As Carrie Muehling celebrates 10 years as Agribusiness Director at WJBC (Bloomington, IL), this month, she reports on a unique Moms Tour. “This fall it has been fun to ride along with area farmers as they bring in a record harvest of corn and soybeans. One of those opportunities came with McLean County farmers, Gerald and Tyler Thompson (father/son), as they hosted a group of local moms who are part of the Illinois Farm Families program.” Illinois Farm Families began this program a few years ago with Chicago-area field moms, and while that original program continues, others have popped up all over the state.

Every woman in this local group is employed by GROWMARK or Country Financial, but they do not have farm backgrounds. They were able to ride in the combine and tractor hauling the grain cart with the Thompsons, and then that afternoon toured a local dairy where they bottle their own milk. “It's always fun to get out and experience the harvest, but even more interesting with a group like this. As you can imagine, they had lots of questions about how food is grown in Illinois and why farmers do what they do. Illinois Farm Families is supported by Illinois Farm Bureau and commodity groups in Illinois,” Carrie explained.

During the Moms Tour, Carrie Muehling interviews farmer Tyler Thompson.