Hello my name is Matt Vecchie of Yaw-Ye Farms.
I’m 39 years old. I’ve been farming for 4 years.
I raise pastured pork at my farm in Grayslake, IL.
Sustainable farming practices are important to me because the soil needs to be saved.
My favorite thing about being a farmer is sunrises and sunsets.
My farmer idol or superhero is Paul Willis because he has shown and demonstrates how pigs can be raised in a non-confinment manner.
My favorite song to listen to on the farm is “Cabin by the Sea” by the Dirty Heads.
When I’m not farming I like to go fishing or hit the links.
My favorite thing to eat is carne asada con pappas (grilled marinated steak with potatoes).
If I could change one thing about the food system it would be less corn, more pasture-produced protein.
Something you don’t know about me is my great grandfather was also a Matt and a farmer.
I am reducing post-harvest losses by cover cropping and increasing soil biology.
Climate change is affecting my farm through bigger spring rains, drier summers, and colder winters.
One thing I’m doing to protect the environment on my farm is cover crop cocktails.
I think we need more young people involved in farming because sustainable farming can feed the world.
One thing I’m doing to create healthy soil on my farm is cover cropping and composting spent grains.
One thing I’m doing to precent erosion from my farm is cover cropping and composting.
The most difficult thing about sustainable farming is not having enough time to do it all in one day.
I did not always know I would be a farmer. I chose the agricultural life because I wanted to.
Others in my family are not involved in farming, but they play a very big part through evangelizing and promoting my farm.
The following resources, programs, or organizations are most valuable to my farm: Liberty Prairie Foundation.
