Is this place in Central time? was the first question I asked myself last Wednesday as I loaded into the GEH van on my way to the third annual Chicago Wilderness Agriculture Field Day being hosted this year in Lake County, Indiana. The time zone change into Indiana has been a long-time foe of mine, but today, time was on my side, all Central, all the way! It was a nice day, chance of rain, but when I arrived to meet the others it was feeling like the weather might be on our side too. It has been a rainy summer, and some dry time was definitely welcomed by the group and by the farms we were about to visit.
On the way to our first stop, I gazed out the window wondering about what we were doing. Farming, in 2024, why? It wasn’t long before I remembered why. Through the window I watched as we passed through fields of corn and soybeans. Something seemed off though, as if time was shifting back and forth a month at a time. Some fields had crops at the normal height for mid-summer, others a little smaller, still others looked as they had just emerged, and what remained seemed to have been abandoned for the season. Apparently, rain has been an issue for the farmers in Indiana, too. I would later find the variable plant stages I had seen were the result of farmers squeezing any plantings they could between rains. Sounds familiar.
More importantly, it was the weeds that caught my attention, and in many cases the lack of them. Field after field, regardless of maturity, was completely clean of intermingling plants. The only weeds I did see were the crops of the previous season, in this year’s corn were last year’s soybeans and in this year’s beans was last year’s corn peeking through the undulating waves of legumes. But why? Because all of these fields were planted with crops that have been genetically modified to resist herbicides, for miles and miles.
There was another aspect of the window vista that made me wonder. Nearly every field had what looked like small creeks running through them, but these didn’t look anything like a creek you’d see in a forest or even the one that flows through our wetland at McDonald farm. These creeks were ditches, made with the intention of draining these lands of water to make it easier for people to plant crops. A similar practice happens around here using drain tiles, the modern ditch, that’s more pleasant on the eyes but just as impactful on the ecosystem. After seeing miles of straight-line ditches crosshatched through the fields of corn and beans, where wetlands of the Kankakee River used to live, I was ready to get on with the trip. Just as I was pondering the modern food system, I noticed things changed, suddenly. Trees, weeds, and even bugs! What’s this? Oh! We’ve arrived, welcome to Perkins Good Earth Farm!
I have been on these outings for 3 years now, and this was the first organic no till farm we had visited. It was small, in comparison to where we grow, but it was dense and full of life. Perkins is run by Dan and Julie with the help of a small seasonal crew. On 2.5 acres in De Motte Indiana, they have carved out quite the oasis. Dan and Julie started on an old dairy farm that was being used for corn when they bought the property and the goal was showing how to farm for the masses by the masses, Perkins Good Earth is what they came up with.
I started the tour passing by a trail sign, posted for CSA members and visitors to navigate through the fields and natural areas that they maintain. CSA members are encouraged to pick their veggies and the maps help them find what they need. What really interested me is their success with no till farming. On their scale, it is possible to start new beds by loading up 6 inches of compost, that they also make from municipal leaf litter, on top of the native soil which is very sandy. Then, every year they will add 1 inch of compost to freshen the beds. This results in very loose, rich soil with few weeds. If only we could find a way to move enough compost to farm like that here, it would be a great setup!
Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with Perkins Good Earth Farm. It was the manifestation of how I believe farming should look. By incorporating natural processes to replace equipment and chemicals, these farmers are able to provide food for salad bars in a couple of local schools, a farm store, and a 180-member CSA, overall serving over 1000 people a week!
The rest of the day was interesting, but Good Earth maintained their position at top-of-mind. We also visited Wappel Farms, a conventional farm that grew 1000 acres of mint,
along with corn and soy. It was really interesting to see them growing and distilling mint and mint oil, but on a scale that was a little overwhelming. After lunch at the Design Barn, our afternoon was spent visiting 2 parcels maintained by the Shirley Heinze Land Trust who, like the Conservation Foundation, protects land from development and also supports responsible agriculture. Their preserves hosted local farmers who had been farming since before they were established as preserves. As it turns out, once the farmers and conservationists got together, they found similarities in what they wanted both from the land, and for the land, and it appears that some valuable relationships have been created. By simply incorporating winter wheat as a cover crop, they have already seen the quality of the soil and crops improve in just a few short years.
Farming responsibly is not easy, farming in any way generally isn’t either, whether it’s weather, politics, or economics, there are plenty of challenges at every scale of farming. By farming like we do here, and always looking forward to doing even better, we hope to ensure a solid foundation for those whom we have been borrowing this planet from, future generations. Working to improve the soil, water, and air where we farm with cover crops, compost, mulch, maintaining natural areas to support biodiversity, and providing healthy food to those in our community, we make progress every day in creating a better environment for tomorrow. Once again, thanks to all of our members for your continued support of what we do, and to the Chicago Wilderness Ag subcommittee, and the Shirley Heinze Land Trust for hosting the trip this year. Nothing beats having strong connections, let’s grow together!
~Farmer Russ
