[Gregory Shaver for Shaw Media]

Get to know your local farms and farm families on the fifth annual McHenry County Farm Stroll from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Organized by the McHenry County Farm Bureau and the University of Illinois Extension McHenry County Master Gardeners, this free, self-guided tour brings attendees up-close and personal with this year’s participating locations, from Walworth, Wisconsin, to McHenry, Wonder Lake, Hebron, Woodstock and Marengo. Twelve farms will be part of the tour, featuring fruit and vegetable growers, dairy cows, beef cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, horses, honey bees, perennial plants and more. Many farms will be selling food, produce or other farm-related products so attendees are encouraged to bring cash to purchase directly from the farms.

New to this year’s lineup is a creamery, a sustainable farm, a regenerative farm and a recycling center. HillBunker Farms in Woodstock also will make its farm stroll debut. Owners Damon and Michele Hill do not come from a long line of farmers, but said that it was something they simply fell into. “We did not grow up with a farming background,” Michele Hill said. “We simply fell into it once we started to take a closer look at the food and other products we were using. We have had farm animals since 2002, but it wasn't until 2010 that we started breeding animals and selling eggs on the honor system. We gradually added baby, bath and body care products, which are available from our self-service farm stand.”

[Gregory Shaver for Shaw Media]

Visitors to HillBunker will get a chance to meet their free-ranging chickens, KuneKune pigs and Babydoll sheep. Strollers can purchase eggs, some of which are blue and green – hold the green ham – from their Heritage breed chickens. HillBunker also offers pastured pork, honey and an array of all-natural bath, baby and body products made onsite at the farm. Hill said their family, which includes their children, 11-year-old Morgan and 5-year-old Deacon, had a desire to live and eat healthy, without pesticides, chemicals, herbicides and GMOs. They also wanted to ensure the meat and eggs on their table were raised and produced humanely and ethically, one of the reasons they joined the Humane Farming Association.

[Gregory Shaver for Shaw Media]

 “We sometimes see people who believe that as we raise some of our animals for market consumption, that we do not care about them or mistreat them, which couldn't be further from the truth,” Hill said. “As we have much smaller numbers of animals than commercial farms, we get to know each and every one of them. The animals are a part of our family and they are cared for as such. The result is a profoundly deep understanding and appreciation of life.” Hill said they look forward to their first year on the Stroll and appreciate the efforts made by the organizing groups to bring awareness to local farms. “McHenry County is a unique area with many hidden gems to be found,” Hill said. “There are so many local farms and businesses with unique and fun products. Every week, we hear from new customers that they “had no idea you were here.” Small family farms don't have expansive marketing budgets to connect with the type of people that are delighted by what we do. Events like the Farm Stroll really highlight some of those McHenry County gems and provide incredible exposure for farms like ours.” “I don’t think people realize how difficult it is to grow food or how hard it is for farmers to make a decent living,” Volkers said. “The event is a joint effort of Illinois Extension McHenry County Master Gardeners and McHenry County Farm Bureau. From the Farm Bureau perspective, we support the program because it helps connect consumers with people who help grow their food and fiber. The program also promotes local farms and their products to consumers. I think there is also an important tourism component as the event brings people from northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin to our county for the day.”