Jill Craver had waited a year and a half to pitch her pharmaceutical products to a group of doctors in Quincy. Before the presentation began, her phone rang. Her daughter was sick and needed to be picked up from school.
“I had a big ‘aha’ moment,” Craver says. “I can either be a career woman, and that’s fine, or I could be home with her.”
Not only did she leave the presentation to drive 90 minutes back to Taylor Ridge to be with her daughter, she also left her job in pharmaceutical sales altogether.
Down to one income, her husband, Jeff, suggested starting a garden to provide for their family of eight. He tilled up three-quarters of an acre.
Craver thought it would be simple. But when it came time to order vegetables, she couldn’t just order green beans. There were hundreds of varieties.
She persevered that first year in 2008, and the bountiful harvest turned out to be more than Craver could pick and can for her family.
“I went ahead and went to the market,” she says.
Though she didn’t have experience selling at farmers markets, many stepped up and took her under their wings.
The “mom-preneur” now grows diverse vegetable and fruit production on nearly 8 acres in Rock Island County. From asparagus to zucchini, visitors can eat through the alphabet on Craver’s farm. Fresh produce can be found weekly at Freight House Farmers’ Market and QC Farmers’ Market, as well as an honor system at the end of their lane. The family sells under the name Craver’s Little Red Barn.
VIDEO: Come with us to northwest Illinois and meet Jill Craver.
Jill Craver Partners from Illinois Agricultural Assoc. on Vimeo.
Craver grew up on a livestock and grain farm and left to study marketing at Illinois State University. After graduation, she began her career in Chicago. Her two older brothers also left the farm to pursue degrees in education. Today, they all work in production ag within 5 miles of their parents’ farm.
“We all left the farm and all of us kids came back to the farm,” she says. “It’s something that’s inside of you and it’s something that, whether you’re in Chicago or New York, is always there. I think it draws you back in. My dad always says once you get dirt underneath your nails, you can’t get rid of it. And I think that’s true.”
While working with Mother Nature can be difficult, Craver says farming with family isn’t.
“Farming with family is so easy,” she says. “I know I’m not supposed to say that, but you can ask them to help you and they will always help you.”
Her workdays look a lot different now than they did 15 years ago. Spending her days alongside her husband and kids provides “so many learning opportunities” and growth, she says. She also shows her kids what a female leader in agriculture looks like.
“I hope they realize that just because they’re a girl doesn’t mean that they have any limitations,” she says. “Any time you have a woman doing something in ag, they bring something totally different to the plate than a man would. That is how we grow and how we expand.”
Craver remains confident in the future of ag for her daughters as she’s seen more women step up in the sector.
“It’s only been a few years, but I feel like it’s growing so much,” she says. “I’m so impressed with the girls that are coming up and the women that are coming up and the thought leaders that are coming up.”
While farming is part of her kids’ everyday life, she also imposes an agriculture stipulation to their education.
“One of my qualifications for my kiddos is that you have to take one year of FFA. That is huge for me,” she says.
Craver believes the organization offers valuable learning opportunities, like writing a resume and interview skills, as well as introducing youth to many career paths in agriculture.
As far as her legacy in agriculture goes, Craver is already leaving her mark. The farm utilizes crop rotation, including a 1-acre pollinator garden, where she recently introduced four beehives.
“Our soil is amazing here, but we do a lot of things to keep it that way as well,” she says. “I think that if it’s like anything else in this world, if you take care of the land, the land will take care of you.”
This content is part of the Partners 2023 Cultivating Our Communities series, a collaboration among Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Specialty Growers Association. It strives to raise awareness of Illinois’ diverse farmers, farms, and the food, feed and fuel they produce.
See more: ‘Sky is the Limit’ for Women in Agriculture (VIDEO)
