Farm Overview

Kinnikinnick Farm

Farm owner

David and Susan

David and Susan Cleverdon started Kinnikinnick Farm in 1994 when they planted a half acre organic market garden on some rolling farmland overlooking the north branch of the Kinnikinnick Creek. The farm has changed over the years: from a certified organic produce farm to a pasture based livestock farm with a popular farm stay program that has made it a destination for families who want to experience the summer rhythms of small farm life. “Our farm has been a collaborative effort from the start,” says David. “It’s been a collaboration between the people who work here—their ideas and abilities and passions—and the land itself. More recently, the animals that live here have become part of that collaboration as well. All I do is preside over it all, respect the imperatives and limits of the place, and nudge the farm in the direction that it seems to want to go. But it has worked. Everything that we produce—from our nutty strap leaf arugula with a hint of heat to our dry cured Berkshire hog bacon that melts in your mouth—is a distinct product of that collaboration and is uniquely ours.” “We start with the soil and follow the principles of regenerative agriculture to capture the flavors, textures and smells of the farm in everything that we grow,” says Susan. “We follow the Animal Welfare Approved standards for raising all our livestock on pasture. Our laying flock of 275 heritage hens is AWA certified.” David’s background was in Illinois politics and trading and Susan’s was in marketing and sales. “It’s been a good mix of talent and experience for the small farm business that we do,” says Susan. “It also helps,” she added, “that we both share this insane passion to create a life and a livelihood on a small farm.”