Almost 900 guests enjoyed a farm fresh breakfast near Fairbury Saturday morning during the annual “Breakfast on the Farm” event held at Kilgus Farmstead.
The Livingston County Farm Bureau Young Leaders, who help organize the annual breakfast, served 875 individuals which is an all-time high.
“The one dollar per breakfast is just to represent the money that actually goes back to the farmer,” explained LCFB Young Leader Chair Kaity Carroll. “People don’t realize how much farmers get and it’s not what people may think.”
In addition to a breakfast of scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, milk, coffee and orange juice, attendees viewed agricultural displays, toured the dairy farm and participated in activities for the entire family at no cost.
Livingston County Farm Bureau Young Leaders are young adults in the county with a tie to agriculture who work throughout the year to provide events and programs which promote ag in the community. They host a kiddie tractor pull during the annual 4-H Fair and help with ag games.
Young Leaders also attend a conference in Peoria which includes other groups from throughout the state.
“We all get to do workshops and get to network with people across the state,” said Carroll.
According to Carroll, the Young Leaders also do fundraisers with another Farm Bureau committee through the Harvest for All project, donating hams at Christmas time to the local food pantry.
“Breakfast on the Farm” is actually the result of a brainstorming session years ago between the Kilguses and Livingston County Farm Bureau on ways to bring others out to the farm, allowing those unfamiliar with farm life to experience ag.
“We did see other locations hold breakfasts on the farm and a lot of them were held on dairy farms in June to celebrate Dairy Month,” recalls Matt Kilgus.
Kilgus, his wife Jenna, his uncle Paul and Paul’s wife Carmen along with Paul and Carmen’s sons, Justin and Trent, and their wives Kaylee and Kayla, operate the dairy farm and milk processing operation. They also have a meat business featuring pork, beef and goat meat.
“All four of the families work together here on the farm along with several full-time employees that are an integral part of the operation,” notes Kilgus.
The Kilgus family also raises corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa.
