Just like the old days, we farmers still get together to help one another out when it comes to some of the jobs on the farm. However, in Cook County, Illinois we have to go a bit further to find a farm neighbor. The Volkening Heritage Farm located in Schaumburg (about 20 miles to the west) interprets the settlement of that part of the country by German immigrants in the 1880's. As the storyline goes, Wagner Farm fits well with Volkening in that we also interpret the German farmer. The contrast is the level of assimilation that the different generations of immigrants had to their adoptive country. By the 1920's the Wagners, and most of the surrounding Germans were speaking English and considering themselves as Americans. Especially since there had just been a World War against Germany.
The task that I went over to help out with was working pigs. When a sow has a litter of babies there are a number of things that should be done to keep them healthy. It was also good to check in and catch up with Evan and Patti who run the museum.
