When husband and wife Wes Hepker and Daniela Williams traded their corporate jobs and suburban living for 20 wooded acres in the Driftless region of the Midwest, they wanted to tap into their passion for backyard gardening but neither had plans to start a farm. That all changed when the two found themselves at their local farmers’ market struggling to find fresh produce.
Founded in 2023, Polsgrove Hill Farm is an organic farm located in Mount Carroll, Ill., growing arugula, peppers, lettuce, radishes, strawberries, and other specialty crops. Polsgrove Hill Farm sits on top of a hill that overlooks neighboring soybean and corn fields.
The farm’s logo is an encapsulation of the farm and the surrounding area — a slanted line representing the hill and three arugula silhouettes that also resemble trees.
Unlike much of the Midwest, the Driftless is a region known for its scenic rolling hills, ridges, and valleys that span parts of northwestern Illinois, and parts of Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
When AgNavigator visited the farm, Hepker and Williams were gearing up to vend at their next farmers’ market — the same place that inspired them to start a farming business.
“Even if this was just a homestead, we were going to grow our own food. But then, we went into the farmers’ market here in Mount Carroll the first year we moved, and like so many farmers’ markets — unfortunately — there was a bit of a lack of produce. So, that’s where the idea was born,” Hepker elaborated.
Also, Polsgrove Hill Farm is a supplier to several local businesses, including Molly’s Kitchen & Bar and the Vessel on Market bistro, both located in Mount Carroll. The farm also works with non-profit Jo Daviess Local Foods, which connects local producers with consumers through an online marketplace and a physical store.
Molly’s Kitchen & Bar has become a fine dining destination for the area with its rotating menu and homemade vanilla and burnt caramel ice cream. For additional income, Hepker works part-time bartending at Molly’s sister restaurant, Market Street Pizza.
Regen ag is central to Polsgrove Hill Farm’s operations
Polsgrove Hill Farm has expanded production gradually, adding a caterpillar tunnel (an enclosure for growing crops) every year since its founding, allowing for year-round production. They have three caterpillar tunnels total and plan to add two more with support from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
“The caterpillar tunnels will add a good two weeks of plant growth in the spring and the fall,” Hepker explained.
Williams added, “The caterpillar tunnels will help with retaining some of the heat. It does better in the fall than it does in the spring because the ground’s warm.”
However, growing specialty crops year-round can be challenging, especially as cold temperatures can be an issue with the farm’s irrigation system, Williams noted.
“It is more challenging in the winter because we have drip irrigation. We have to make sure it’s thawed out before we can actually apply water. Sometimes, we’re dragging hoses that have been stored in a warmer place, so they don’t freeze over. So that makes things a little more complicated,” Williams elaborated.
Then, in warmer weather, cabbage loopers and leaf beetles pose risks to their crops, which they treat with bioinsecticides, while netting helps to mitigate insects and rabbits. Additionally, “this year, in particular, has been a little wetter than average, and so we have had to use bio-fungicides,” Hepker said.
Polsgrove Hill Farm is dedicated to organic farming and regenerative agriculture, incorporating cover cropping, composting and the use of bio-based crop inputs. However, they still use some tillage to prepare seed beds but keep it to a minimum to protect soil health and reduce labor, Hepker said.
‘The start-up costs were more than I expected’
Like many first-time farmers, Hepker and Williams are grappling with the initial costs of starting a farm, which includes buying equipment and inputs and the work to prepare the land for growing. After several years of building the business and brand, Polsgrove Hill Farm is struggling to meet the high demand for its locally grown and organic produce.
“We need to grow more. We have a production issue; we don’t really have a demand issue,” Williams noted.
On the operations side, the two farmers find efficiencies where they can, such as using electric equipment and relying on solar panels for energy, but the farm isn’t completely diesel-free, Hepker said.
“My tractor is diesel. My diesel prices right now are sky high. I’d like them to be less because it’s another input cost. But the future is electric. So, when we think about projects, when we think about where we want to spend money and research, it’s not on gasoline blends,” Hepker elaborated.
Additionally, Williams worked full-time in her corporate job to help with upfront costs and manage the transition to the farming life during the first two years on the farm.
“The start-up costs were more than I expected them to be. So, [we are] still trying to get through some of those costs. We had professional jobs. … We had some savings before we moved out here, which helped a lot with getting everything up and going. I don’t know how people out of college do it,” she elaborated.
Polsgrove Hill Farm’s produce is in demand and has become a staple at the Mount Carroll farmers’ market, which run Saturdays 8:00-12:00 CST from May to October.
Hear from growers with AgNavigator’s Voices of the Farmers series
Looking to hear from farmers directly? Then, make sure to stay tune to AgNavigator’s Voices of the Farmer series, which will feature stories from farmers across the globe.
This fall, AgNavigator will be focusing on sharing farmer stories from Northwest Illinois and Eastern Iowa, with a key focus on the Driftless region of the Midwest.
If you are a farmer or know a farmer that would like to be interviewed for this series, contact AgNavigator Editor Ryan Daily at ryan.daily@wrbm.com .
