The Farm
Our
farm is located in south Naperville, Illinois. We are
leasing from The
Conservation Foundation, a regional not-for-profit
land and watershed protection organization. The 60 acre
McDonald Farm was donated to the Foundation in 1992
by Lenore McDonald, and the Foundation now uses the
farmhouse for its offices.
European settlement of the land in the vicinity of
the McDonald Farm began in the 1830s, but Native Americans
lived in this area for thousands of years before the
Europeans came. Native artifacts have been found along
the banks of the West Branch of the DuPage River, which
runs just southeast of the farm. The post-1830s history
of the farm may be found at The Conservation Foundation
website here.
For 2007 we are using approximately 8 acres to grow organic vegetables, while a prairie plant nursery occupies another acre, and our cover crops of alfalfa and red clover cover the remainder of the 50 tillable acres.
Our vegetables are marketed through our community-supported
agriculture program, or CSA.
