Renee Randall on Organic Farming at Willow Ridge Farm

Published: March 9, 2016, 2:14 p.m.

Renee Randall is a woman farmer. The earliest agriculturalists were women, and even now, in many parts of the world, women are the ones who plant, tend and harvest. She started out studying nutrition, and 1974, with three children in tow and help from her friends, she moved from the heart of Chicago and became Farmer Renee, farming organically for the past 41 years. Her children grew up on the farm and worked alongside her. They farmed with horses, plowed, made hay, milked cows, and then, when She began growing veggies in 1988, were there by her side again. Now, it's her visiting grandchildren that ride the transplanter, dig fingerling potatoes and eat cherry tomatoes off the vine. Her website is www.willowridgeorganicfarm.com