Agriculture, It is Illinois

Bob Fromm
Apr 24, 2016
2 min read

Sometimes we whine about the fact that there is nothing but corn and soy beans. Hopefully, this blog has helped to show that there is more than corn and beans in Illinois, but we can't deny that agriculture is a huge part of what Ill and beans when you head out into the country. While agriculture is a big part of Illinois, we can't deny that there are forces out there, bent on destroying the family farm. Long wall mining in Southern Illinois, but as near to Springfield as Montgomery County, wind farms have popped up from Chicago to the farthest reaches of Southern Illinois, each tower taking up a fair amount of ground in the name of "sustainable" energy. Today, the family farm is disappearing. The corporate farm is becoming the norm. Having had the opportunity as a kid, to run and play at my aunt and uncle's farm, I find this to be an alarming and discouraging part of our being today. When I stumble across a piece of agricultural history I stop and check it out. I think about the timewhen that barn, or that grain elevator were the norm and not an oddity. When I see an old tractor, one similar to what my uncle used, it reminds me of those days when I was a child, playing on the machinery, hiking back to the creek, scaring up a rabbit or two, or maybe a pheasant or quail. Maybe the loss of this way of life has a lot to do with all of the crap we see going on today. The tractor, and the sign with dad hangin it are from his farm, the round barn is from the Johnson Sauk State recreation area, the grain elevator was in the Galesburg area and the two barns are south of Springfield.