Dear Friends and Farmers,

Over the summer, a handful of Historic Wagner Farm staff and volunteers took a field trip to visit our friends at Golden Oaks Farm in Wauconda, Illinois. Golden Oaks is a local, family-owned dairy farm dedicated to maintaining the integrity of agriculture in a suburban setting, and regularly provides the community an opportunity to see what it means to run a modern dairy farm.

Dear friends and farmers,

If you ask a kid what they would find on a farm, what would they say? Ok, well, after they list all of the animals Old MacDonald had. Barns the most recognized structure on a farm. Even people who have never seen a farm know what a barn is, what it looks like and what it's used for. The barn is the center piece of the farm - and for good reason! It keeps the farm's livestock, feed and tools dry and safe.

Dear friends and farmers,

This weekend was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining, it was warm and the birds were singing. Where was all of this beautiful weather last weekend during the Fall Harvest Festival?! Despite the chilly breeze and the drizzle through the morning, we still had a lot fun last Saturday as young farmers donning sweaters and rain boots joined us to harvest beans from the field.

Tractor Talk: The Farm’s Massey-Harris 33
Tractor Talk is a recurring column written by ScottAllen Barber for Wagner Tales.

I wish I could report our Massey-Harris 33 had all sorts of history with the Wagner family and their property, however, it does not!  As it is one of our few tractors that has running lights for evening operation and thus might be used for the Fall Harvest Festival this Saturday, October 18, this seemed a appropriate time to profile this implement and the company’s history.

A Difficult Year for Honeybees
Written by Robin Forde for the Summer 2014 Issue of Wagner Tales

The honey bee is a prehistoric miracle, developed in concert with the equally ancient flower upon which she depends and serves. Those seemingly frivolous petals and that tiny creature, each fluttering and tossed by the gentlest breeze seem so fragile, but their mutual attraction weaves the world as we know it together.