Our Farm
We are an organic-pasture based livestock & poultry farm, that raises premium, grass-fed meats for the Chicago area
About us.
We believe that all farm animals should graze together symbiotically on perennial pastures in order to support the biodiversity and fertility of the land. Farming with this holistic, pasture-based method at our core, alongside organic agricultural methods, we aim to provide life-giving, pastured meat and eggs for our local community. Our meat and eggs are available at your local farmers’ markets as well as through Wednesday home delivery in the Chicago area . We also offer a Meat CSA program for customers in the Chicago-area, and we can ship our products anywhere within the United States.
Our meats.
Our livestock & poultry rotationally graze, moving every few days to fresh Certified-Organic pastures. We steward a diversity of primarily heritage breeds of animals. The 4-legged animals live their full lifecycle here and we bring them to slaughter at the only Certified-Organic butcher in Illinois (Eureka Locker).
Our cows are 100% grass-fed and grass-finished. Our grass-fed sheep and goats receive Certified-Organic, fermented soy fiber as a probiotic/prebiotic supplement (produced locally & artisanally by Phoenix Bean Tofu). Organic hay for winter forage (when pasture is dormant) is also sourced from local farmers. The pigs, chickens, & turkeys forage the farm’s pasture with Certified-Organic grains and beans offered daily (after being cooked and/or fermented). These are sourced locally (mostly from the Wilkens of Janie’s Mill). This nutrient-dense feed is very carefully sourced and mixed in small batches on site at the farm. Depending on season, ingredients in feed include Certified-Organic soybeans, black beans, yellow, red, or white corn, red wheat, winter wheat, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, oats, rye, hemp seed, barley, & triticale.
“The difference between Mint Creek Farm and supermarket beef from a feedlot is night and day. The environmental impacts from feedlots spread far and wide - all the way to the Gulf of Mexico; while, in the meantime, Harry Carr seems to be single-handedly restoring and rebuilding the mineral rich topsoils that once dominated the midwest.”
Our beginnings.
Mint Creek is a family farm, owned & operated by the Carr family and a few dedicated friends. Harry & Gwen Carr started the farm in 1992, beginning with 50 acres of land in Stelle, IL. Since then, the farm has grown to 220 Certified-Organic acres. These organic pastures are home to sheep, cows, pigs, goats, turkeys, & chickens. The Carrs studied Biodynamic agriculture at the Michael Fields Institute and learned that planting perennial grasses and legumes is the first step in revitalizing farmed-out land. They also saw demonstrations of how to rotationally graze livestock, and learned how frequent movement of grazing animals is good for animal, forage, and soil health. Harry learned to plant mixes of legumes and grasses suited to the different conditions of the farm through trial and error and by talking to area farmers.
Our environmental impact.
Mint Creek Farm strives for the symbiotic relationship of animal and land. Who would have guessed that a combination so simple as sheep on grass could help with global climate change? Grasses and legumes naturally process and fix carbon in the soil. Rotationally grazing perennial pasture is actually one of the best carbon-dioxide-absorbing natural systems there is— even better than planting trees, because the forage plants are kept in their vegetative state by the regular grazing of livestock.
Mint Creek Farm is also a safe haven for native species of plants and birds to live and nest. Soil tests show great improvements in soil fertility and texture since the land was purchased; enriching the natural prairie ecosystems that have been so depleted by modern mainstream agricultural practices.
It makes the Carrs happy to be a part of a beautiful natural ecosystem: thick swards of grasses keeping the topsoil from eroding and cleaning the air while the livestock live on it symbiotically, bolstering soil fertility. It makes them all the more proud that this ecosystem offers their family, friends, locals, and chefs some of the most delicious, healthiest grass-fed meat in the country.