Stories of Our Founding Families
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Part 3: The Brockman Family – Iroquois County, IL
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This is the third in a series of brief stories written by co-founder David Miller (and edited by author Terra Brockman) showcasing the families, farmers, and friends who have provided the deep roots and solid foundation of our company.
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Telling the Iroquois Valley story would not be possible without going deep into my own fourth generation family farm roots in Iroquois County, Illinois. My cousins, the Brockmans, provided the inspiration to form Iroquois Valley. Recently, I interviewed Herman Brockman (pictured above with his wife, Marlene) at the home of his daughter, Terra. (Learn more about the
Brockman Family Farms here,
and in Terra's James Beard nominated book,
The Seasons on Henry's Farm
.)
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The Brockman Family Farm circa 1912 -- Iroquois County, IL
My Grandmother Leona is seated on the left side of the buggy. On the pony is Leona's brother Fred (Herman's father).
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Herman inspired
his children to farm organically and remains a strong advocate for organic food production. Explaining how and why organic farming works, Herman says:
"It is diversified. It is sustainable. It is profitable. It is healthy for the soil microbes, for the plants, for the animals, and for people. It is good for the soil, water, and air. And it permits the survival of relatively small family farms."
Over the years, Herman kept his family's Iroquois County farm together by periodically purchasing parcels as family money allowed. Keeping the Brockman legacy farm in the family and transitioning it to organic were Herman's guiding principles. In 2003, Herman was seeking someone to transition the farm to organic production, and engaged our founding farmer, Harold Wilken. Harold had been looking for an opportunity to farm organically, and this experience was the turning point that led Harold to transition all of the land he managed.
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Herman sums up his gratitude to the Wilkens for helping keep his farm healthy and profitable: "I know that Mother and Dad, and my grandparents who built the barn over a hundred years ago, would be very happy to know that 4th and 5th generations now live in the farm house, that the barn and chicken shed are once again a home for farm animals, and that Harold and Ross Wilken are farming their beloved land organically – for the benefit of the environment, and for our future."
Harold Wilken and Jill Brockman-Cummings expanded on these themes of sustainability and stewardship in a recent
interview
that aired on Chicago Public Radio. In the program, they discuss going organic, diversifying their operation, growing food for people, and building
The Mill at Janie's Farm
, a certified organic mill that stone-grinds wheat, rye, corn, and other grains for local bakers and consumers.
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Herman and Marlene Brockman (far right) pose with their six children in 2012 on the 100th birthday of the barn on the Brockman Centennial Farm.
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In 2005, two years after Harold Wilken began to transition the Brockman farm, I purchased my aunt and uncle's small farm in Iroquois County, near the Brockman and Wilken family farms. I, too, had the vision of keeping this small farm in the family and transitioning it to organic food production, and so I followed in Herman's footsteps and engaged Harold to manage the land organically.
From this solid grounding in place, people, and values, Iroquois Valley formed in 2007. Our first purchase, leased to Harold Wilken, was a 142-acre parcel just down the road from these legacy family farms. Today, nine of the ten original investors are still shareholders. They are joined by approximately 400 others who have committed capital in support of our shared vision to protect farmland and to enable the next generation of farmers to farm with healthy, humane, organic practices.
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We encourage all our investors to come visit us in Iroquois County to see where we rooted this company, and to meet the organic farmers whose trust we have worked so hard to earn.
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Connecting farm families, communities, and investors since 2007.
As a corporate guideline, we do not look for specific farmland to purchase or finance. We develop relationships with farmers, mostly young and organic, who want to grow their farm business. We move forward when we have a ready, willing and able farmer.
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Iroquois Valley Farmland REIT | Public Benefit Corporation
Certified
B
Corporation | Est. 2007
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