Most farmers are very generous people. However, the business of farming is different than growing fruits and vegetables in a home garden or orchard with perhaps a few laying hens for eggs and a couple of ducks for insect control. The sustainable farmer has to generate enough income to continue annual production as well as meet basic financial and educational needs of the family. The challenge for crop farmers is to avoid mining fertility and organic matter from fields. The challenge for livestock farmers is to avoid destroying perennial plants and plant diversity that make up permanent pastures. As generous as farmers might want to be, they must be profitable to live and eat well.

Early Illinois farms were grass based and diverse out of necessity. Almost every farm had sheep, cattle, hogs, poultry and draft animals. Wool from sheep, down from flocks were made into clothing for the family. Meat, milk, butter, cheese and eggs nourished the family and their visitors. Flax was grown for linen "homespun." Horses and mules provided power to farm; the grass, hay and grain needed to feed these draft animals was an early example of the practical use of farm grown renewable energy.

These farms afforded self-sufficiency. Out-of-pocket expenses were not burdensome. Farmers saved seed from year to year and foaled their own draft animals. At Farmer Institutes, meetings of local farmers early in the early 20 th century, farmers learned how to implement crop rotations that included nitrogen fixing legumes and the judicious use of animal manure on their farms to retain soil tilth and fertility.

Today's sustainable farmers combine old production methods with current appropriate technology to produce food with exceptional taste and nutritional value. Many varieties of fruits and vegetables in addition to breeds of livestock and poultry found on farms 100 years ago, are now described as "heirloom" or "heritage," and are being produced today. A century ago, produce from garden and orchard was eaten by the farm family or traded locally. A dependable crop that tasted good and stored well was more important than how it looked or how well it might travel. Similarly, poultry and livestock had to be hardy enough to thrive with minimal shelter and be productive on pasture.

People who buy and eat this kind of food today are key. Because our customers eat well, we sustainable farmers are able to continue to produce more good food along with blue sky, green grass and fresh air.

John Caveny
Caveny Farm
Monticello, Illinois

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