FAIRBURY, Ill. — Only 10 years ago, Doug Rinkenberger bought a former dairy farm at a public auction. Today, he has turned the 100-year-old Livingston County farm into a sustainable operation that is alive with traditional barnyard sounds of gobbles, clucks and moos.
Small farm’s marketing plan develops as operation grows
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Doug Rinkenberger doesn’t have a typical central Illinois farm, so his marketing plan isn’t typical either. He does a lot of driving north to Chicago, south to St. Louis and parts in between to deliver turkeys, vegetables and other products to chefs and other buyers.
The other farm products Rinkenberger and his wife, Beth, raise and grow at Garden Gate Farm they sell at markets or to chefs.
Doug Rinkenberger does a lot of driving north to Chicago, south to St. Louis and parts in between to deliver turkeys, vegetables and other products to chefs and other buyers.
Rinkenberger boards dairy cows as part of the farm’s total income.
