Life on Primrose Farm is an exercise in planning, execution, flexibility, good
humor and old-fashioned hard work. There are daily chores, seasonal chores,
and - in our case - event planning. Listed below are some basic outlines
of what a typical day looks like, a monthly agricultural schedule and general
public events schedule.
Of course, the weather can have a significant impact on when things get done -- so if you're interested in coming on out to the farm for something specific, please be sure to register for a specific program using the Park District's Leisure Link online registration system or contact Kirk Bunke at 630-513-4370.
Daily Schedule
Interested in
volunteering?
Click here!Daily chores are what keep a working
farm working, rain or shine. Animals
need to be fed and watered, their bedding needs to be cleaned; we check
to make sure everyone's healthy, and of course - we have cows to milk!
Here's what a typical day looks like for us on the farm.
| 7-9am | Morning Chores | |
| 9-10am | Milking | |
| 10am-2pm | Activity of the Day | |
| 2-3pm | Afternoon Chores |
Agricultural and Program Schedule
Maintaining
Primrose Farm takes a balance of planning and execution both around
the annual crop growing season and Mother Nature's schedule.
Following is what we plan for each year. The order will stay the same, but the actual timing can change from year to year based on the weather.
Please note, the calendar only lists recurring programs and excludes one-time offerings. Please refer to the Park District's seasonal brochure for more details!
| Agriculture | Special Events | Programs |
| January | ||
| - Winter Chores | - Feed the Animals | |
| February | ||
| - Winter Chores - Lambing |
- Feed the Animals - Chicken & Egg - Afternoon Tea |
|
| March | ||
| - Set up for Milking - Calving - Prep Garden Plots - Daily Milking Begins |
- Living History Weekend - Agricultural Days Outreach |
- Feed the Animals - Chicken & Egg - Drop-in Tours |
| April | ||
| - Spring Tillage - Plant Oats - Shear Sheep - Farrowing - Daily Milking |
- Feed the Animals - Chicken & Egg - Hands-on Milking - Farm Story Time - Afternoon Tea - Drop-in Tours |
|
| May | ||
| - Cow Breeding - Plant Sweet Corn - Plant Field Corn - Plant Pumpkins - 1st Hay Cutting - Daily Milking |
- Bonner Farm | - Feed the Animals - Chicken & Egg - Hands-on Milking - Farm Story Time - Afternoon Tea - Crop Walk - Drop-in Tours |
| June | ||
| - Plant Silage Corn - Plant Sweet Corn - 2nd Hay Cutting - Daily Milking |
- Dairy Breakfast - County Fair |
- Feed the Animals - Chicken & Egg - Hands-on Milking - Farm Story Time - Afternoon Tea - Crop Walk - Drop-in Tours |
| July | ||
| - Harvest Wheat - Harvest Oats - Threshing - Daily Milking |
- Threshing Demonstrations | - Feed the Animals - Chicken & Egg - Hands-on Milking - Farm Story Time - Afternoon Tea - Crop Walk - Drop-in Tours |
| August | ||
| - Harvest Barley - 3rd Hay Cutting - Threshing - Field Tillage - Daily Milking |
- Bonner Farm | - Feed the Animals - Chicken & Egg - Hands-on Milking - Farm Story Time - Afternoon Tea - Crop Walk - Drop-in Tours |
| September | ||
| - Fall Tillage - Plant Wheat - Plant Barley - Sheep Breeding - Daily Milking |
- Farm Frolic - Kline Creek Farm |
- Feed the Animals - Chicken & Egg - Hands-on Milking - Farm Story Time - Afternoon Tea - Crop Walk - Drop-in Tours |
| October | ||
| - Make Silage - Corn Picking - Daily Milking |
- Moonlight Hayrides - Halloween Hayride - Bonner Farm |
- Feed the Animals - Chicken & Egg - Hands-on Milking - Farm Story Time - Afternoon Tea - Crop Walk - Drop-in Tours |
| November | ||
| - Corn Picking - End Lactation - Winterize |
- Armistice Day | - Feed the Animals - Drop-in Tours |
| December | ||
| - Winter Chore Schedule - Butchering |
- Holiday Sleigh Rides | - Feed the Animals - Butchering |
For more information about Special Events, click here. For more
information about Programs, click here.
For
general information about the Primrose Farm schedule or calendar, contact Kirk Bunke at 630-513-4370.
