Jen and Andy Miller, Rush Creek Farms

To get to Jen and Andy Miller’s farm, you drive a few miles south of Champaign-Urbana, then head east on one of the few Illinois country roads still lined with 100-year old pin oak trees.

Like those trees, Andy and Jen’s Rush Creek Farm reflects a time when farmers worked more closely with nature, valuing the soil, air, water, natural habitat, and relationships between farmers and community members. The Millers farm may be small, but it is having a growing impact on the community, providing healthy local foods, and educating farmers and consumers alike in the process.

Goats, Dogs, and Eggs

I made the drive to Rush Creek Farm in early 2008 – a full two years after Andy and Jen completed the 2005-06 Central Illinois Farm Beginnings course.

Since they bought their first Kiko-cross doe in 2005, the Millers have expanded their herd of meat goats to 23 does, and have added a small flock of barred rock laying hens. The hens live in a luxurious "Egg-Mobile" that is moved around the pasture so that the hens always have fresh grass, and also a fresh place to deposit their high-nitrogen manure each day.

The two Great Pyrenees guard dogs that the Millers bought when they started their goat herd have worked well, and there have been no livestock losses to coyotes, feral dogs, or other predators. Because of their growing herd, and the growing demand for local foods, the Millers recently expanded their marketing efforts to involve other local meat goat farmers. Together, four farmers have formed an informal cooperative arrangement to supply Papa George’s restaurant in Champaign with one or two goats every week of the year.

Getting the Ground

As with any endeavor, there are barriers and problems. "The biggest thing," says Jen, "is getting the ground." The Millers bought their 15 acres over 5 years ago. Although they would like to expand their operation, they find it very difficult now to find land at a reasonable price. The combination of urban sprawl, horse farms, hunting grounds, and paintball acres has made the land around them prohibitively expensive.

Another difficulty has been getting good, reliable processing of their animals. As small meat processing plants go out of business, the remaining ones are over-burdened, and it is hard to ensure speedy processing, says Jen.

Educating Consumers and New Farmers

But those barriers have not stopped Andy and Jen from moving forward. Over the past two years, they have moved from Farm Beginnings students to Farm Beginnings presenters. In 2007, they were part of Session 2, "Building Your Business Plan," and told the new Farm Beginnings students about their initial business planning process, and how that plan has evolved over time.

In the spring of 2008, the Millers will be part of the "Web Marketing for Your Farm" workshop, which will provide Farm Beginnings students with resources to create their farm website. Instead of using a professional designer for their farm website, Andy and Jen decided to create and maintain their own site, and they share the pros and cons of that decision.

The Rush Creek Farm website has evolved over time to function as a marketing tool and also as a source of information for others, with a page devoted to helpful resources, and another about goat meat facts, one being that the U.S. imports most of its goat meat.

Looking to the Future

Although there are difficulties in running a small farm enterprise, Jen and Andy clearly love their goats, their hens, their dogs, and the farmers and consumers they work with. "It’s a good life", says Jen. "We wouldn’t want to be doing anything else."