Coming home: Farm life ‘draws you back in’

 By ALI PRESTON 

FarmWeek 

Jill Craver had waited a year and a half to pitch her pharmaceutical products to a group of doctors in Quincy. But before the presentation began, her phone rang. Her daughter was sick and needed to be picked up from school.

“I had a big ‘aha’ moment,” Craver said. “I can either be a career woman, and that’s fine, or I could be home with her.”

Not only did she leave the presentation to drive 90 minutes back to Taylor Ridge to be with daughter, she also left her job in pharmaceutical sales altogether.

Down to one income, her husband, Jeff, suggested starting a garden to provide for their family of eight. He tilled up three-quarters of an acre.

Craver thought it would be simple. But when it came time to order vegetables, she couldn’t just order green beans. There were hundreds of varieties.

She persevered that first year in 2008, and the bountiful harvest turned out to be more than Craver could pick and can for her family.

“I went ahead and went to the market,” she said. Though she didn’t have experience selling at farmers markets, many stepped up and took her under their wings.

The “mom-preneur” now grows diverse vegetables and fruits on nearly 8 acres in Rock Island County. From asparagus to zucchini, visitors can eat through the alphabet on Craver’s farm. Fresh produce can be found weekly at Freight House Farmers’ Market and QC Farmers’ Market, as well as an honor system at the end of their lane. The family sells under the name Craver’s Little Red Barn.

 Farm roots

Craver grew up on a livestock and grain farm and left to study marketing at Illinois State University. After graduation, she began her career in Chicago. Her two older brothers also left the farm to pursue degrees in education.

 

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Today, they all work in production ag within 5 miles of their parents’ farm.

“We all left the farm and all of us kids came back to the farm,” she said. “It’s something that’s inside of you and it’s something that, whether you’re in Chicago or New York, is always there. I think it draws you back in.

“My dad always says once you get dirt underneath your nails, you can’t get rid of it. And I think that’s true,” Craver said.

While working with Mother Nature can be difficult, Craver said farming with family isn’t.

“Farming with family is so easy,” she said. “I know I’m not supposed to say that, but you can ask them to help you and they will always help you.”

Her workdays look a lot different now than they did 15 years ago. Spending her days alongside her husband and kids provides “so many learning opportunities” and growth, she said. She is also showing her kids what a female leader in agriculture looks like.

“I hope they realize that just because they’re a girl doesn’t mean that they have any limitations,” she said. “Any time you have a woman doing something in ag, they bring something totally different to the plate than a man would. That is how we grow and how we expand.”

Craver is confident in the future of ag for her daughters as she’s seen more women step up in the industry.

“It’s only been a few years, but I feel like it’s growing so much,” she said. “I’m so impressed with the girls that are coming up and the women that are coming up and the thought leaders that are coming up.”

While farming is part of her kids’ everyday life, she also imposes an agriculture stipulation to their education.

“One of my qualifications for my kiddos is that you have to take one year of FFA. That is huge for me,” she said.

 

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Craver said the organization offers valuable learning opportunities, like writing a resume and interview skills, as well as introducing youth to the many career paths in agriculture.

As far as her legacy in agriculture goes, Craver is already leaving her mark. The farm utilizes crop rotation, including a 1-acre pollinator garden, where she recently introduced four beehives.

“Our soil is amazing here, but we do a lot of things to keep it that way as well,” she said. “I think that if it’s like anything else in this world, if you take care of the land, the land will take care of you.”

 Editor’s note: This story is part of the Cultivating Our Communities campaign, a collaboration by Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Specialty Growers Association to showcase Illinois’ diverse farmers.

 This story was distributed through a cooperative project between Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Press Association. For more food and farming news, visit FarmWeekNow.com. 

 

**Editor’s Note: If you find the story above of value, consider clicking one of the Google ads embedded in the story. It costs you nothing but Google will give the website owner a few cents.