‘If not here, then where?’: Teen promoting sustainable farms to consumers

Lake Forest High School senior Ben Rattin believes modern farming practices harm the planet’s climate and negatively affect the soil and the people who consume products grown using “industrial” agriculture methods.

Rattin wants to do something about it, and he believes lasting positive change can start on the North Shore, specifically, and in Illinois, generally.

“If not here, then where?” Rattin asked.

“Illinois is a very agriculturally focused state,” he explained. “It’s just the perfect place to start something that can have a bigger, more compounding effect across the United States and then, potentially, even the world.”

Rattin’s vehicle to spark this change is the mylocalfarmer.org website he built. The website includes interviews he’s conducted with local farmers and photos by fellow Lake Forest High student Noah Goldfayn.

So far, the site profiles three farms: Wanda Farms in Harvard, Elewa Farm in Lake Forest, and Local Leaf Farm, an indoor hydroponic growing operation in downtown Highland Park.

Rattin said they plan to add more profiles and expand their audience beyond the 1,000-or-so visitors the website has had over the past 30 days.

“We’re hopeful that, once the publicity picks up, more of those views will turn into people actually clicking through and engaging,” he said.

The website was launched as “an effort to help families find and support the farmers who care about the nutrition of their food and the practices it takes to grow it,” Rattin said, adding that “these farms are not always the easiest to find or research” and he wants the website to serve as a bridge between local farms and interested consumers.

“We’re looking to put people’s eyes on the farms,” Rattin said. “We try to make the farms a little more visible to people who are wondering how products they might be interested in buying are made and why those products are so important for their health.”

While labels touting “organic” produce or “cage-free” eggs can be helpful and it’s implied that these products meet certain standards to earn these designations, Rattin said it’s more important for consumers to know the practices used by the farmers they purchase food from “rather than just trusting a label.”

Rattin became interested in food production after taking an environmental science course and said he believes that food grown locally without the heavy use of pesticides or other chemicals common to industrial agriculture is more nutritious and better for the environment.

Rattin acknowledges, however, that he is not an expert on these matters. But one thing he can say for certain is that the food grown on these small farms tastes better.

He recalled how he and his father compared a steak purchased from Wanda Farms with a steak from a chain grocery store. Both were labeled as meat from “grass-fed, grass-finished” cows, meaning it came from animals that exclusively ate grass as opposed to grain or other livestock feed.

“The steaks from Wanda were so much more flavorful than the ‘grass-fed, grass-finished’ steak from the chain store,” Rattin said. “We could taste the difference immediately.”

He added that he has since had similar experiences with food purchased from the other farms he’s written about — and not only does it taste better, but he feels better afterward.

And not only did Rattin get a fine-tasting steak from Wanda Farms, but he also learned why it tasted better.

“That’s probably the big takeaway I’ve had from this experience is the importance of soil health,” he said.

Joe and Hannah Wanda raise cattle, pigs, and chickens on almost 300 acres in Harvard, Illinois.

“At Wanda Farm, regenerative farming begins with the soil,” the profile on the My Local Farmer website states. “Their cattle are 100% grass-fed and grass-finished, rotated regularly to fresh pasture during the Midwest growing season, while pigs and chickens follow on managed fields, fertilizing the land as they go. Because the animals’ manure feeds the soil, the farm does not rely on synthetic fertilizers or routine chemical sprays …”

“We’re a regenerative farm — that’s a key aspect of how we operate,” Joe Wanda said in an interview. “We’re trying to improve the soil over time and not degenerate it with harmful chemicals.”

Most of their products are sold directly to consumers via the internet and home delivery, but the Wandas also operate a store on their premises and sell products at 12 farmers markets in the Chicago area.

When he and his wife launched their operation in 2018, Wanda said finding new customers was a problem. Now the problem is keeping up with demand.

The new business has been generated in part because of media reports raising concerns about imported beef, but Wanda said the U.S. has been importing beef for decades now.

“It’s nothing new, but it’s good that finally people are recognizing it,” he said. “Food supply is a global thing now and the food in an average meal is traveling more than 1,500 miles before it arrives to your dinner plate.”

Wanda said he appreciates how projects like the My Local Farmer website are helping to raise awareness.

“What Ben is doing, I think, is a great thing as far as trying to help with consumer education and helping local farmers connect to those consumers,” he said. “As consumers learn about the issues, they’re excited about wanting to support local farmers, but then they ask, ‘How do we find these products?’ because local farmers are often not the best marketers.”

Karen McGowan, community partnership manager at Elawa Farm, also had kind words for the work Rattit is doing and said she hopes it will help connect young people with local farms.

“He’s so passionate about this, and I think what he’s starting there is a future legacy for students to build from,” McGowan said. “I think it’s really great that he’s doing this and I think it’s something that’s going to grow because the younger generation is really focusing on this.”

Located on 16 acres at 1401 Middlefork Drive in Lake Forest, Elawa Farm includes vegetable fields, flower gardens, a greenhouse, a chicken coop, a goat pasture and a cafe.

Elawa partners with about 40 farms in Lake and McHenry counties to sell items ranging from fruit to mushrooms along with seasonal items such as Thanksgiving turkeys and New Year’s Eve caviar.

“We act like a hub,” McGowan said.

She noted that interest in sustainable farming continues to grow.

“It’s an exciting time,” McGowan said. “Every year it just seems to be getting stronger and stronger.”

McGowan added that she’s impressed by the questions students ask when they come to the farm on field trips and she thinks part of their interest stems from seeing older relatives and even siblings struggle with food-related health issues.

When he’s not promoting sustainable agriculture, Rattin said he likes to hang out with his brother, engage in street photography, participate on the Lake Forest debate team, and play the cello — with “Tarantella” composed by William Henry Squire in 1896 being his favorite piece to perform.

“It’s fast, lively, and a lot of fun to play — although I have been practicing other pieces more recently,” he said.

After graduation, Rattit said he plans to go to college and study environmental science or environmental engineering. From there, he hopes to continue working to advance sustainable farming in order to scale back the impacts of industrial agriculture on the climate, improve the soil, and grow healthier food.

“I want to be someone who makes that difference even if it’s in a smaller area of the United States,” Rattit said. “The North Shore of Illinois is not going to be big to someone who is running a nationwide operation, but I feel like it is the perfect place to start for me.”

Andis Robeznieks is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.