Thank a Farmer: Down on the Mills Family Farm

No two days are the same at Mills Family Farm LLC in Walton, where owners Cameron and Cara Mills grow and raise a variety of items, from soybeans and corn to beef and pork. Cara Mills also serves as the co-owner of Mills Region Farms, which sells grains and other crops, and Mills Cover Crop Solutions, which sells cover crops to farmers, she said.

Cameron Mills’ great-grandparents purchased the farm in 1919 with financial assistance from his great-great-grandparents, according to Cara Mills. His great-grandfather, grandfather and father all farmed there and his grandfather was born in the farmhouse. His parents lived in the farmhouse as well, and he said he grew up on the farm and fell in love with it. Cara said she was hands off agriculture growing up, but she was absorbed into the farm when she married Cameron.

“… and then we’ve lived here and we’ve raised our kids. Our kids are the fifth generation of our family [to] live in this house,” Cameron Mills said. “So, and so they all farmed and so then [it] just kind of keep moving down, I guess. And someday maybe, hopefully our son, if he, you know, chooses to farm or any of our kids, I guess, then hopefully we’ll just kind of move it on down to them.”

In terms of crops, Mills said he grows corn, soybeans, triticale, grain sorghum, buckwheat and soybeans, along with different forages and hays. He said his favorite row crop to grow is corn.

“But I like the diversity of what we do with our triticale and buckwheat and the diversity of our cover crops,” he said. “I really like that [be]cause we put cover crops on everything and we graze some of our cover crops, so with the cattle side of things, so I really like all of that. That’s kind of my favorite part.”

With meat, Cara Mills said they raise grass-fed beef, pasture pork and pasture poultry. She said the chickens are raised on a short eight week stint, while the cattle are more long term because they are grass-fed and it takes 22 to 24 months for them to be ready for processing.

“And the pork… we just do that for the customers because they’re not as much fun to take care of,” she said. “They’re noisy and they’re stinky, but they taste delicious.”

The farm, along with Cameron and Cara Mills and their children, sees a few other workers as well. Cameron Mills said they have a full-time employee as well as two part-time employees that work seasonally, mainly in the fall. Each day on the farm is different, he said, because they are managing aspects of the farm and the businesses all the time. His days usually start and end very early, he said.

“So, we have just so many things going on. I have to get the day started to make sure that the guys are doing whatever they’re supposed to be doing for the day and then, you know, depending on whether they’re planting, they’re spraying or harvesting or just tending to anything,” Cameron Mills said. “And then we have… a part-time summer help this year for helping move livestock, [be]cause we have one son that’s still in school. So, it’s just been a lot of things going on. So, it’s a lot of management, and then it’s just every day. I mean, really, it’s all day every day, which is a lot of fun, don’t get me wrong. But it’s very busy.”

Cara Mills said every day is about prioritizing what is more important for the moment and what can wait. She said they do have daily chores, however, such as feeding the chickens and hens, gathering eggs, making sure that all the waterers are working and moving the animals.

“… there are things that have to be done, but that’s fifteen minutes out of our day as opposed to the rest of the 24 hours,” Cara Mills said.

According to Cameron Mills, one of his favorite aspects of the growing season is the crop harvest. He said it is the culmination of the whole year and getting to see what they have done, what they grew and how they did is a lot of fun. With livestock, he said it can get a little chaotic sometimes, as they move the cattle every day to a different grass paddock so they can get fresh grass. However, sometimes they make a big move, which he said takes multiple people.

“… so, usually the whole family gets involved when we do that. And, sometimes it’s a little chaotic, but those are a lot of fun,” Cameron Mills said. “Last year, we moved them on early morning and it started snowing when we moved them, which… we… weren’t expecting that, but it was kind of cool how it all worked out and… that was a fun morning, just to move them back across.”

Mills Family Farms’ meat products are sold via their online store at www.millsfamilyfarms.com, but their crops are not being sold online at the moment. He said they do have plans to mill heritage raised grains for flour and sell that to local people and online, however.

Their meat products are processed and packaged at a processor that they take their animals to. Cara Mills said they recently got a freezer trailer so they can take and sell their meat products at farmers’ markets. She said they plan to switch between the Logansport Farmers’ Market and the Peru Farmers’ Market.

“We didn’t feel comfortable doing it without some sort of… freezer trailer that would make sure that the products are safe and secure,” Cara Mills said. “But that will be coming up soon. We’re very excited about that.”

Cameron Mills said their farm is unique because of the diversity they have. He said that a lot of farms focus on one or two things, but Mills Family Farms’ focus is on rejuvenating their soils, which makes them more resilient. The diversity of the crops is not only good for them economically, but it is also good for the soil, Cameron Mills said.

“And, you know, we no-till, we cover crop, we’re very unusual. We have a lot of different crops where most farms don’t,” Cameron Mills said. “We have a lot of diverse crops. We run a meat business, again, some farms do, some farms don’t. So, again, we’ve got a lot of things going on that we offer, not only for ourselves and the land, but to the neighbors and stuff and I think that really kind of makes us stand out.”

According to Cameron Mills, their farm is beneficial to the community because it provides a lot of products and healthy, locally grown meat products that serve as a source of protein. He said there is a movement of a lot of people who like to buy locally grown items.

In addition, a big part of their operation is making sure that they make the land better for the next generation, Cameron Mills said. They care for the farm by rotating their grazing, as well as using no-till and cover crops. They also try to build up the soil naturally and not allow any nutrients they put on to run off, he said.

“And also, I mean, we have neighbors that have bees and because we have covers and pasture and different kinds of crops on our ground quite regularly, their bees are able to reap the benefit of that,” Cara Mills said. “And we have a friend who had some excellent buckwheat honey because his bees were right next to our buckwheat field. And, so I think just working with our neighbors and… providing incredible products for people, that’s our greatest service to the community.”

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.