When did you move to your farm?
We moved here in April 2002 from Joliet.
What was the first thing you did -- garden or livestock, and why?
We bought livestock immediately because it was April, so it was a little early to start a garden, or so we thought because back then we had never planted things like peas, which can be planted in April. We bought our first chicks when we were still living in Joliet because I learned that they needed to be inside under a heat lamp for the first month or two, so I figured I'd get started a month before moving out here so that we could get eggs a month earlier!
What are you most looking forward to sharing on the farm crawl?
I just really enjoy talking to people about the animals. I'm also a big history buff, and I like talking about farming in this country before World War II, which was when everything became industrialized. I'm not saying that everything our great grandparents did was perfect, but they had a lot of things right!
What do visitors tend to enjoy the most on your farm?
If we have any baby animals, that always wins! And there is a chance that we'll have some newborn baby goats. We bred one of our does for mid-August kidding, so we'll see!
What are your plans for the future?
With our youngest daughter and number one milkmaid heading to the University of Illinois this fall, we will be cutting back on the animals we have, although we are having a terrible time deciding what to eliminate because we really enjoy everything that we do, and we love all of the animals. Unfortunately, there are not enough hours in the day for us to do everything without more humans.
