Evergreen Farms, Inc.
5 generations of innovation in Butler, IL
Acres currently farmed – 1400
Principal enterprises – corn, soybeans, wheat and hogs by Andrew Wedekind and Kate Niemeier
In 1854, Jonathan Baldwin Turner purchased 900 acres from
Reuben Ross who had been a major land owner in Butler Grove
Township, Illinois but was selling out and moving to Texas.
Turner bought the land which included a house, sheds,
equipment and livestock for $10 an acre. The farm was known
for its multiple species of livestock including working horses,
beef cattle, hogs, and sheep. Since 1854, Evergreen Farms, as
it is now known, has transitioned through four generations.
Turner passed the land on to his two sons John and William.
John passed the land to his son Rudy. Next in line was Jack
Rundquist, who married into the family and now his son John
is the principal operator.
Jonathan Baldwin Turner was not a typical farmer. He studied
classical literature at Yale University and taught at Illinois
College in Jacksonville, IL from 1833-1848. After leaving
Illinois College, he focused his attention on the betterment of
humanity through a variety of avenues including public
education, agricultural research (with a special focus on
developing Osage orange as a living fence) and abolition. He
was very passionate about young men and women pursuing
Jonathan Baldwin Turner
post-secondary education. He recognized the importance of
(1805-1899)
scientific advancement in agriculture and that future
agriculturalists would need proper training. He worked with
representatives in Washington to pass the Morrill Act which established the Land Grant
University System and transformed agricultural research and education in the United States.
It was also the first bill signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on July 2, 1862.
Education has continued to be very important to subsequent generations, and all operators of
Evergreen Farms have had college degrees. The family has graduates from Yale University,
the University of Illinois, Illinois College and Western Illinois University. Several family
members, including Jack Rundquist, have completed advanced degrees and at least five have
become teachers. Jonathan Baldwin Turner’s dedication to education for the common man
and especially agriculturalists lives on.
Jack Rundquist met Anita
Turner when they were both
enrolled as students at the
University of Illinois. She
was a Home Economics
major and a resident of the 4H House. He was a Crop
Science major and a resident
of Nabor House. The
intersection of their lives
might not have been possible
with a war waging overseas,
except that Jack was relieved
of military service for health
issues. They were married at
Jack & Anita (Turner) Rundquist taken in front of the feedlot
the Wesley United Methodist
and silos at the farm in 1977 at Evergreen Farms.
Church in Urbana, Illinois on
February 22, 1948. Their
more than 60 years of marriage have included not only significant expansion of the farm, but
also the raising of five children, Ann, Barbara, John, Martha, Rebecca, and the joy of six
grandchildren, John, Tyler, Kathryn, Michael, Kevin, and Andrew.
The farm’s first tractor was a Rumely, bought in 1932, and a Massey-Harris was purchased
in 1940. The first self-propelled combine on the farm was purchased in 1948. Pesticides were
first used in 1949. The first hay baler was purchased in 1955. The family has always
recognized the value of state of the art equipment in improving production and profitability.
Currently the family uses John Deere equipment and has adopted technology like Autosteer
and air seeding to increase accuracy in plant population and seed placement.
The family has always been dedicated to conservation and good land stewardship. Cover
crops, grass waterways, tiling, and terraces are a few of the standard conservation practices
employed on the farm. Grandpa Jack is always dreaming up the next conservation practice
to implement on the farm. His desire to read and research the latest techniques in agronomy
inspires other family members. Grandma Anita even tried to cook with the radishes that he
planted as a cover crop in 2013 J
The farm faced some rough times during the Great Depression and the Farm Crisis of the
1980s. Luckily, during both periods, the family owned all of the land, buildings, and
livestock free and clear of the bank. During the Farm Crisis, Jack recalls paying up to 20%
interest on his operating line of credit at the bank. This was quite a challenge for the family,
but luckily, through sound financial practice and savings, the family was able to make it.
In conclusion, the farm was incorporated in 1970 and shares are held by family members to
be passed down to the next generation. To this day, all the farm shares continue to be held
by family members. It is Jack and Anita’s desire that the shares of the farm continue to be
passed on to family and that the operators of the farm continue to be descendants of the
Turner family.
Anita Turner
Rundquist and Jack
Rundquist with the
original Turner
Titan Osage-orange
planted on
Evergreen Farms
over 150 years ago
by JB Turner,
Anita’s great-grand
father. The past and the present at Evergreen Farms