Event Overview
Paul Hoffman returned to his family farm near Earlville, Illinois, to take over the row crop operation in 2014 after exploring a career teaching math. Since then, he has gradually diversified the farm’s rotations to include organic corn, soybeans, wheat, sunflowers, canola, oats, buckwheat, rye, red clover and forages. The forages in his rotations feed the herd of Dutch Belted and Milking Shorthorn cattle, which his mother, Winifred, maintains. Paul’s wife, Trisha, and their kids also help raise 100% grass-fed lambs.
Paul uses his math skills to piece together a crop rotation puzzle that reduces weed pressure, breaks pest and disease cycles and meets the farms economic needs. Attend his field day to learn how sunflowers, red clover, winter squash, livestock and more are each finding their place on the Hoffman farm.
Meal
A light meal will follow the field day.
See & Discuss
- Sunflowers for oil production in a double-crop year with winter wheat
- 60-inch-row corn interplanted with winter squash
- Red clover harvested for cover crop seed
- Equipment for planting and harvesting diverse crops
- Integrated rotational grazing of cattle and sheep on cover crops and pasture
Sponsors
- Farming for Public Health
- Mad Capital
