Guess Who

Posted by Allyson

Can you guess who this baby bottle belongs to?  If you guessed Schmidt the calf, you're right!  Schmidt gets a bottle of his mom's milk once in the morning and again in the evening.  Since Emma gets milked only once a day right now, her milk must be saved and reheated just like it is for a baby.  Once Schmidt gets a bit bigger, he'll start getting a bottle three times a day.  He gets the milk in a bottle rather than directly from the cow as its safer for both calf and mother that way.  In a couple of months when his stomach is more fully developed, we'll start weaning him off milk and onto a more plant-based diet of grass, hay, grain, and water.

New Season, New Faces, New Opportunities

Posted by Allyson

We had a great volunteer orientation and refresher training on Wednesday evening to get our new and returning volunteers ready for the start of the new season next week.  It was great to see some familiar faces again and welcome a few newcomers, too!  This year, we'll be offering opportunities for the whole family to get involved in volunteering at Wagner Farm.  Most of our positions require that volunteers be at least 16 years of age, but children who are under the age of 16 will be able to volunteer this year as long as they are accompanied by an adult and have completed grade 4 by the start of the season.  We had our first mom and daughter duo join us on Wednesday and are excited to meet more families as the season gets underway this spring!  If you're interested in volunteering at Wagner Farm or the Glenview Farmers Market, I'd love to hear from you.  I can be reached at 847-657-1506 or allyson.dawson@glenviewparks.org.  If you'd like to stop by and chat in person, I'll be hosting a volunteer open house on Saturday, May 11 from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm.

A Farmer in the Making

Posted by Sarah

The staff at Wagner Farm love to teach all visitors, young and old, about where their food comes from.  One of our many class offerings, Dairy Detectives, teaches folks about dairy farming and its many benefits.  This young farmer had the opportunity to milk her very first cow last week (with the help of our director, Todd Price).  Once the cow has finished milking, our participants get to learn about the many products made from milk, and have the chance to make, and eat their very own homemade ice cream!  Sounds like a yummy way to learn about dairy farming!

Cutest Milk Mustache Ever?

Posted by Allyson

We think so, but like any good farmer, we are a bit partial to our own!

A Great Find

Posted by Allyson

Wagner Farm is now the proud owner of a 1944 Case tractor.  Jeff spotted the tractor at an auction down state and purchased it a few weeks ago.  It's not bright and shiny (yet), but it is a great find for a couple of reasons.  First, almost of all of the parts and pieces are original to the tractor.  This is exciting for staff and volunteers who have been looking for an original Case hood and fenders so that they can finish restoring the 1942 Case tractor in the basement that originally belonged to the Wagner family.  Second, once the tractor is cleaned up a bit, it will be a perfect addition to the Fordson on display in front of the Heritage Center.  Todd has been looking for another tractor to add outside since the Fordson gets so much use by our young visitors and is only so big.  Now that there's a little more room in the basement since Bob, Paul, Dick, and Scott have finished restoring the silage chopper, volunteers should be able to move the 1944 Case downstairs soon and begin stripping off the parts they need to finish restoring the 1942 Wagner original.  We're hoping that the restoration of the 1944 Case will be an Eagle Scout project.

"Cowsitting"

Posted by Allyson

Meet baby Schmidt and mom, Emma!  For the next few weeks, we'll be "cowsitting" Volkening Farm's newest mom and son duo while their farmer is away taking care of a new baby of his own.  For now, Schmidt's staying cozy in a pen that staff put together for him in the basement of the Heritage Center.  He's only one week old, and you can tell from the photos that he's a little guy so our farmers thought it best to keep him indoors until it feels a bit more like spring outside.  Emma will be out in the barn, though, so make sure to stop by the farm and give her your congratulations!

Happy National Ag Day!

Posted by Allyson

Did you know that it's National Ag Day today?  We suggest celebrating with a trip to Wagner Farm to teach the kids about where their food comes from.  If you stop by for a visit, be sure to thank our hardworking farmers!  Farmer Jeff will be here all day taking care of the livestock and making sure they're well-fed, warm and sheltered from the wind.  Here are a couple of fun facts about farming to share with others as you celebrate:

• A farmer can grow 24,000 heads of lettuce, 45,000 pounds of strawberries, 14,000 pounds of sweet corn or 36,000 pounds of potatoes on 1 acre of land.
• 95% of farms today are still family owned. 
• More food must be produced in the next 50 years than in the past 10,000 years.

A big thank you to all of our farmers and those who are linked to the land!

Community Garden Blog

Posted by Jen

There's a new blog in town.

In addition to Wagner Feed, we have a new blog called Wagner Farm Community Garden. The WFCG blog is geared towards informing and communicating with the 107 community gardeners in the 2013 community garden program, but it will also contain Q&A, gardening posts, and links of interest to gardeners of all types. Read about us here and watch how our gardens grow!

Almost Gone

Posted by Allyson

All of the snow around the farm has nearly melted.  Here's to hoping that spring is on the way!

Scouting at the Farm

Posted by Allyson

It was another cold day at the farm yesterday, but we still had a boy scout group join Carlin and Andres for one of our great scout programs, "All Tied Up."  Even though it was quite chilly, they still had a lot of fun using the hay track in the barn to lift and move straw bales.  Traditionally, the hay track (a system of pulleys and ropes with a hay fork at the end) was used to lift hay into the mow or hayloft of a barn.  This work was done using a team of draft horses and a small crew of farmhands.  In the program that we do, the scouts stand in as the horses and pull the rope to lift the fork.  Jeff and Andres demonstrated the hay track at our quarterly volunteer meeting last July and even got some volunteers to stand in as the horses, but I find that it never gets old seeing it used like it (almost) was for so many years.

Sweeping Away

Posted by Allyson

With not as many programs scheduled in the winter, Christine has had some time the past few months to focus on making some beautiful new handmade brooms for the Heritage Center Gift Shop. She began making brooms to sell in the gift shop and at the Glenview Farmers Market last winter and has developed quite a talent for it over the past year. Each one is made by hand using old fashioned craftsmanship and antique broom making equipment that was donated to or purchased by the farm. Stalks of heirloom broom corn that have been grown and harvested at Wagner Farm are included in each broom so that everyone who purchases one can own a little piece of Wagner Farm history. Last week, Christine even got one of our student volunteers involved in the process by having him help her weigh and bundle the broom corn so that it's ready to be made into brooms. Each broom is certainly a product of labor and love.

A Walk through Wagner History

Posted by Sarah

We are very lucky to have Beth Willwerth as a friend of the farm. She has spent countless hours researching the history of the Wagner Family.  This is not an easy task since there wasn't a lot of information left behind.  Staff from both Wagner and the Grove had the opportunity to pick Beth's brain as she took us on a tour through the lives of this farm family.  Beth started the day with a PowerPoint breaking down all the family trees, photos, etc.  We then visited the family grave sites at St. Joesph's Church and St. Mary's Cemetery.  We ended the day at the Glenview History Center where their wonderful volunteers provided lots of Wagner gems for us to look through.  Thank you to Beth  and the history center for an informative and fun day!

Homecoming for Abi

A friend to many Wagner Farm animals and humans alike came back to visit the farm this week.  Abi Raymaker was a 4-H member and farm volunteer before her family moved to the east coast a couple of years ago.  Nearly every day (regardless of the weather or holiday), Abi rode her bike to the farm to help with evening chores.  She was a huge help and a wonderful morale boost at the end of long farm days.  Her smiling face, kind nature and ease with the animals were invaluable to us.  It was wonderful to catch up and share a few hours of great conversation on the upper level of the Silo exhibit.   

We miss you Abi !!! 

Beth Willwerth and Jeff Wienski

Quiet Day on the Farm

Orion Samuelson Journeys to Wagner Farm

Posted by Allyson

We have another exciting event coming up at Wagner Farm this spring that I wanted to share with all of you.  On Wednesday, April 24, famed WGN farm broadcaster Orion "Big O" Samuelson will join us at our quarterly volunteer meeting at 7:00 pm.  Samuelson will speak and sign copies of his new memoir You Can't Dream Big Enough: The American Farmer's Friend for Over 60 Years.  Samuelson's book chronicles his journey from his parents' dairy farm to a broadcasting career that took him to 44 countries and meetings with world leaders including seven U.S. presidents.  Books will be available for purchase at the event or in advance in the Heritage Center Gift Shop.  RSVP required as seating will be limited.  Please join us in welcoming one of the country's most recognizable voices of agriculture at Wagner Farm on April 24!

RSVP to Allyson Dawson:

847-657-1506 or allyson.dawson@glenviewparks.org.   

Northshore Baconfest Volunteers Needed

Posted by Allyson

Hopefully, you've heard that on Saturday, April 27, the Friends of Wagner Farm will be hosting the first-ever Northshore Baconfest at Wagner Farm!  This adult only event will feature tastings of imaginative bacon creations prepared by chefs from many of the Northshore's best restaurants along with a side of live music featuring Bucky Halker, a cash bar, and an array of unique bacon-related merchandise available for purchase.  Proceeds from the event will benefit the Friends of Wagner Farm, a 501 (c)(3) support organization that provides funding for major initiatives and public programs offered by Wagner Farm. 

There are a couple of ways to get involved in this first-of-its-kind event.  You can attend the event as a guest by purchasing tickets online at www.northshorebaconfest.com.  Tickets are limited and must be purchased in advance.  Or, you can volunteer!  Volunteers will be needed in a variety of areas on Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27 ranging from setup crew, vendor check-in, and coat check to chef attendants, table bussers, facility monitors and VIP gift bag stuffers.  Sign up individually or with your business or organization and receive a free Northshore Baconfest t-shirt (and free smells)!  

Contact Allyson Dawson for more information: 

847-657-1506 or allyson.dawson@glenviewparks.org.