PEORIA MAGAZINE August 2023

Anita Poeppel feeds chickens at the Broad Ranch Farm in Chillicothe

ally, Fiedler will do a pop-up stand at farmers’ markets in Morton and the East Peoria Levee District when he has excess produce. “I’d like to give a lot of credit to my grandpa,” said Fiedler. “He taught me how to farm, and his friend, John Schulzki, taught me how to grow from seed.” His wife, Mary Beth, also gets a pat on the back, as the couple juggles the farm, work and raising their family, which includes 10-month-old twins, Hunter and JoCe. A TEACHING FARM Randy “Farmer Randy” Starnes be gan operating Crooked Row Farm in Chillicothe about six years after the farm where his brother, Danny, grew watermelon, cantaloupe and peaches, had gone dormant for a couple years following Danny’s death. The 10-acre farm at 4623 Lakeland Lane had been in the family since 1981. Today, Starnes plants tomatoes, pep pers, cucumber, green beans, zucchini, bitter melon, red gourd, long beans, Indian okra, sweet and green onions, lettuce, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, strawberries, black and red raspberries and pumpkins on five acres. In memory of his brother, he put in

Randy Starnes of Crooked Row Farm in Chillicothe with his peppers, just one of the many varieties of produce he grows

laughing. “I have old tractors without four-wheel drive, so sometimes it’s tough to put in a straight row.” Customers can stop by the farm, where Starnes has a stand, or spend some time picking their own fruit and vegetables. Starnes does assist in the u-pick when something like lettuce or cauliflower needs to be cut with a knife. “As soon as we start getting produce, we’ll have stuff set up at the stand,” he said. “A lot of people say we’re old fashioned. I have more customers this year than I ever have.”

five peach trees last year, but the early frost this year killed the budding fruit. “When I started this farm, I wanted it to be more of an educational farm,” Starnes said. “When kids come out, I try to teach them. An onion, for example. Every leaf on an onion is a ring of the onion. I’ll teach them how to pick a ripe watermelon, just things like that.” Even the farm’s name, Crooked Row Farm, has a story. “My wife said I couldn’t put in a straight row if I tried,” Starnes said,

JULY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 9