Danada Model Farm
Nearly 40 acres of the original Rice Farm are cultivated and harvested by Friends of Danada volunteers using vintage farm equipment. As farming operations around DuPage County are giving way to suburban development, this is one of the few working farms left in what was once a major agricultural area. The farming operation is a showcase of agricultural methods of the 1950’s and 60’s (when Danada Farm was at its peak) using machinery and equipment of that era, but addressing ecological and land conservation situations of today. Our volunteers have been dedicated to cultivating the land for well over 30 years.
The Model Farm activity provides school children, senior citizens and other interested parties, an opportunity to learn and experience agriculture and the productivity of many of the foods that we eat and take for granted in this age of diminishing farmland. The Model Farm is operated solely by Friends of Danada volunteers using much of their own equipment and that of the Friends. The Model Farm is the centerpiece to an educational program called “Down on the Farm” wherein Friends of Danada provides field trips to 4th grade students as well as interested groups such as scout troops and church groups.
