For 5 years we grew a diverse mix of vegetables at the Farm Business Development Center at Prairie Crossing. Throughout that time we looked for a permanent land/farm situation for our business. Eventually in addition to our land search we began opening ourselves up to other ideas and involving more people in the process to identify opportunities that would allow us to continue farming in our community. Through this process we started talking about our future with Peg and Matt Sheaffer of Sandhill Organics. The Sheaffers started their farm in 2000 in East Troy, WI, and in 2004 they moved to Prairie Crossing in Grayslake, IL. Since we started our farm they’ve mentored us and played an important role in our growth. Although our years building Dea Dia Organics were very rewarding, we decided to discontinue our CSA programs and beginning this spring Jeff will join Sandhill Organics as a full-time member of their management team.
Joining Sandhill Organics is an exciting opportunity and a great way to continue doing what we love — growing healthy food for our community.
When started our farm in 2006 we named it after the Roman goddess of growth and the plowed field, Dea Dia (for more information click here). To us, she symbolized the growth of our produce, business and our own growth into farmers.
We were never trained farmers rather, we have always been farmers in training. We had an interested in healthy living, fresh vegetables and the environment and dreamed to someday run a farm.
In 2005, we enrolled in the Stateline Farm Beginnings Program. This introduced us to local farmers currently producing food for their communities and others that shared our dreams. Through the program, we realized there were many ways to make our dream a reality and when we heard about the Farm Business Development Center at the Prairie Crossing Farm, Dea Dia Organics found a home. The Farm Business Development Center at Prairie Crossing is a place that supports the development of successful family farm enterprises by focusing on the production and marketing of organic foods for local and regional food systems.
We look forward to a future full of learning and delicious food,
Jeff, Jen, Owen & Gavin Miller
