SVM_Today's Farm_011024

SHAW MEDIA Sauk Valley Media/ shawlocal.com/sauk-valley • Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Today’s Farm

15

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 10, 2024

Sauk Valley Media/ shawlocal.com/sauk-valley • Wednesday, January 10, 2024

SHAW MEDIA

16

TODAY’S FARM

‘ I work for every member, period’ Polo farmer elected president of the Illinois Farm Bureau

By JEANNINE OTTO | SHAW MEDIA AGRINEWS jotto@shawmedia.com

CHICAGO — Brian Duncan took a minute before he stepped to the podium. His title was just a few hours old when he was introduced to media as “the president of Illinois Farm Bureau, Brian Duncan.”

“Wow, it’s going to take a little time for me to get used to the way that sounds, ‘president of Illinois Farm Bureau,’” he said.

The new leader of the state’s largest farmer member organization was elected Dec. 4 by delegates at the IFB’s annual meeting in Chicago.

Duncan served for the past six years as vice president under retiring president Richard Guebert Jr. “I had to keep pinching myself. It’s been an incredible six-year run and now to be selected as the next president of Illinois Farm Bureau. This organization stands on the shoulders of giants, men and women who have come before and plotted a course for this organization,” Duncan said.

“I look forward to navigating and charting that course, along with our members, our county Farm Bureaus, our board of directors.”

Photo provided by Catrina Rawson

Ogle County farmer Brian Duncan was elected president of the Illinois Farm Bureau during the organization’s annual meeting in Chicago last month.

The new IFB president is a grain and hog farmer near Polo. He served as president of Ogle County Farm Bureau from 2004-17.

Duncan and his wife, Kelly, operate a wean-tofinish pork operation and raise corn, soybeans and wheat. They also have a custom cattle feeding operation.

They are the parents of Levi, Sarah and Emma, who all are involved with the farm operation, and Molly, who is employed by The Nature Conservancy at Nachusa Grasslands in Franklin Grove.

Duncan said he is ready to get to work on policy issues and other projects at IFB, including the Organizational Member Strategy.

“I think we will be continuing to work hard on charting the course for the direction of the organization, as we work to really determine and lean into what our members want and expect from this organization,” he said.

Duncan said his priorities as president include focusing on issues of concern for grain and livestock farmers.

“For me, again, I’m still a hog farmer, regulatory concerns surrounding Prop. 12, trying to craft a solution there still, if one’s available. Working with AFBF to do that,” said Duncan, who said he will also be keeping an eye on trade and farm income with the American Farm Bureau Federation.

“I am always, always going to have a close eye on farm income. Feel very passionate about making sure there is market access for individuals and that the markets we navigate as producers or sellers are fair and competitive, so that’s on my radar,” he said.

Duncan expressed the need to get a farm bill done sooner rather than later.

“Farm bill now and not waiting until — I mean, we’ve got an extension, but we need to get to work on a farm bill,” he said.

WWW.FARMERSNATIONALBANK.BANK SM-ST2133153

DUNCAN cont’d to page 17

TODAY’S FARM

17

Duncan said he is interested in the work being done on the Organizational Member Strategy and wants to explore how Farm Bureau can add specific value for its members.

“That is going to be one of the questions I want to try to pick apart and see what we can do for them that situates them uniquely in their business model because they are a Farm Bureau member,” he said.

“Farm Bureau does a lot of things that I would call — I’m a Presbyterian Sunday School teacher — I would compare it to common grace. We do legislative work. It benefits all of agriculture, whether they are members or not, like everybody benefits when the sun shines and the rain falls.

“I think if we could do more specific, strategic grace for our members, that would encourage and drive membership and place them in a position to be successful.”

Philip Nelson, who held the office of president for 10 years prior to Guebert’s tenure, was also nominated for president by delegates during the nomination process.

Duncan dismissed any suggestion that Nelson’s nomination signaled a rift within the IFB membership or delegate body.

“It was his right to do it. That is our process. At the end of the day, we worked through our process and the delegates chose the next president and I am honored to be that president,” Duncan said.

“I set about the work of the organization and I work for every member, period. That is how I view that.”

Hearing their voices, being their voice Duncan promises to focus on farmers’ priorities, from profits to polices and more

By JEANNINE OTTO | jotto@shawmedia.com

POLO, Ill. — As a livestock farmer and a grain farmer, Brian Duncan always has his eye on the bottom line.

Now that he is the president of Illinois Farm Bureau, he is determined to keep an eye on that bottom line for all of IFB’s members — and to add value to their memberships.

“One thing I am going be very focused on is profitability, making sure markets function as they should, always keeping an eye out for the impact that mergers and consolidations can have and continue to have, not just on the livestock sector, but all of agriculture,” he said.

Duncan and wife, Kelly, live in the house that Duncan himself was raised in, north of Polo, in Ogle County.

The Duncans raise corn, soybeans and wheat and they operate a wean-to-finish hog operation, with partner Keith Poole.

Three of Duncan’s four children work with him on the farm, which also includes a custom cattle feeding business.

“Levi is the oldest, he is with me full time. Sara farms with us full time, she is married to Carl and they have a son, Caleb. Emma is my bookkeeper, she is married to Danny and they have two daughters, Ivy and Violet. Molly is our youngest daughter and she is a crew leader and technician for The Nature Conservancy at Nachusa Grasslands,” Duncan said.

"GREAT DEALS GREAT SERVICE SINCE 1926"

VAESSEN BROTHERS CHEVROLET, INC.

DO I SMELL A PROBLEM?

Call Us Today!

• Sewer Rodding • Sewer Televising & Trailer Jetting • Sewer & Water Line Repairs • Site Plumbing • Drainfields & Septics • Backhoe • Boilers • Furnaces • In Floor Heat

HIGHWAY 52 SUBLETTE, IL 61367 800-227-5203 WWW.VAESSENBROTHERS.COM

SM-ST2132559

Family ties are important to Duncan and he credits similar connections in IFB for helping him during his six years as vice president.

“I am very appreciative of the friendships I have made and the support I had in my six years as vice president. I am very hopeful and optimistic about the future,” he said.

“No doubt there will be challenges that we face, but we will face them together and we have a strong, resilient organization.”

One of the perspectives that Duncan brings to the office of IFB president is the perspective of an independent pork producer.

“I think we need and are very dependent on a vibrant livestock industry in this state, from a consumption standpoint, to the crop producers, to an economic development standpoint. Livestock is vital for the opportunities it brings, not just for farmers, but for the state,” he said.

One of the most pressing issues that Duncan will be watching and weighing in on is the farm bill. In November, Congress passed a government funding bill to keep the federal government open through Jan. 19, 2024, and a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill, which expired at the end of September.

VOICES cont’d to page 18

• Kitchen & Bath Remodels • Garbage Disposals • Water Heaters • Submersible Water Pumps • Sump Pumps • Ejector Pumps • Goulds Jet Pumps • Underground Boring

Family Owned & Operated since 1967!

IL licensed 055-000988

815-284-2044 502 IL Rt 2, Dixon

SHAW MEDIA Sauk Valley Media/ shawlocal.com/sauk-valley • Wednesday, January 10, 2024

DUNCAN cont’d from page 16

Sauk Valley Media/ shawlocal.com/sauk-valley • Wednesday, January 10, 2024

SHAW MEDIA

18

TODAY’S FARM Princeton farmer helping chart Farm Bureau’s course Hultine joins Duncan in new leadership role, as vice president Shaw Local News Network

Photo provided by Catrina Rawson

Illinois Farm Bureau’s new vice president, Evan Hultine.

VOICES cont’d from page 17 That extension would take farm bill negotiations into the height of the 2024 presidential election season — with a vote on a new farm bill potentially happening in a lame-duck Congress.

Duncan said he hopes that won’t be necessary.

“My hope would be that Congress could tackle this and craft a new farm bill in the spring. I have heard some rumblings that they would like to do it in the spring, ahead of the election season,” he said.

“If that can happen, I don’t know, but that is certainly the direction I would be encouraging members of Congress to take and solve this sooner rather than later.”

Another area Duncan will be involved with is the Organizational Member Strategy, or OMS, which explores ways to boost membership and add value for Farm Bureau members.

“I think we need to find a way to give our members a competitive advantage for their business that we can provide, something for them as Farm Bureau members, beyond advocacy,” he said.

“I think there are things we can do from a business development and a personal growth standpoint that can give our members a competitive advantage as farmers. As we work to develop those

A Princeton grain farmer was elected vice president of the Illinois Farm Bureau.

Evan Hultine will join new IFB President Brian Duncan, a grain and livestock farmer from Polo, at the helm of the organization. They each will serve a two-year term.

Four new members also were elected to serve two-year terms on the IFB board of directors: LuAnn Matejcak of Will County, Rick Edwards III of Adams County, Paul Beisiegel of St. Clair County and John Howard of Jefferson County.

The IFB’s 329 voting delegates elected the new leaders during during the organization’s annual meeting in Chicago, Dec. 2-4.

The IFB is a nonprofit, membership organization directed by farmers who join through their county farm bureau.

“This organization stands on the shoulders of giants – our farmer members who have come before and plotted a course for this organization,” Duncan said. “I look forward to navigating and charting that course along with them, our county farm bureaus and our board of directors into the next chapter.

“It is an incredible privilege to work alongside

programming opportunities, I think that will lead to greater member engagement.”

Duncan said he hears and understands the time constraints that may keep members from being as involved as they want to be.

“I have had several people who have aged out of Young Leaders say that they are in a very busy season of life, with kids and everything else. So, can we give them opportunities for spot service, that may not be long-term commitments? I think we will look to build those kinds of things,” he said.

“Giving opportunities for meaningful service, spot service, and, along the way, providing a competitive advantage for them in their business are things I hope to build out.”

Duncan said the focus for his presidency will continue to be on members and what they want.

“We need to remember that, at Illinois Farm Bureau, we take our positions based on policy. That policy is put in place by our members. When we go to speak, we are speaking for the members,” he said.

“I think maintaining and remembering how our positions are focused and how we do our business has been key to our success in the past and it will be key to our success in the future.”

the team we have at IFB.” In his capacity as IFB president, Duncan also is president of Country Financial, part of the Illinois Agricultural Service Co. and chair of the IAA Foundation. Previously, Duncan served as IFB vice president.

Hultine has served as Bureau County Farm Bureau president since 2017. He previously served as Bureau County Farm Bureau Young Leader chair, a IFB Young Leader Committee member from 2013 to 2016, IFB Young Leader chair from 2016 to 2017, and American Farm Bureau Federation Issues Advisory Committee member from 2017 to 2021.

He is a recipient of the 2022 IFB Young Leader Achievement Award. In 2023, he placed third in the American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award competition. He holds a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from the University of Illinois.

Hultine is a sixth-generation farmer in Princeton, where he grows corn, soybeans and seed corn.

“For just as our crops flourish with proper care, so does an organization thrive when it nurtures and invests in its members,” Hultine said during his candidate speech to the delegate body. “Whether you know it or not, you’ve been investing in me for many years now.

“Now you’re cashing in on your investment in me to see the policies, the values and the vision that resonate with each of you and to create the Illinois Farm Bureau that you want to be a partner with.”

TODAY’S FARM

19

n Vets find comfort in common ground, and a way to help feed their community, thanks to a northern Illinois group

By ALI PRESTON FarmWeek

Editor’s note: This story is part of the Cultivating Our Communities campaign, a collaboration by Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Specialty Growers Association to showcase Illinois’ diverse farmers.

Ellen Ewing doesn’t consider herself a farmer or even an agriculturalist. But her interest in food and nutrition as well as a personal mission to help others has her elbow-deep in soil.

After reading an article titled “From Battlefields to Farm Fields” and seeing how horticulture therapy had positively impacted her oldest son’s life, Ewing set out to fill a big gap: A need for a sense of community among veterans, and addressing food scarcity in North Chicago.

In 2016, she became the founding president of Growing Healthy Veterans — a nonprofit that engages active and retired military members in therapeutic horticulture and service to the community.

The work began years before that, though, when

Ewing’s oldest son, Lukan Paulus, found solace and therapy in horticulture. Living in an environmental community with its own farm and community garden, Ewing said Paulus began working in the garden.

A few community garden projects later, Paulus had certifications in sustainable agriculture from College of Lake County and in horticultural therapy at the Chicago Botanical Garden.

Through one project, Ewing and Paulus became connected with a Master Gardener and decided they wanted to do similar work as a nonprofit.

Recalling the “From Battlefields to Farm Fields” article, Ewing said it “focused on how veterans are very suited to agriculture because of their training as veterans, but also a lot of them come from farms and so we decided that that’s what we would do.”

Growing Healthy Veterans (formerly Growing Healthy People) was formed by Paulus and Air Force veteran Marshall Fox. After two successful years of growing at the Prairie Crossing Community Garden in Grayslake, North Chicago mayor Leon Rockingham offered Growing Healthy Veterans use of part of a 14-acre city-owned property, creating the North Chicago Community Garden.

VETERANS cont’d to page 20

Photo by Ali Preston

Ellen Ewing (left) and Calvin Piktel, Growing Healthy Veterans operations manager, are seen here at the North Shore Community Garden. Growing Healthy Veterans uses part of the 14-acre city-owned land, with a Phase 2 expansion planned.

The future of agriculture depends on our hard work today. That’s why we’re proud to support the National FFA Organization and help inspire the next generation of agriculture dreams.

SUPPORTING THE FARMERS OF TOMORROW

Bob Maltry, Agent 709 N Brinton Ave Dixon, IL 61021 (815) 288-4206

P

R

O

O

F

American Family Mutual Insurance Company, S.I. & Its Operating Companies, 6000 American Parkway, Madison, WI 53783 ©2019 016630 – Rev. 11/21 – 20893024

SHAW MEDIA Sauk Valley Media/ shawlocal.com/sauk-valley • Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Turning guns into plowshares

Sauk Valley Media/ shawlocal.com/sauk-valley • Wednesday, January 10, 2024

SHAW MEDIA

20

TODAY’S FARM VETERANS cont’d from page 19 By fall 2018, 33 veterans had participated in the program and distributed more than 1,000 pounds of produce to families, residents and local food pantries, but the impact went beyond that.

Ewing had helped create a community for United States veterans.

“There are proven studies that horticulture therapy really benefits veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder or morale injury and people with depression,” she said. “Also, you’re growing for a veteran. You’re creating life and seeing it grow as opposed to what they’ve been involved with, unfortunately, before they came back.”

But Ewing said additional benefits have been discovered.

“They can talk to each other and form a community, which they haven’t been able to do,” she said. “Even bigger is that they are back serving their country because North Chicago is one of the biggest food deserts in Illinois.”

Ewing said it’s hard to describe what it feels like to have a participating veteran share “they probably wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for our program,” but she said there’s nothing else she’d rather be doing than dedicating her time to help others.

The North Chicago Community Garden also helps Ewing stay con-

nected to Paulus, who passed away two years ago.

“This was his dream, so being here makes me closer to him,” she said.

And her legacy is to continue Paulus’ work.

“One of the things that we are saying over and over now is that we want to turn North Chicago from being a food desert to being a food beacon. I would love my legacy to be that cities all over the country recognize the extreme value for getting veterans involved in urban agriculture, helping to feed people,” she said.

While she works to curb food deserts, she’s already leaving a mark on those around her.

“In so many ways, she does way too much. She’s a good example of what you can do if you really have your mind set to something,” said Calvin Piktel, Growing Healthy Veterans operations manager. “I feel very, very fortunate to be able to work with her and learn everything that she has to know. And she just inspires me every day.”

For more information on the project, go to growinghealthyveterans.org

This story was distributed through a cooperative project between Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Press Association. For more food and farming news, visit FarmWeekNow.com.

Taking a hands-off approach to milking Robotic systems can boost dairy farms’ output

By MARTHA BLUM | Shaw Media AgriNews FORT ATKINSON, Wis. — Dairy cows milked with robotic systems have more behavior freedom and as a result there’s a potential for better health and milk production.

“The key is voluntary milking which allows the cows to milk when they want to,” said Trevor DeVries, professor at the University of Guelph and Canada Research Chair in Dairy Cattle Behavior and Welfare.

“We’d like that to happen on a regular interval,” said DeVries during a webinar hosted by Hoard’s Dairyman. “We want that to match other aspects of her time budget, as well, so the cow can eat, drink and lie down when she wants to.”

However, the professor said, the benefits may not always be realized.

DeVries recently completed a large study in Canada where 200 farms were surveyed and the researchers benchmarked all the production and health data for one and a half years.

“Cows may not milk when they want to because they can’t get to the robot,” he said. “A lot of things influence that and the biggest thing is the design and management of the facilities.”

There many ways to design robotic milking facilities — retrofit existing facilities, build new facilities or set up robots in pens in different configurations.

“From my perspective, the cow traffic has the biggest effect on voluntary milking,” DeVries said. “We see a difference in cow behavior between free and guided traffic systems.”

DAIRY cont’d to page 21

We have protected area farm families for over 150 years and will continue to do so for many more.

Find out how important local, hometown insurance can be. Call one of our friendly agents today!

First Class Insurance Agency Milledgeville 815-225-7777 Dixon 815-284-7070 SM-ST2132546

Hugh F. Miller Insurance Agency, Inc. Rock Falls 815-626-1300

Scholl Insurance Agency Polo 815-946-2324

Leffelman & Associates Inc. Amboy 815-857-2125 Sublette 815-849-5219

Sauk Valley Insurance Inc. Dixon IL 815-288-2541

TODAY’S FARM In a study of 75 farms, the majority had free traffic with less than 15% using a guided traffic system.

“There was a higher milking frequency on farms with free traffic coupled with more feed bunk visits, as well,” DeVries said.

“We saw an improvement in milk yield with greater frequency of milking visits per day, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get good milk visits from guided system barns, but it probably takes a higher level of management to achieve a similar level of production as free traffic,” he said.

For stocking density, a lot of dairymen are in the 50- to 55-cow range per robot.

“Above that it becomes more challenging to manage the cows well,” DeVries said. “If we’re going to push a higher number of cows per robot unit, we need to make sure everything else is managed very well so we don’t lose milking frequency and milk yield.”

The amount of bunk space is still important in robotic systems.

“Cows spend from four to five hours a day eating and 11 to 12 hours per day lying down,” DeVries said.

“When we change their eating or lying behavior, we see production effects.”

In the Canadian study, there was 25 inches per cow for feed bunk space.

“We saw 2.5 pounds difference in milk yield based on the amount of bunk space available,” the professor said. “We need to make sure environments are comfortable and cows can get to the resources they want to in order to optimize their behavior and maximize their production.”

Mobility is the biggest contributor for cows that don’t want to go to the robot, DeVries said.

“A lame cow has pain often in her hoof or somewhere in her leg which restricts her desire to milk voluntarily,” DeVries said.

“When a cow is lame, she has pain that will restrict her movement and is less willing to get up and go to the robot so we see lame cows are 2.2 times more likely to be fetched for milking,” he said. “Lame cows had 0.3 less milkings per day and as a result they produced less milk.”

Management that dairymen know with conventional systems translates to robot barns for foot health and mobility, DeVries said.

“There is less lameness for farms that had wider stalls, stalls with more lunge space, deep sand bedding and lesser stocking density,” he said, “as well as the amount of bunk space so the cows were able to eat when they want which limits the time they are standing around waiting for access to

feed.”

For udder health and management, DeVries said, the milking procedure with a robotic system can be a lot better from a consistency standpoint.

“We don’t see prolonged negative effects with robots,” DeVries said.

“From an environmental standpoint, we need to make sure we keep these cows as clean as possible,” he said. “When a cow goes into a robot with a dirty udder, that robot isn’t going to differentiate that dirty udder from a cleaner one.”

Bedding management is very important for udder health.

“Sand is king not only from a comfort perspective, but also in terms of maintaining good udder health as long as the sand is kept well maintained,” DeVries said.

“One of opportunities for udder health management in robotic milking is the risk of over milking individual quarters is potentially decreased,” the professor said.

“We can probably do a better job of drying off cows with robots,” he said.

“Getting cows’ milk production down prior to dryoff is important to minimize the risk of udder engorgement in those early days post dryoff and it also reduces the risk of early dry period udder infection events.”

Nutrition plays a critical role for stimulating voluntary milking for cows in robotic systems, DeVries said.

“It’s not just the feed we provide in the robot, we also know the eating behavior of cows at the feed bunk plays a big role in voluntary milking of cows,” the professor said.

“This study shows a feeding response in cows when we deliver fresh feed and we also see a milking response,” he said. “When there’s a peak in eating activity, we also see a peak in milking activity and we see some smaller peaks with feed push-up, as well.”

To maximize the efficiency of the milking unit and optimize the behavior of cows, DeVries said, the goal is to get cows to spread out their milking evenly across the 24-hour period.

“Then there will be less periods of time when the cows are standing and waiting for access to the robot,” DeVries said.

“We have an opportunity with robots to do a better job of meeting individual cow production needs and to push production on the highest producing cows,” he said, but “there are challenges with this so there is more research to do there.”

Martha Blum can be reached at 815-410-2254, or mblum@shawmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at: @AgNews_Blum.

Growers look for a bigger market share Producers search for new ways to boost their business beyond farmers markets

By TAMMIE SLOUP FarmWeek

Farmers markets can be a great jumping-off point for many producers, but where do they go when they want to reach more customers?

Some are making that leap to the next level and landing on their feet behind their own food stand, in a store, online, or as part of a co-op.

It just depends on how much they want to grow.

“There are a lot of challenges with the farmers market being your main sales outlet for direct-to-consumer sales,” said Christina Marbury, marketing director for Michigan-based Taste the Local Difference, a media marketing company for local food.

Some of those issues include time consumption, dependence on weather and a limited audience.

“You’re only selling to those people who are already interested enough in local food to come to the farmers market, and have the level of equity that they’re able to come ... and shop in that space,” Marbury said during the National Agricultural Marketing Summit in Washington, D.C. Marbury works with specialty producers, retail stores, restaurants and pretty much anyone in the local food scene to expand their business through various marketing strategies.

Farm stands and stores “I’m seeing an increase of a lot of different types of farm stands and stores that aren’t just the very basic, ‘I sell a few products on the side of the road’ sort of stand,” she said.

MARKETS cont’d to page 22

www.commstbk.com

We focus on your finances, so you can focus on your farm.

• Operating • Equipment

• Livestock • Real Estate

Agriculture Loans Morrison • 815-772-4011 Fulton • 815-589-9090

Sterling • 815-625-4300

Rock Falls • 815-625-1110 Dixon • 815-284-8500

Meet Our Ag Lenders:

Dean Zuidema

SM-ST2128964

Kevin Schisler

Don Beswick

Greg Nickrent

Brandon Meyer

SHAW MEDIA Sauk Valley Media/ shawlocal.com/sauk-valley • Wednesday, January 10, 2024

DAIRY cont’d from page 20

21

Sauk Valley Media/ shawlocal.com/sauk-valley • Wednesday, January 10, 2024

SHAW MEDIA

22

TODAY’S FARM MARKETS cont’d from page 21 “They’re getting into indoor spaces where a lot of people are putting up an iPad with a Square card reader so people can check themselves out, and a lot are bringing products from other farms in and really trying to build up a farm store that really can serve as a small grocery stop for folks.”

But farm stands and stores aren’t for everyone. Location plays a key role, and if an outlet is in a remote location with limited traffic, the venture might not be successful.

Diversity of products also is an important factor.

“If you have a farm that produces one main product, you’re probably not going to be able to have a thriving farm store,” Marbury said. “Being able to sell a diversity of products can be super valuable.”

Staffing is also a consideration.

Luckily, options are available for farms that can’t always staff their stands or stores, including self-checkout.

“Every state’s regulations are different in terms of what you can do if it is staffed or not staffed, but there are many benefits and challenges to each of them,” she said.

“I think one of the biggest challenges of having a farm stand (or store) that is not staffed is that you generally cannot accept SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).”

She pointed to two Michigan operations seeing success with direct-to-consumer operations, including Green Things Farm Collective, a diversified farm in Ann Arbor.

“They opened this farm stand that they have since expanded quite a bit, so now they sell not only their own products, but they have bulk bins of local grains and oatmeal and things like that, and a lot of other processed products from other local businesses,” Marbury said. “They’ve seen the farm stand really become a hub of their sales, and they do still go to the farmers market.”

Online stores While this strategy is growing, Mar-

bury cautioned online sales are not for every producer.

Is the farm capable of producing adequate inventory and handling order processing? What are the pickup and delivery options? Is the marketing commitment there? These are all questions producers should ask themselves prior to moving into online sales.

“A lot of subscription options are moving online,” she said. “I think it has been a great way for some farms to continue to serve customers who don’t want to go to the market or want to have a way that they can really simply get the food that they want but they also don’t want to be maybe a CSA (community supported agriculture) member so it might be more flexible than a typical CSA.” Marbury spends much of her time talking with operators of farms and other food businesses about selling online and helping them build their online stores. And they have a ton of options for online platforms.

She listed just a few built specifically for farmers, including: GrownBy, Local Line, Local Food Marketplace and Barn2Door.

Her last piece of advice for online stores is investing in great product photography to entice customers.

Cooperatives Taking some of the logistical challenges from selling direct to consumers and collecting multiple farms into one place is the general model of cooperatives. Members split the work, including marketing, sales and logistics.

“I really like that this sort of system allows farmers to really focus on what they’re best at and not feel like they need to do everything because they’re working together with other folks who can provide those other products,” Marbury said, adding cooperatives can include physical sales structures as well as virtual to create their own mini food hubs.

This story was distributed through a cooperative project between Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Press Association. For more food and farming news, visit FarmWeekNow.com.

Matt Hermes

Designated Managing Broker Specializing in Farm Sales & Management

1254 N. Galena, Dixon 815-288-4648 Ogle County:

222 +/- Acres, Woosung Twp. Almost all tillable, excellent soils, high PI. DING PEN 155 +/- Acres, Woosung Twp. Approx 98% tillable, very productive.

DING PEN Gtillable, productive w/good soils.

80 +/- Acres, Woosung Twp. Approx 97% NDIN PE 99+/- Acres, Buffalo Twp. Excellent soils, just SE of Polo on Union & Judson Rds. 98 +/- Acres Scott Twp. 90 +/- tillable, just SW of Davis Junction.

Carroll & Ogle County: 215 +/- Ac in Elkhorn Grove (Carroll) & Eagle Point (Ogle), 141.5+/- tillable.

Whiteside County: 715,000 bu grain storage setup in great Sterling location!

Since 1869 Providing insurance coverage for local homes and farms

Adami Insurance Agency 712 First Avenue, Rock Falls 815-625-6220 tracey.adamiagency@gmail.com

Hugh F. Miller Insurance Agency, Inc. 801 First Avenue, Rock Falls 815-626-1300 hughmillerinsurance.com

HanfordSchuneman Insurance Agency 312 Washington St, Prophetstown (815) 537.2301 www.hanford-ins.com

Kaczmarzyk Agency Inc. 1022 S IL Rt. 2, Oregon 815-732-3148 kaczins@outlook.com

B V-A

Stenzel Insurance 102 N. Elm, Franklin Grove 815-456-2319 roxy@stenzelinsurance.com

Miller Insurance Group

427 N. Main Street, Rochelle 815-561-9911 fax: 815-561-9912 email: insure10@frontier.com

Query Insurance Agency 330 May Mart Drive, Rochelle 815-562-4152 tbecker@crumhalsted.com

Cornerstone Insurance Agency 102 W. Main, Morrison 815-772-2793 lsandrock@2cornerstone.com

Sauk Valley Insurance Services 109 6th Street, Dixon 815-288-2541 www.saukvalleyinsurance.com

Leffelman & Associates Amboy 815-857-2125 lisa@leffelmanassoc.com LaMoille 815-638-2171 lexi@leffelmanassoc.com Sublette 815-849-5219 chris@leffelmanassoc.com

Baylor Insurance Agency

Mel Saad Agency

Lee Center 815-857-2716 rbaylor1@gmail.com

928 8th Avenue, Erie 309-659-2470 saad@mchsi.com

BRADFORD VICTOR-ADAMS

MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY Member Owned and Operated

Our Contact Information 120 W. South Street, Franklin Grove 815-456-2334 www.bradfordmutual.com SM-ST2132564 SM-ST1791864