The beginnings
My family (Joe speaking) came from the city of Chicago, with no farm background. However, my parents were concerned about where and how their food was produced and they wanted to make a change. They made the decision to purchase a small 27 acre hobby farm here in Harvard, IL when I was a young boy. Their mission at the time was to feed our large, growing family with our own vegetables, meats, eggs, and milk (be homesteaders). Compared to my other 5 siblings, I found myself being the only one enjoying waking up early to help mom milk the cow and feed all the animals. As time passed, I realized, I had a passion for producing food and working outside on the farm. I realized God called me to be a farmer.
Search for Healthy Food
After high school, I continued my education in farming by getting an animal science degree at the University of River Falls Wisconsin. During that time, I interned and worked on several farms (also met Hannah, my now lovely wife). After working on an organic, large commercial, small family farms, and researching the impact farming practices have on the quality of food, Hannah and I realized the quality of food starts with the farmer's philosophy. The philosophy that the land, livestock, and environment have a symbiotic relationship. As farmers, we are to respect and be caretakers to that relationship that God so intricately created. After coming to this realization and seeing how the mainstream agriculture industry was heading in a direction more concerned about higher production and less about quality food. We knew it was time grow that hobby family farm my parents started into a business and change the course that the farming industry was heading from quantity to quality.
Our Mission
In 2018, Hannah and I purchased a 77-acre farm near our parents to begin "Wanda Farms". Our mission is to produce wholesome, nutrient-dense food with regenerative farming practices and connect 10,000 families to their farmer. Please join our family farm and be apart of our vision to not just improve your family's health, but that we can help feed 10,000 families by 2030 a healthier meal together!
Our Agreement
We expect our products to be nutrient rich to nourish you and your family's bodies. We expect our food to be CLEAN without all the "junk". We expect our products to be convenient to purchase. We also expect you to know US as YOUR farmer. Our relationship is crucial, so you can feel at ease knowing your farmer is legitimately producing quality food and not just labeling your package of meat with the latest buzz words.
Our Belief
We believe God made us to be stewards of our bodies and the land. We take it serious in improving our environment. We believe the soil’s health, the animal’s health, and human’s health all have a symbiotic relationship that work together. When it is all correctly nurtured, the need for chemicals, antibiotics, and hormones are excluded. We are seeking to regenerate the soil, land, and air to help improve the environment for our children's children. Help support us to makes the world a better place!
Our Practices
We treat all our animals here at Wanda Farm as we would family and give them the best quality life that we can offer. We take a holistic approach in our farming practices and seek to raise the animals as nature intended. Our animals go on pastures during the grazing months and in a free-range environment when pastures are not available during poor weather conditions. We never treat with antibiotics except in a life threatening cases and never feed antibiotics or growth hormones. Providing high quality feed and a comfortable environment for our animals is what makes our animals happy, our products so tasty, and the quality superior.
Building Confidence
We also believe in having a relationship with you, the customer. Recognizing the lack of trust between the food industry and the consumer, you are more than just a number. When you purchase from Wanda Farm, you become a member of the farm and apart of the mission for a healthier food system. Our goal is to be transparent on how your food is produced and we want to have open conversations about your concerns, because we are always learning more about how we can improve.
