Marty Travis

7th Generation Farmer, Spence Farm; Fairbury, IL

Marty Travis is partner at Spence Farm. One step onto the Spence Farm in Illinois, co-owned and operated by Marty Travis and his son, Will, and the story begins to unfold. A former furniture maker who inherited the old family farm decided to return to farming, but saw the opportunity for true sustainability was a long away from corn, soybeans and convention. Instead, he turned to the city of Chicago and its restaurant community. As it so happened, they were looking for farmers who would give them unique food and vegetables, and work with them to build their seasonal menus. It was, simply put, a match made in foodie heaven. A thriving, sustainable business model grew from the ground up, from the hard work Marty Travis and his family put into the soil, the livestock, and the surrounding acreage, into the community of buyers he fostered with kindness, amazing products, and dedicated work. Today, the model has shifted again to encompass individual families in the wake of the COVID crisis. Caring and compassion along with a helping of gratitude is what leads a cooperative group of farmers lead by the Travis family. Currently serving dozens of restaurants and over 1000 families, this network of farmers is leading the way to a change in the landscape around food. (Fairbury, IL)