Funk Farms is the fourth oldest farm in Illinois which has received the 2012 Environmental Stewardship Award. Abraham Lincoln was one of Funk Farms' first attorneys who later served in the Illinois House of Representatives with Funk Farms founder Isaac Funk.[1][2][3][4][5]
| Funk Farms | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Town/City | McLean County |
| State | Illinois |
| Country | USA |
| Coordinates | 40°22′13.33″N 89°3′14.31″W / 40.3703694°N 89.0539750°W |
| Established | 1824 |
| Owner | Funk Family |
| Produces | corn, soybeans, and alfalfa |
| Website | funkfarmstrust |
History
editFunk Farms was founded in 1824 by brothers Isaac and Absalom Funk in McLean County, Illinois. From a historical perspective, Abraham Lincoln was one of Funk Farms' first attorneys and later served in the Illinois House of Representatives with Isaac Funk. Isaac was a friend of Lincoln's and an early booster when Lincoln ran for U.S. president. Funk and Lincoln were also responsible for bringing the Chicago & Alton Railroad through Bloomington-Normal Funk Farms in McLean County, detouring it from its originally planned route through Peoria.[6][7]
In 1901, the Funk family and Funk Farms entered the seed business when Yale educated Eugene Duncan (E.D.) Funk, son of Lafayette Funk and grandson of Isaac, founded Funks Brothers Seed Company. Known for Funk's G-Hybrid seed corn, publicly traded Funk Brothers was the inventor, and world's leading producer, of hybrid corn. In 1941, E.D. Funk Sr. established Funk Farms Trust. The Trust was formed to operate 3,000 acres of land and to feed approximately 6,000 head of cattle. Today, that land is owned by the descendants of E.D. Funk.[8][9][10] The Board of Trustees is composed of four cousins - all descendants of E.D. Funk. Today, Funk Farms has 3 cash crops - corn, soybeans, and alfalfa, sells premium beef and other items to the public, and runs an organic composting operation.[8][9][10][11]
References
edit- ^ "History of Funks Grove McLean County, Illinois". genealogytrails.com. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
- ^ "Environmental Stewardship - Funk Farms Trust". Environmental Stewardship. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
- ^ "Funk Farm Market to Close This Year". Vegetable Growers News. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
- ^ "Ten Thousand at Funk Farms Picnic - Newspapers.com". Pantagraph. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
- ^ Company, Funk Brothers Seed (2017-10-26). Funk Farms, Birthplace of Commercial Hybrid Corn: A History of Hybrid Corn (Classic Reprint). Fb&c Limited. ISBN 978-0-266-75868-6.
- ^ Wrone, David R. (1969). "Abraham Lincoln's Idea of Property". Science & Society. 33 (1): 54–70. ISSN 0036-8237. JSTOR 40401391.
- ^ "Isaac Funk to Abraham Lincoln and Edward D. Baker, Thursday, March 01, 1849 (Appointment)". Library of Congress. 1849-01-01. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
- ^ "Funks helped build area". pantagraph.com. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
- ^ Westfahl, Gary (2017-04-20). "Legends of the Sprawl". University of Illinois Press. 1. doi:10.5406/illinois/9780252037801.003.0005.
- ^ "Funks Grove, Illinois – Maple Sirup Country – Legends of America". www.legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
- ^ Review, THERESA CHURCHILL For the Herald &. "Churchill: Not-so-famous Funks made mark on Illinois". Herald-Review.com. Retrieved 2023-02-04.