BETH ROONEY

Essays: Grays' Farm

Marty and Crystal Gray quit their jobs in Chicago to move to Donovan, Illinois, where they grew up. While both came from farming backgrounds, neither wanted to stay on the family farm. They now return to their family tradition, driven by interests in conservation and land use, and an awareness of how important farming is to a healthy food system.

"We started farming because we felt a disconnection from our roots and felt a pull to carry on our families' traditions. Since we have started this change we have met a lot of wonderful people and we have found a lot of job in working with nature directly." --Marty Gray

The Grays bought a farm near Crystal's family and the property needed a lot of work. Today, the family cleared dead trees, picked up loose shingles, checked the electricity and emptied a shed full of trash from the previous owners.
  
Marty checks on his young kale and onion plants.
  
Marty's mother hands out plates during lunch after a morning of clearing dead trees and straightening out Marty and Crystal's new house.
     
  
Crystal and Marty put radishes into the compost heap after returning from the market. When the couple first started going to markets they were unsure how much produce to bring and overestimated demand on this day.
   
Marty and Crystal Gray harvest and weed the fields at their farm in Donovan, Illinois. They are expecting their first child in February 2010.
  
Marty and his friends from high school relax after a full day in the field.
     
  
A paper reminder in the vegetable shed.
   
Crystal brings Marty some breakfast during a break in their early morning harvest.
  
Marty's mother helps with the weekly harvest by washing the produce after it has been picked.
     
  
Marty and Crystal Gray sell produce at the farmers' market in Champaign, Illinois.
   
Marty and Crystal Gray sell produce at the farmers' market in Champaign, Illinois on Thursday, July 10, 2009.
   
Crystal plays with the cat during a quiet moment on a harvest day.
     
  
Crystal's working hat.
   
Zach takes a break from putting together a cooler on the farm. The cooler would allow Marty and his workers to harvest slowly through out the week, rather than frantically the day before a market.
   
Since this is their first farming season, Marty keeps meticulous records to help plan for next year.
     
  
Marty, Crystal and Marty's brother talk over dinner.
   
Marty and Crystal play with their new dog after a day of field work.
   
Tiny sprouts that will soon fill the rows in the field.
     
  
Marty waits in the field for his friend to finish picking peppers during a late summer storm.
   
Marty lays out a protective cover to keep bugs away from his vegetables during a stormy summer afternoon.