole, which collects the manure, which is then swirled up and run through pipes under the farmland to be distributed as fertilizer for adjoining farmland.

It was fantastic to connect with the Ward Family, I will never give up consuming pork and I cannot wait for our next tour!

Take-aways from the Ward Family Farm Tour

1. I was blown away by the cleanliness of the stalls and the farm in general. I think pigs get a bad rap as being messy, but the Ward Farm was immaculately maintained and well cared for. I was very impressed.
2. I was touched by the sincere love for farming expressed by the Ward family. You could see the enthusiasm and passion in their eyes.
3. I was glad to hear that antibiotics are only used on pigs that are exhibiting a struggle or illness.
4. I was equally impressed with the respect both the Ward Family and Illini Farms had for the animals.
5. This might be a stretch, but the pigs responded in such a positive way to Steve, that it is worth mentioning. I think if the farmers treated the livestock in a negative way, the pigs would scatter from him, but they did not. I personally think animals are pretty smart!

Elizabeth Rago, North Aurora

Up until this January, for the past seven years, my family and I were vegetarians. After long, hard thought, discussion and exhaustive research we made the decision to fall off the wagon and get back on the meat. While we agreed on all the pros, my husband and I had different concerns about returning animal protein. The hardest thing for me to reconcile when deciding to readopt an omnivore lifestyle was that my food was once a living being.

So imagine my discomfort when I came face to snout with hundreds of little Wilburs that were being raised at Old Elm Farms.  A big part of why I began our vegetarian mission was because of animal welfare. I saw documentaries and read books and articles touting the inhumane practices associated with today’s modern meat industry. I knew that if I was going to readopt this lifestyle I could not blindly pick up my neatly packaged, ready to cook meats and never consider the chain of events that got it to my grocer’s meat case. I wanted to meet the animals that nourish my family and see the farm operations for myself. 

What surprised (and relieved) me most of all were the farmers themselves. I was spending a lot of time worrying about the poor little piggies in terrible conditions, but I never stopped to think that there are people out there devoting their life’s work to raising these animals.  While is was a bit sad to see all the pink pigs, with curious, playful personalities nudging at the sides of the pens,  it was reassuring to see Steve interact with them and seem to know them as individuals. The pigs I saw were clean, comfortable, alert and active. As social creatures, it was nice to see them together in large, open pens that provided plenty of room and access to food and water. It was clear that while a product, they were treated with care and respect.  Steve talked about how he monitors the facility conditions and makes necessary adjustments. He checks each pen daily and separates any pigs that seem to be struggling or ill. Antibiotics are given as a last resort and pigs are never sent to harvest with antibiotics in their system. His wife talked about being woken in the middle of the night when an alarm goes off indicating that there is a problem at the barn such as temperature or problems with the water supply. Farming is a 24-7, 365 day job. That is the nature of raising living beings and crops.

The bottom line is that whether they truly care about the comfort or mindset of the pigs or not, pork farming is a business, and like most businesses, it’s intent is to provide a product that consumers want to buy. John, Steve and his family want to produce the best quality of meat they can. I’m happy that they have adopted practices that they believe will do this and that just so happen to also be the right, humane things to do.

Five take-aways/surprises:

1.  Raising pigs is a very health consious/clean business. We were wore coveralls and boot covers when we toured the finishing barns. Not so much to protect us-but to protect the pigs from diseases and germs we might bring them! Less disease means less need to treat them with drugs or antibiotics.
2. And while it may seem unnatural or unfair to keep them inside-it’s actually better for them inside. When pigs live outside-they are exposed to the elements, which can alter how they eat and drink. Cold, shivering pigs, need more food. Hot pigs roll around in the mud, that they and their buddies also poop in, along with birds and rodents., which exposes them to diseases, which then have to be treated. Yuck! Indoors, everything is controlled for optimum piggy comfort-from temperature, food and water, ventilation, and best of all-their poop falls through slats in the floor.
3. The overall respect and care for the animals. Even if it’s just to produce a better product, I heard over and over, from the farmers, to the corporate reps, happier, healthier pigs make better meat.
4. That no drugs can be in their systems when sent to harvest. And the incredible amount of tracking and paperwork that is done to be accountable for this. Also that keeping them inside (see my #2) helps prevent the need for antibiotics in the first place!
5. It’s all somewhat green/eco-friendly! Using the manure to fertilize the crops and feeding them bakery crumbs and discards are two ways this process is participating in some serious recycling!

Being a typical mom who wants to feed her family well, I was very excited when our Field Mom program officially started on February 23. I was determined to find out myself how our food is produced and by whom. It is not hard to panic in today’s environment when it comes to food production. Should I buy organic? Is the meat safe? Where did the meat come from? How do I buy locally produced food? And what does politics have to do with food production?

I joined the other field moms and a few farmers on February 23 when we started our year together, all full of questions. We had a lot of them answered on the bus on our way to Sycamore. Deb, Pam, and Jim were able to give us very concrete background information on farming in Illinois today.

While we were mostly talking about pork production, it was also obvious that all farmers have a lot in common: family farms are still the most common form of farming in Illinois where 94% of all farms are family-owned. Children join their parents from young age and learn to work on the farm. Some of them enjoy it and want to stay on the farm, some of them want to leave as soon as they are done with high school. But the common theme was the children’s attitude to work and their pride in growing up on a farm.

Our visit to the Ward family’s pig farm could not have been more informative. The farmers, John and Steve, were willing to answer all of our questions about pigs’ lives from birth to the slaughterhouse. How the pigs are fed, whether they are given antibiotics (only for medical reasons), are they given hormones (no), etc. We also had a long discussion on GMOs, why a farm is or is not organic (requirements on available space to access to organic feed), corn and soybean crops, the needed equipment, and the availability of land in Illinois where subdivisions are creeping closer and closer to farmland.

On our tour of the pig sheds, Steve was once more willing to answer all of our questions about the pigs. Why are the pigs kept inside (controlled environment, health and nutrition of the pigs); what the pigs eat (corn, soybean meal, bakery products); and how you make sure all of the pigs are doing well (an experienced farmer sees signs immediately). Yes, there is a smell in the sheds, but the pigs were surprisingly clean and they are able to move around. There were absolutely no signs of animals that had been mistreated (I expected chewed ears and tails as signs of stress).

My first visit to an Illinois farm (or any farm in the U.S.) was eye-opening. The amount of work, investment and time needed to farm is enormous. My guess is that even though there are differences between farms, the basic work and commitment to a lifestyle is the same for all of them. One of my reasons for joining the Field Mom program was to be able to tell my children where our food comes from and we have now been able to have several discussions on pigs and meat production in general. I’m looking forward to our next visit and learning about other farms.

I had an extremely informative day at the Ward farm, thanks to both generations of the family!

Five things I learned on our trip to a pig farm (there would be many more, but here are the first five):

• The price of farmland whether you buy or lease in Illinois is very high. It is hard for farm families to be able to buy more land to support more than one family.
• The life cycle of a pig from birth to slaughterhouse. I had no idea about the time it takes for a pig to grow to market weight, etc.
• The tour of the buildings where the pigs are raised was important. Heating/air-conditioning, cleanliness, etc. were important pieces of information.
• Information on how the pigs are slaughtered was informative and useful.
• Information on the use of hormones and antibiotics was useful.

Tanja Saarinen, Oak Park
Field Mom

Illinois family farmers are opening their doors to give 20 urban and suburban Chicago-area moms a “peek inside the barn” to see for themselves how their food is grown. These moms will serve as Illinois Farm Families’ “Field Moms,” and will tour six Illinois farms between February and November this year for a firsthand look at what farmers do every day. The Field Moms will get to know the farmers and will have their questions answered as they visit beef, pork, canning vegetables, dairy and grain farms. The first tour will be of a pig farm this Saturday, Feb. 23, in Sycamore.

The 2013 Field Moms are:

• Faten Abdallah, Rochelle
• Amy Bizzarri, Chicago
• Amy Buffardi, Darien
• Teresa Buse, Streamwood
• Kimberly Findlay, Chicago
• Janelle Floerke, Orland Park
• Susan Herold, Rolling Meadows
• Renee Keats, Highland Park
• Helen Kolodynski, Chicago
• Christina Lee, La Grange Park
• Diane Letson, Chicago
• Becky Martinez, Glen Ellyn
• Amina Nevels, Chicago
• Natasha Nicholes, Chicago
• Davita Nobles, Tinley Park
• Elizabeth Rago, North Aurora
• Tanja Saarinen, Oak Park
• Jammie Esker Schaer, Elmhurst
• Samantha Schultz, Indian Head Park
• Alissa Spera, Chicago

“I want to see where my food comes from and share what I learn with others,” said Field Mom Becky Martinez. “With all the conflicting information about what foods to feed your family, I am looking forward to learning firsthand from the people who grow it.”   The Field Moms will each record their days on the farms by taking photos, videos and journaling their observations. After each farm tour, the Field Moms will share what they learned with other moms and consumers on www.WatchUsGrow.org, www.facebook.com/IllinoisFarmFamilies and http://twitter.com/ILFarmFamilies.    

“These days, folks just don’t have the same connection to the farm that they did in years past which means that there are more questions about what farmers do and how they do it,” said farm mom Donna Jeschke of Mazon, Ill. “That’s why we’re so excited to welcome these moms onto our farms to show them what we do while answering their questions about how food gets from the farm to their tables.” Jeschke is one of several farm moms who will accompany the Field Moms on tours this year.  

This is the second year for the Field Mom program which has been so successful, it has doubled in size. The Field Moms volunteer their time and were selected this month.   

Illinois farm mom Katie Pratt is in New York City today. She’s one of only nine finalists in a national search for farmers who will put a face to farming and share their stories. In her own words, she’s “shocked, surprised and excited about the journey that lies ahead.” Katie’s a great candidate for the job; in fact, sharing farm stories has been a family tradition for years.

 Katie now needs your vote. Through December 15, you can vote for Katie at the USFRA Food Dialogues website.

Katie is a full-time farm mom from Dixon, Illinois (about 100 miles west of downtown Chicago). You’ve seen her as enthusiastic Illinois Farm Families volunteer – blogging here, hosting sit-down conversations with Chicago moms and sharing her passion for farming with those in her own community.

 Katie and her husband, Andy, are seventh generation farmers. Together they raise two adorable farm kids and grow corn, soybeans and seed corn. Katie’s family still raises pigs, cattle, goats and horses only a few minutes away. The family farm has been open to visitors, including non-farm neighbors, urban Chicago moms and teachers, and farmers from around the globe, for more than 40 years. Watch a video from Katie.

Now, one of your favorite farm moms has the opportunity to share her farm story and food conversation nationally with the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance – the group of farmers and ranchers answering Americans’ questions about how your food is grown.

You can get your questions answered from farm moms like Katie. Become a Field Mom and tour Illinois farms throughout the next year. We’re accepting applications now.