WELCOME to LORENZEN FARMS


	Lorenzen Farms started as a 105 acre farm located in 
Chrisman, Illinois, in Edgar County.  John Lorenzen, Sr. 
Purchased the farm and moved his family to this location 
from Foosland, Illinois in 1930.  In the early fifties, 
John T. and Dave Lorenzen started the partnership of Lorenzen 
Brothers with the home base 105 acres.  The beginning of the 
Lorenzen Brothers partnership had a difficult start with 
John T. acquiring Tuberculosis and being confined to bed for 
two years.  As John T. was in the final stages of his 
illness, Uncle Sam called Dave to serve for his country.  
	During these trying first years John Senior and 
several relatives helped with the farming and kept the young 
partners moving forward.  With the help of God, gracious 
Landlord's, good neighbors, and relatives, Lorenzen Brothers 
began to grow into a diversified grain and livestock farm.  
The two oldest sons, Steve and Tony, entered the 
partnership, in 1972.  The partners of Lorenzen Brothers 
then became the legal partnership known as Lorenzen Farms.  
The two youngest sons, Tracy and John S., entered Lorenzen 
Farms about ten years later forming the existing six family 
partnership.  Lorenzen Farms has since added several tracts 
of land to the original 105 acres and operates a diversified 
livestock operation as well. The operation now includes 5781 
acres of which 5022 is tillable. This years crops include 2345
of corn, 2630 of beans, 110 acres wheat, and 210 acres of hay.
  
Grain
	Many changes have taken place during the past forty 
years of the grain operation.  From 1959 to 1961, the beans 
were planted in twenty-four-rows with a planter designed by 
the Lorenzen Brothers.  We have about come full circle in 
the years past with rows of forty-inch, thirty-six, thirty, 
and now fifteen.  We use a corn/bean rotation of crops with 
wheat for the livestock straw and hay for the cow herd.  
We like to deep chisel the corn stalks and apply at least 
half of the anhydrous ammonia in the fall.  The ground is 
generally worked once in the spring as close to the planter 
as possible.  We have some highly erodable minimum-till 
ground.  Post spray is used for corn and bean herbicide.  
The rotary hoe and cultivator are still part of 
our weed control. We have speciality contracts for high oil 
corn, white food grade, yellow food grade, IP corn, seed beans 
and STS beans. 
	The grain is stored at locations on most of our farms.  
This is a time saving at harvest, but when it's time to haul 
the grain, a central location and grain setup would be nice.  
Either electric or gas drying bins are available on most of 
the farms.  We also have a large selection of GI bins that 
made our purchase of a grain vac a very well liked piece of 
equipment.  Lorenzen Farms feeds about one third of the corn 
we raise and the remainder is sold.




Hogs
	The hog operation consists of mainly three 
facilities. The rented facility at Indianola, the Almy hog 
farm, is a total enclosed 240 sow unit, gestation, farrowing
and nursery. We have a nursery and finishing unit south of 
Scotland,IL.and an additional nursery and finishing unit 
Southeast of Chrisman,IL. The two finishing facilities have 
Harvestores and are set up to feed higher moisture corn.  
        In 1984, the hog operation went SPF and sold 
Chester White breeding stock with good success for many 
years.  During these years, we showed National Champion 
boars and World Pork Expo Champion Boars that sold extremely 
well.  In 1993, we again cleaned up entirely and restocked 
with purebred Yorkshire and are currently marketing breeding 
stock through Premier Swine System, private sales, and 
export.  The new stock has produced Champion Barrow 
at the Indiana State Fair open show and many breed champions.
Extensive records are kept through the Yorkshire S.T.A.G.E.S. 
program and the Premier Herdsman system.  Tony and Tracy are 
very dedicated to producing a lean, meaty carcass without giving 
up any maternal traits in the sow herd.

Cattle 
	Woodlands and grasslands that are not suitable for 
farming are used to accommodate the Lorenzen Farm cow herd.  
The 200 cow herd consists of registered Polled Herefords, 
registered Angus, and commercial cows.  The cows are 
wintered on silage and round bales with mineral and 
liquid supplement added.  One feedlot houses the homegrown 
steers, cull heifers, and additional feedlot cattle we 
purchase.  The second feedlot houses the bred heifers, 
bulls, and the heifer calves selected for replacements.  
The third feed floor winters one third of the cow herd.  
A.I. is used on the registered herd for thirty days and then
the bulls are released.  Embryo transplants are also used to 
improve the breeding herd.  Registered cattle are sold 
through production and private sales and the remainder are 
marketed through local stockyards and cattle order buyers.  
The registered cattle are production tested and the entire 
herd is strictly culled.  In four hundred twenty leads at 
the State and National shows from 1985 to 2003, the Lorenzen 
Farm cattle have won one fifty two firsts, ninty two seconds,
one twenty four division titles, and sixty four Grand 
titles.  Our cattle placed in the top three of the class 
seventy-one percent of the time.  During this period, we 
also had many champions die before they took their first 
step, many heartbreaking defeats, and several of life's 
hard lessons.

Records
	In 1983, the first computer was purchased to assist 
in the farm accounting and record keeping.  The accounting 
is now done solely on the computer along with various 
spreadsheets and databases to track production, produce 
farm maps, and keep inventory.  In 1997, the GPS yield monitor 
was added, along with the mapping software. We also use GPS
for soil sampling and spread the P,K, and lime accordingly.

Closing
	We are continually striving for more efficient grain 
and livestock production.  We are looking to expand our 
grain production acres and feel we have the equipment, 
knowledge, and willingness to do so.
	To conclude, I would like to rewrite the words 
John T. wrote in a tour booklet of our farm during the 
1978 visit from the Illinois Young Farmers.  
He wrote:  Typical of farm life, mistakes have been made; 
we could have done better; but at other times we can say 
with the psalmist, "My cup runneth over".  
        All in all, we are thankful to God and the many
good people who have given us an opportunity to farm in 
Edgar county, Illinois, USA.  May he add a blessing to 
your visit here today.

                 John T. Lorenzen

Dave Lorenzen     Steve Lorenzen     Tony Lorenzen

     Tracy Lorenzen          John S. Lorenzen