Happy Halloween From Wagner Farm

Our own master pumpkin carver

If you have driven down Wagner Road in late October you have likely seen the carved pumpkin display out in front of the Wagner farmhouse. For the last 15 plus years our own Farmer Jeff has been the man behind the amazing creation. He usually starts a couple days before Halloween and uses pumpkins that others don't want. Maybe the pumpkin is odd sized or has a broken stem or even a little rot going on. Jeff takes the rejects, adds in a couple more and really makes something worth seeing. As of today, Jeff has completed the first of two tiers on the wagon so there is still a lot of carving yet to do.
If you happen to come by, see if you can pick out the couple pumpkins Farmer Andres helped out with this year. Look for the cow, pig and cat.

Kicking off the Dinner Season

As the leaves start to fall we switch gears from school tours to working the Farmhouse Dinners program. With a little wood stove and a handful of 1920's recipes we make history come alive. In this job there are a few times when you can actually imagine you have traveled back in time. For me it is strongest when I'm out plowing with the horses and when I'm sitting at the old oak table surrounded by smells of a old time meal. So here's to starting our 5th Dinners season. By the way, if you are interested in booking a meal give Sarah a call. You don't want to miss out.

Another job off the list

When the parking lot was built in 2002 it seems the contractor didn't use treated lumber. Take nine years of Illinois weather and most of the fence was being held together with nothing but paint. The fence replacement project started with the demolition help from the Kraft Foods volunteers at the beginning of the month. Then Andy and Rob took on the task of digging 55 new post holes and nailing on 165 new fence boards. This time the fence was built right. Not only did they use treated lumber but every post is sitting in concrete. Check the blog in nine years and we'll see how this fence is fairing.

Moving pumpkins

If you have ever wondered how all those pumpkins get to Wagner I can tell you it takes a lot of work. Because we only have 18 acres we do not have enough room to grow all the pumpkins that we would need. We buy most of our crop from local Wisconsin and Illinois farms and then truck them to Wagner. In the course of an average season we sell about 46 tons of pumpkins. At about 5-10 pounds a piece that ends up being a lot of gourds. We really appreciate all the support folks give us by coming to the farm to get their mums and pumpkins. The money that we raise through the Fall and Winter sales goes to off set the cost of feed for the livestock here at the farm. So thank you for your help.
Great job Jeff and Andres!

Buttercup is back

After a long "vacation" from Wagner our favorite Jersey is back.

Angry Birds...right here in Glenview

So the picture doesn't really do it justice but it was an interesting morning. On my way to the barn I walked through whatever the plural of flocks of birds is. With fall setting in we have an over abundance of winged critters. From the Canada geese to the occasional black bird the farm is a "must stop" on the feathered feeding circle. This morning I think it was mostly sparrows that I disturbed as I made my way to the barn. Usually the birds just take off as you approach. Today they formed a kind of funnel cloud of winged furry around my position. OK, it really wasn't that menacing but it impressed me enough that I went back and got my camera so I could tell the story.

Pumpkin Sales!

Are you still looking for that perfect pumpkin for home? Make a weekend trip to Wagner Farm and pick out a pumpkin and all your fall fixings.

2011 Dairy Days

Every once in a while the Wagner team gets the chance to leave the farm and help other organizations spread the word about agriculture. This week a handful of our staff has been going up to Golden Oaks Farm to lead programs for their Dairy Days. Golden Oaks is a state of the art dairy in Lake County that produces over 6,200 gallons of milk every day. Just for a reference, that is enough milk for more than 100,000 people to all have an 8 oz. glass of milk.
The folks up at Golden Oaks had a really neat day set up for the kids. In the section that I lead we talked about cattle nutrition and Total Mixed Rations or TMR. For a cow to be healthy they need certain amounts of different foodstuff. After I showed the kids everything a cow eats from cracked corn to cotton seed we had the kids make a TMR of their own. Only their TMR was breakfast cereals that represented the ratios of the different feeds that are combined to make the cow's dinner. It was a pretty creative way to illustrate the TMR concept.

Corn Harvest Part 2

Corn Harvest Part 1

This past weekend we hosted the 10th annual Corn Harvest Festival. In keeping with the theme we had all kinds of activities surrounding that great Illinois crop of corn. There was corn husk dolls, corn picking, broom corn harvesting, broom making and corn shelling demonstrations. We even carried the theme over to the lunch with a specially made corn chowder. Attendance was strong with 2,394 guests during the day. And with that, we close out the 2011 special event season!

Getting serious with broom corn

Thanks to the detective work by our own Lindsay, we now have an electric broom corn machine. In years past we did the demonstrations with a Shaker model from the 1860's. While really neat to have in the historical collection, it was risky to be actually using something so valuable. Not to mention, it wasn't easy using "the old method" when you know there is something out there that is much easier. That easier method is called a kicker machine. The big idea that made the kicker so much better is that when you are adding the wire that is at the top of the broom you can keep the tension very tight on the broom stick. Next time you are sweeping up, take a look at your broom. The wire that holds the broom straw to the stick is super tight. In the Shaker model this tension is all done by grasping the broom stick in your hand while winding the wire with your other hand. A hard job to do, even in the 1860's. The kicker machine held the broom handle in place while you stepped, or kicked the treadle. Each step on the treadle would cause the broom stick to make a 1/4 turn. Between each turn of the broom stick you would add more broom straw and then kick the treadle again until you had made all the rotations needed to fill out the broom. Lindsay's machine has one truly awesome upgrade and that is the kicker is motorized. The kicker machine and the accompanying deseeder are all from the 1930's and are electrically powered. Now here comes the scary/interesting part. Like most machines from that era, OSHA and operator safety was not part of the design work. The machines we got happen to be from the Ohio School for the Blind. Wow, learning by feel takes on a whole new meaning when you are talking about this kind of machinery. We are having a lot of fun working with our new set up. It is our hope to start making brooms from our farm and selling them in the gift shop. Now that would be "locally sourced"!

Shed update

Today with help of John and the mighty Bobcat we were able to put the final rock grade down in the farm shed. It was surprising that it took 5 dump truck loads of rock to fill the shed floor and create the approach. We used crushed sandstone so that it will match the existing driveway and because of how well it packs. It almost gets like concrete after driving on it for a while. I also heard that it is a lot better for the trees around the driveway as it doesn't change the pH of the soil like crushed limestone does.

Our neighbors to the north

This week our friends in Glen Oak Acres had their annual Fall Fest at the farm. They had great weather and a lot of eager families join in the fun. Besides the chili cook off, wagon rides, scarecrow building and tons of games they also used the occasion to raise money for a local charity, Feed the Dream.

Glenview 7th graders go back in time

This week the farm hosted about 280 7th graders from Springman Middle School in Glenview. This is the second year we have done a day long program for the local middle schools and all of the students, teachers, and our staff have a great time! The kids get a chance to learn about Glenview during the 1920's and how farming connected to the overall community. Students do domestic chores such as sewing, luandry, and cooking; they learn about livestock care and farm machinery; they visit our 1930's grocery store and learn about bartering and store credit; they even get to milk a cow-a highlight for all! This was also the first time we have used our new shed for a program. Though the staff is pretty tired by the end of the week, this is a very rewarding program, and you leave feeling very happy to have taught so many kids about Glenview's history. Thanks for visiting Springman!

Isabel meets Isabel

This past weekend my friend Brett brought his little girl Isabel to the farm to meet all the animals. The horses were big, the chickens were noisy and the pigs were showing off. The best part was when Isabel got to feed the calf Isabel her noon bottle. Even though it is a big bottle she can take it down in only a couple minutes. A fun day on the farm.