Chicago moms visit DeKalb County farm Dina Barron of Oak Park wanted to meet a farmer and learn more about food production. As a mother of six children, she had concerns about food safety.
“As a mom, I want to make sure that my kids are getting good, safe foods,” said Barron. “And I had concerns and questions (for farmers),” she said.
Lynn Martz talks to Chicago moms and answers questions during a tour of the family beef and grain farm. Last month’s farm visit was the final tour of the year for the Chicago moms group.
What she found in her farm visits was transparency among farmers who welcomed conversations about farm and food topics.
“Farmers were respectful of consumers’ concerns and were very open about topics like hormones and antibiotics,” said Barron. The Chicago mom was also impressed with farm technology and the science and business side of agriculture.
Lynn and Mike Martz welcomed the group of Chicago moms to their farm just like they have been doing for the past three years as part of the Illinois Farm Families program. The Martz/Larson family talked about their grain and cattle farm and had discussions about GMO’s, antibiotics, hormones, and animal care.
“We feel it’s important to have these conversations with consumers about our farm products,” said Lynn Martz. “By visiting our farm they can see first-hand how we raise cattle and grow crops and then share that information with their city friends.”
At the Larson family farm in Maple Park, the Chicago moms were treated to a ride in the combine and a delicious beef lunch. Family members showed the urban women how to prepare beef brisket, shared family beef recipes, and offered tips on cooking beef.
The Larson Farm was the last tour of the year for the Chicago moms group. In previous tours the women visited the Gould hog farm in Maple Park, the Drendel dairy farm in Hampshire, the Jeschke grain farm in Mazon and a grocery store to learn about food labeling.
Dina Barron of Oak Park was excited to ride in a combine and observe harvest. As one of the Chicago moms, she was impressed by the technology and autosteer features of the combine.
Chicago moms are part of the Illinois Farm Families coalition sponsored by the Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Pork Producers Association, Illinois Corn Marketing Board, Illinois Soybean Association, Illinois Beef Association and Midwest Dairy Association. Illinois Farm Families are committed to having conversations with consumers, answering their questions about food, farmers and farming, and sharing what really happens on today’s Illinois family farms.
Illinois Farm Families is now accepting applications for the 2015 Chicago moms. Chicago and suburban moms can apply by going to: www.watchusgrow.org.
Article from the November DeKalb County Farm Bureau Connections publication
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