CCFB News» Phyllis Coulter, Farmweek

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.

A retired Marine, who turned a patch of contaminated Chicago dirt into a place to grow beautiful sunflowers, was named the 2024 Illinois Farmer Veteran of the Year.

Steve Archer was called inspirational at the Farmer Veteran Coalition of Illinois annual meeting at the Everything Local Conference in Springfield Jan. 17. The annual event was organized and sponsored by the Illinois Specialty Growers Association, Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Farmers Market Association.