2012
LOGAN C
OUN
TY FARM OUTLOOK MAGAZINE. LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com October 23, 2012
29
better than expected.
Ken Wilson of Waynesville began selling
his produce at the farmers market for the
first time. He said that his entire sweet corn
crop had to be plowed under. His tomatoes
and peppers were the best crops of the
year for him. With a smile, he said he will
be back next year.
Megan Boerma of Lincoln has worked
out a sweet deal for her
garden. She gets water
for her garden from a
neighbor in exchange for
homemade bakery items,
which she also sells at
the farmers market.
“
Because of the nearby
water, it turned out that
the bunnies and bugs did
the most damage to my
veggies,” she said.
A typical Friday for Boerma lasts into
the wee hours of Saturday morning, when
you will find her in her kitchen. This is to
ensure that her bakery items are as fresh
as possible for the Saturday market.
Susan Wachter of Wachter Farms, a
5-
acre produce farm near Lawndale, had
much the same story to tell.
“
I mowed down 14 batches of sweet
corn, probably thousands of ears, because
the heat sterilized the pollen that is used to
produce the kernels,” she said.
Wachter participates in the Lincoln
Farmer’s Market as well as the Illinois
Products Farmers’ Market at the Illinois
State Fairgrounds on Thursdays.
Her green beans were way down, a result
similar to the experiences of others in the
area surrounding Lincoln.
She does try a different technique,
covering her entire plot
with a biodegradable
black plastic covering
through
which
the
vegetables grow. The
result is that whatever
moisture is in the ground
stays there, and the
small amount of rain was
funneled through the
plastic right to the root
system of the plants.
Wachter’s experiences were interesting
this year. Her revenue was down for the
year, and the production that did occur was
unique. Vegetables grew faster, which led to
some of the produce misshapen from lying
on the ground, and vegetables that have
some sugar in them were much sweeter.
The sweeter vegetables are similar to
reports from peach growers in southern
Illinois and grape growers around the state.
Peaches were extra sweet this year, and
link