Gum Family Farms, 14357 Gum Avenue, Tallula, IL (2026)

10/15/2026

Fall is in full swing around here!🌽
Harvest is progressing nicely and the drill is starting to keep busy with wheat and cover crops going in the ground. We’ve sure had some beautiful days over the past week, and that we are thankful for!

10/11/2026

"previously recorded"

Scripture Sunday!

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"
Matthew 6:26-27

As I was walking in to the house one evening this week after work, I glanced at the tree that you see in the picture below. I was struck by the size of this tree and how pretty it had become. For some reason, I began to wonder how many things I had worried about in the twenty-six years since Jennifer & I had planted this tree. I wondered how many times it was difficult for she & I to sleep because of some type of "crisis". I found it to be difficult to remember specifics. The daily dramas weren't coming to mind. Rather, what I found myself remembering about the life span of this tree were more of the capital letters. I think of friendships and funny stories, even by those who are no longer on earth. I think about kids who are now grown, and I think that they are pretty cool people. I think of families and vacations and maybe a dog or two. I think about a lot of good people. But I can't remember what kept us awake that night. I just know that twenty-six years has passed, so it must not have been all that important. And isn't it funny.....Jesus tried to tell us this in today's scripture.......sometimes I sure wish that I would pay more attention to His words. It could save a lot of grief I'm sure. Jesus loves you. Have a great week!

10/04/2026

Scripture Sunday!

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, for I hide myself in you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
Psalm 143:8-10

Harvest has found its way into full swing by now. This is the time of year when our work gets pretty steady, the time of year when our tests get graded, and the time of year when we are reminded that we can't always do it all on our own. We know that we can't always do this thing by ourselves and yet, every year, we hesitate to ask for help. Even as we have a couple of close friends that we call without hesitation with any type of cattle issues, we seem to struggle greatly in asking for help at harvest time. Maybe it makes us vulnerable. Maybe it's a trust thing. Or maybe it's just our foolish pride. It's probably just our foolish pride....and maybe, just maybe, I should stop using the words "us" and "we" and "our"......because truthfully it's mostly me. This fall, I am grateful and thankful that the boys have taken it upon themselves to call in some extra help. They didn't ask if I thought we needed it, they just told me when it was coming. My goodness, what a gift that has been. It has relieved some weight that I probably didn't even realize I was carrying. It has allowed all of us to take a breath and enjoy the harvest. And just as we enjoy helping others, it seems that others genuinely enjoy helping us as well. Huh....who would've thought it. Friends, do you ever find yourselves in this situation with "life"? Do you ever catch yourselves a little bit covered up, and yet hesitant to ask for help? Do you secretly think that, if you just try a little bit harder, you will be able to handle it all on your own? I sure do. Yup. And then, right at the very last moment, when things are just about to get real ugly, I swallow my pride and bow my head. It's amazing how the weight lightens. It doesn't magically make all of the struggles disappear, but my goodness it's nice to know that God will help. It's so very nice to know that He hears us and He loves us and He wants to give us comfort during our cloudy days. There are a lot of teachers in my family, and I remember even more from my younger years. They always say that their door is open. They long for their students to come and ask for help when they are struggling. They genuinely want to help. Well, my friends, so does our Father. He genuinely wants to help. But we have to go to Him and ask. We have to let Him help. And my goodness, what a relief it can be when we do. Jesus loves you. Have a great week!

10/03/2026

What a beautiful day for corn harvest in central IL! Sunny skies and college football on the radio make Saturdays in the field hard to beat!

09/27/2026

Scripture Sunday!

For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God.
Romans 8:24-27

We, in central Illinois, have recently been inundated with clouds. If we go back to the 15th of this month, it has been primarily cloudy. Prior to yesterday, it had been seven days since we had seen any real sunshine. Our friends in northern IL, Wisconsin, and Iowa would consider us lucky, as their clouds have been accompanied by overwhelming amounts of rainfall. On our farm, we are fortunate to have some soybean acres that are ripe for harvest. However, the recent cloudy and humid weather has made harvesting those little rascals pretty challenging. Our patience has been tested for sure. You see, when our days are cloudy, time seems to kind of stand still. We know where we want to be, and we know what we wish to do. But the clouds seem to overwhelm our thoughts and our minds. They have a way of taking a hold and making us forget that the sun is actually always there. It's funny but not funny sometimes how those clouds, the things that we don't necessarily need or want or enjoy or even like, can do such an amazing job of covering up our sunshine. To the point where we begin to question if our sun even still exists. We tend to forget that the clouds will always pass. It may take some time, and it may seem like a hundred times longer, but those clouds will pass. And yet that sun, it is ever present. Always. Even when we can not see it. Even when we can not feel its warmth. My friends, so often our lives can mirror the weather. Our dark days are longer and they can come in waves. They can last for weeks or months at a time. They can test our faith and our trust and our ability to feel our Father's presence. We wonder if we will ever feel the Son shine again. Yesterday we captured the sunrise, and it seemed more brilliant than ever. It seems that's how it usually works. When the clouds finally break, when we can see the sun again, when we can find our way back to our Father, it is good. Oftentimes He will feel even closer and warmer than before, and we are reminded of the comfort and peace that comes with His presence in our lives. The sun is always there. So is the Father, and so is the Son. Be patient and trusting through the darkness, his brilliance and his warmth will be there waiting when the clouds finally pass. Jesus loves you. Have a great week!

Please say a prayer for all of our farmers who are trying their best to be patient until the weather breaks. Those rainy days are getting pretty long for them.

09/25/2026

One of our favorite seasons has begun!

Summer is a busy time of year, it is for everyone really. Between baling, spraying, the odds and ends, and the personal plans we’ve made, it’s just busy. Nothing really hard by any means, just lots of planning and coordination. Then we get to harvest season. Sure, the hours might be a tick longer, but it’s the time of year that the three of us go hop in our machines and just go to work together. It’s the time of year that makes us realize even more how blessed we are to do what we do. That’s what makes harvest so enjoyable for us. Happy harvest season from GFF!

09/20/2026

Scripture Sunday!

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of
God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God---this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is ----his good, pleasing, and perfect will.
Romans 12:1-2

Miss Jennifer, at the beginning of each school year, used to take me on a caterpillar hunt in the milkweed patches. We would grab a half a dozen or so......actually I would probably find 5 and she would find like one or something : ) ....... and she would take them to her classroom so the kids could watch the transformation from a caterpillar to a butterfly. So when a friend & I were gathering up some round bales earlier last week, I naturally had to go exploring when I saw that patch of milkweed plants. He has an almost three-year-old, so it made me smile when we found a caterpillar for him to take home to that kid. Last week though, as the days went on, I found myself hung up thinking about that caterpillar. Almost like fixated on it and the process that I knew it would go through in a few days. Even as I've seen this a few times before, it seemed like this time it was from a different angle or something. Maybe this time it was less of a task for a classroom and more so that a kid could see how truly cool the whole thing is. Maybe this time I just took the time. Have you ever seen this process? So the caterpillar is just hanging out in the fields on the milkweed plants, chomping away on some pretty yummy food I suppose and being this happy little caterpillar.....and then suddenly one day it crawls up and somehow attaches a small portion of its body to something and just hangs there, forming itself into the letter J. A few hours later, it somehow spins a chrysalis (I still think of it as a cocoon) around itself. And then finally, after a few days, right about the time you think nothing is going to come from any of this, a beautiful monarch butterfly emerges from the chrysalis. Way cool. God made that. I have found myself thinking since that day about that whole process. I have found myself wondering what that caterpillar must be feeling. I wonder if it understands at all what is happening. I wonder if it is scared. I wonder if it has figured out how to do what I would like to be better at.....I wonder if it has figured out how to trust in God and let it be. I suppose that caterpillar can't possibly know how beautiful it will be after its transformation. I suppose it has no way to know the freedom that it will feel. My friends, as I write this note this morning, my heart rate is steady. My breaths are easy. I find comfort in knowing that butterfly's story. I find peace in remembering where I was and in knowing where I am. Make no mistake, I am certainly not some pretty little butterfly fluttering around and landing on someone's nose for a photo opp. However, I can tell you personally that when you decide to let God have it....when you truly can give it all to the Father, something inside you will change. It may not be a visible thing, and it will more than likely take some time. But that transformation is real and someday, when you look behind you, you will realize that it is good. It's easy to see God's miracle when we watch that butterfly emerge from the chrysalis, and yet it can be so very difficult to trust what He is doing in us. Let it be, my friends. Let God do what God does. You may not like the process, but you will certainly love the results. He is so very, very good. And so are you. Jesus loves you. Have a great week!

Our sunshine turned 1 yesterday! ❤️

09/19/2026

We have a few Bulk Beef spots left for our October 15th processing date! Orders will be ready for pickup or local delivery around the first week of November. If you would like to get on our list for a 1/4, half, or whole beef, send us a message or give one of us a call.

Randy- (217) 415-3095
Morgan- (217) 361-5975
Charlie- (217) 502-4599

09/13/2026

Scripture Sunday!

You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.'" So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.
Romans 14:10-13

We had a chance to spend some time working with friends at the ole fairgrounds again this weekend. I found myself going into this one feeling a little bit sorry for myself. Maybe not even feeling sorry, maybe more-so just being a little selfish. We're fast approaching the time to turn the key on the combine, so we have just a few loose ends that we're trying to get wrapped up on the farm. I found myself wanting to be fussy about working at the fairgrounds, because in my mind I needed to be working at the farm. Plus, we still need to close that swimming pool at home........Anyway....as most always happens when we start working together at the fairgrounds, my mood started lightening up. The comradery with my people and the accomplishments made as a team seemed to quickly outweigh the "poor me's" that I carried through those gates with me on Saturday morning. At one point, a small group of us had found a shade tree for a break. I like those small group talks. We had somehow found our way into a conversation about times passed, when one of my friends said "Someone's always got it worse than we do, guys." I knew at that point that I was where I was supposed to be yesterday. That one stuck. My goodness, shame on me. Poor old me......I work at a company that carries my last name....I have a family that seems to like me, and I have a few friends...I have the flexibility at work and the physical ability to volunteer for my community that I love....I get to spend time at a county fair that I love, working alongside people who I also love....and I've got enough money in my pocket to buy that cheeseburger when I get a little hungry.....Poor old me. I think that maybe God put me there yesterday to remind me that my problems aren't problems. My problems, in the big picture, might be called inconveniences. Maybe. My friends, literally every person we see is carrying some sort of burden. Whether it is large or small to us, whether it is seen or unseen in our eyes, to them it is real. And it is a big deal. How easy it is for us to judge someone else's negativity, their less than ideal attitude on a given day, and not even realize that we may be giving off the same vibe. Everyone has their own stuff. I have learned, over time, that the best way for me to forget about my own problems is to help someone else with theirs. We all know someone going through something, even as we are going through our own. Pick up the phone. Make the drive and knock on the door. Lend an ear or a hand. Just sit with them and let it be. Move that rock or the block, help them to keep from stumbling. It's amazing how it can heal your soul. Jesus loves you. Have a great week!

A couple of my peaceful places..... : )

Gum Family Farms

10/15/2026

10/11/2026

10/04/2026

10/03/2026

09/27/2026

09/25/2026

09/20/2026

09/19/2026

09/13/2026

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