Many people weren’t wild about a new piece of Illinois legislation that passed in 1990, which made sending lawn and garden waste to landfills illegal.

But first-generation farmer Carl Smits saw an opportunity. If that legislation had not passed, he may not have been hosting a field day on Aug. 28 to examine the latest research, and appropriately, talk about policies impacting farmers today.

“It wasn’t by coincidence,” Smits said of starting the farm in 1990. He saw that lawn and garden materials would make good organic matter to cut fertilizer costs for his flower, herb and vegetable farm and he could get paid for taking the materials.

This summer, I have had the chance to experience what my rural family and friends would call the “full urban lifestyle.”

I’d love to tell you that we’ve wrapped up another year of fairs, but I’m not entirely sure that’s the truth. Instead, let’s say we ended a chapter.