Issert Family Farm Is Conservation Family for 2024
The Will-South Cook Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is pleased to announce that the Issert Family Farm in Wesley Township will receive the SWCD’s 2024 Conservation Farm Family Award.
The farm is operated by Steve Issert, whose family bought the farmstead around 1965, although its history dates all the way to 1834. In 2014, the farmstead was designated as a Will County Historic Landmark by the Will County Historic Preservation Commission and the Will County Board. Steve operates the farm with help from his wife Debbie and their family.
The farmstead includes corn and soybeans, as well as over 100 acres of woodlands. The farming operation involves a system of conservation practices that include minimal tillage, grass waterways, terraces, filter strips, field windbreaks, surface drains, farm ponds and wetlands.
As an approved contractor for the SWCD, Steve gained experience building terraces and waterways, and he has done all the excavating work to put these practices to use on his own farm. When asked about his work to help build these conservation features on others’ farms, Steve remarked, “It’s rewarding work — a nice waterway or terrace, that’s something you remember.”
The Issert Family Farm will be honored at the Will-South Cook SWCD Annual Recognition Dinner on August 1 at the district office, 1201 S. Gougar Road, New Lenox.
For more information or tickets, please call the SWCD office at (815) 462-3106, ext. 3.3