Meet Our Members
Learn about Illinois Specialty Growers Association members and their unique journeys along with how they connect to the community.
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Kate Danner’s original plan for her small sunflower field was to provide a picturesque background for family photos. The Aledo farmer had nothing to lose as the seeds were a gift.
“I planted them (last year), and I’ll tell you what, they looked sorry all year, you wouldn’t have thought I was a farmer,” she laughed. “And then they bloomed, and they were just so pretty.”
Consumers come to Von Bergen’s Country Market near Hebron for fresh produce, but they’ll probably leave with something else — appreciation for farms and homegrown flavor.
“People are floored at the difference in taste. They’ll say, ‘I don’t like tomatoes or musk melon.’ And I’ll say, ‘Try it. There’s a world of difference in taste.’ It’s really nice to share where food comes from,” said Tracie Von Bergen.
Von Bergen’s Country Market is a multigenerational family farm that involves Mel and Bobette Von Bergen; their son and daughter-in-law, Mike and Tracie, granddaughter Neysa, and grandsons Quentin, Xander and Valen.
Fall brings families seeking apples, pumpkins, and fun to Tanners Orchard near Speer. “On festival days (weekends and holidays), kids are running around. It’s a blast,” said Craig Tanner, who owns and manages the orchard with his sister, Jennifer. A Marshall-Putnam Farm Bureau member, Tanner, and his sister are the fourth generation to oversee the diverse family farm.
Visitors to McLean County’s Rader Family Farms not only come away with pumpkins and traditional fall experiences but also learn about Illinois crops. “Education is one of our core values to pass on,” said Adam Rader, who with his sister, Amy Hughes, oversees the family’s specialty farm and agritourism operation near Normal.
The Condill family sold dozens of gift boxes after Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton highlighted their Homestead Bakery as part of her ag campaign.
Long-reaching benefits will also grow from the statewide shoutout, according to Mac Condill, general manager of the specialty farm and agritourism business near Arthur.
Pumpkins — in a rainbow of colors giant to small — take the spotlight every fall at Gail’s Pumpkin Patch in Logan County. But the farm’s namesake must share young visitors’ attention with two inquisitive Boer goats and an abundance of cute kittens. Gail Apel-Sasse and her husband, David Sasse, co-own the specialty farm near Beason.
Harvest is starting for specialty growers Doug and Charlotte Clover following a busy, productive June on their farm near Cobden in Union County.
At Shawnee Hills Lavender, U-pick season lasts through the blooming season in early summer. It concluded on Father’s Day weekend this year. Then, the Clovers hand harvest the remaining stems, especially the long-stemmed Grosso variety, which has a high oil content and is often used to make essential oils.
Strawberries selling out daily on southern Illinois farm
Strawberry-hungry customers start lining up at 6:30 a.m. -- hours before Flamm Orchards opens its on-farm store near Cobden in Union County.
“I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t know anybody liked strawberries that much,” Austin Flamm told FarmWeek.
Known for apples and cider, the youngest Zellerman siblings are continuing a family tradition started by their great-grandfather Joseph Zellerman in Adams County in 1930. This year marks the orchard’s 90th anniversary.
Edgewood Orchards near Quincy produces 12 varieties of apples grown on roughly 3,000 trees. Apples, cider, cider slushes, and a variety of apple and food products are available at the on-farm store.
Anyone hungry for Illinois peaches and apples can satisfy their cravings by shopping Rendleman Orchards’ online store and get a jump on summer.
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton highlighted the Union County orchard Wednesday as part of her Cultivating Our Communities campaign.
Stratton shared information and web links for Rendleman Orchards through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Jackson County specialty farm grows from family bonds. Family and health provide a foundation for Happy Hens and Produce specialty farm near Murphysboro in Jackson County. Owner and operator Jane Tretter — assisted by an all-woman family crew that includes her mother, daughter-in-law, and three granddaughters — produces a diverse crop of garden plants, herbs, and vegetables. Her happy hens supply the brown eggs.
Tony and Sharon Pferschy, owners of Garlic Breath Farm, find customers appreciate their fragrant, flavorful crop. In fact, customers appreciated this year’s crop so much, the Kane County farmers are sold out, except for garlic hot sauces. In a couple of weeks, the Pferschys will start their 2021 farming season by planting 30,000 to 35,000 organic garlic bulbs.
Curtis Orchard and Pumpkin Patch open each spring and fall with fresh fruits and vegetables, baked goods, specialty foods, and play areas in Champaign. For its 2020 season, the orchard added new guidelines and tweaked the facility to keep its customers and employees healthy. “One advantage in Illinois, the administration has been proactive, working on guidance and pro-agriculture.
Starting this spring, Richardson Adventure Farm near Spring Grove is offering visitors an agritourism experience every season. The McHenry County specialty farm will soon open its first tulip festival. Visit them at their website or Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. The family planted 300,000 bulbs of 30 tulip varieties on 5 acres for a U-pick area..
Customers hungry for local fresh strawberries, following health safety guidelines, and supporting Schwartz Orchard’s retail stores in Centralia and Mount Vernon make Tom Schwartz optimistic — even after a long day picking berries. “The millennials, they’re coming out to the country to get product. They’re talking to growers and seeing the (fruit) trees.
Valley Orchard customers bought all of Raoul Bergersen’s rhubarb and left none to be processed. That boom in local demand for fresh fruit continues into berry season. So many people arrived to pick cherries, the crop was depleted in a few days, the quickest Bergersen remembers. “We’ve had more phone calls and more business than ever,” Bergersen told FarmWeek.