About | Hungry World Farm
Discover how Regenerative Agriculture is better for your health, community, & environment.
Human & Environmental Health
Our Vision
A healthy, hopeful world through regenerative food and agriculture.
Our Mission
Seeking the well-being of all, Hungry World Farm inspires and educates people about healthy fields, food, and bodies while caring for the Earth.
Hungry World Farm exists to restore the land and reconnect people with their food, their communities, and the natural world. Our mission is rooted in the belief that healthy soil grows healthy food and healthy people. We combine faith-informed hospitality with education and hands-on experiences to heal creation and nourish the soul.
Visit us and learn how we’re cultivating hope, one seed at a time.
Farming in Ways That Help the Environment & Create Nutrient Dense Food
Regenerative agriculture goes beyond sustainability—it's about healing. We use practices like multi-species grazing, no-till growing, and agroforestry to build topsoil, increase biodiversity, and store carbon in the earth. It’s a hopeful response to climate change, food insecurity, and ecosystem collapse.
Visit us and discover how soil can save the world.
A Year of Growth: People, Produce & Purpose
In 2025, we welcomed over 1,300 overnight guests, 1,600 tour participants, and grew our livestock herds and gardens. We hosted 22 farm-to-table events and donated many pounds of produce to food banks.
Board of Directors
Hungry World Farm is guided by a dedicated team of staff and board members who bring deep experience in regenerative agriculture, education, nonprofit leadership, hospitality, and community-building. From daily animal care to guest programming to long-term visioning, our team works collaboratively to steward the land, serve visitors, and embody the farm’s mission of seeking the well-being of all. Want to serve? Contact us.
Andrew Krabill, Tiskilwa, Illinois – Board President, Chair, Volunteer Interim Executive.
Secondary school teacher with 20 years of classroom experience in public education. Andy enjoys small scale farming, landscaping, and homesteading activities. He has worked to strengthen HWF personnel, organizational, and fiscal systems to improve stewardship of the resources entrusted to the organization. Andy has interest in aligning learning experiences with academic standards to attract more teachers and students through field trips to the farm.
Jacob Landis, Sterling, Illinois – Board Vice-President
MA in Spiritual Formation and Leadership. An organic dairy and grain farmer selling products to organic markets. Has worked as a Christian camp program director leading and guiding retreats and summer programs. Extensive knowledge with regenerative agriculture (crops and livestock) and experience with volunteer coordination.
Cal Zehr, Tiskilwa, Illinois – Board Treasurer
Doctor of Ministry with an emphasis on organizational science. A pastor for 32 years with developed organizational and people skills. Past chair of the Illinois Mennonite Conference governing board. Has developed many relationships with people in Bureau County, the Illinois Mennonite Conference and the Mennonite Church USA. Skills and tools as an electrician and in building maintenance.
Susan Kauffman, Evanston, Illinois – Board Secretary
MS in Soil Science, teaches a soil course at Triton College (River Grove). Has worked and volunteered extensively in Natural Areas Restoration. Lived 6 ½ years in Cambodia, working with Mennonite Central Committee in rural community development and university level agricultural education.
Ellen Starr, Princeton, IL - Board Member
Retired NRCS conservationist with decades of experience in soil and forest systems, now contributing to silvopasture and pasture restoration design at HWF.
Program Leader Staff Team
Valerie Padilla, Market Gardener
Ms. Padilla is a skilled agricultural professional with a strong background in sustainable farming and education. Previously serving as the CNP Farmer at IDEA Achieve Public School in Haltom City, TX, she managed a one-acre no-till polyculture vegetable farm and a hydroponic Freight Farm. Valerie also oversaw the growth of produce for school lunches and taught weekly Junior Master Gardener classes to K-10 students. Earlier in her career, Valerie gained invaluable experience as a Farm Assistant at Pleasant Valley Gardens and a Farm Apprentice at Kern Family Farm, where she worked directly with planting, harvesting, packaging, and marketing organic produce.
James Nicholson, Livestock Manager
In his and his family’s first 2 seasons at the farm, James has overseen large growth in the areas of Livestock and Homestead animal #s expansion, educational experiences, and grazing practices that restore pasture health, as well as significant animal infrastructure improvements. His work with NCRS, Savannah Institute and others has helped create a 5 year vision for animal integration on 100+ acres of pastures and forest for ecosystem health that also create nutrient dense food from animals. Eggs and lamb are in abundance, and our 100% regeneratively raised grass-fed beef herd has begun. He loves guiding interns and guests through learning about producing nutrient dense food.
Sam Ingersoll, Farmstay & Marketing Manager
Yale University, BA in Sociology. Sam is responsible for Hospitality and Farmstay guest educational experiences giving tours to over 2,000 people in the last year, as well as editing the HWF educational newsletter. Sam is a passionate advocate for regenerative agriculture and the use of animals to restore soil health, increase ecosystem diversity, improve watersheds, and store carbon in the soil. This summer he will be working with interns to deepen the farm environment’s 175 acres function as a living classroom. He's currently working on two books: "The Regenerative Pathway: A Guide to Healing Farms, Food, and Families" and "The Ecology of Regenerative Love."
2026 Interns
Max Contreras, Farmstay Education Intern
A Kansas State University horticulture student (B.S. expected Fall 2026) and president of K‑State’s MANRRS chapter, Max brings strong hands-on experience from Willow Lake Student Farm, where he supports planting, harvesting, irrigation, weeding, and greenhouse work while collaborating on day-to-day farm projects.
Raised in a small farming town in western Kansas, he’s passionate about helping guests and students connect the dots between healthy fields, healthy food, and healthy communities—and he’s especially excited to make agriculture feel accessible and inspiring for young people.
Bilingual in Spanish and English, Max pairs a hardworking attitude with a welcoming, people-first energy (and an unshakeable sense of humor) that’s a great fit for both farmstay hospitality and educational programming.
Sydney Xie, Flex Intern
As the Flex Intern, Sydney will divide her time between Market Garden, Farmstay/Education, and Livestock operations. A Washington University in St. Louis student double majoring in Environmental Biology and Anthropology (Global Health & Environment), Sydney is driven by the intersection of food, nutrition, sustainability, and accessibility—and loves translating big ideas into hands-on learning.
She recently designed and facilitated a family-friendly activity at the St. Louis Science Center’s Sci-FEAST expo, engaging hundreds of visitors as they matched everyday foods to the plant parts they come from and sparking the kind of “light-bulb” moments she’s excited to create on the farm.
Extroverted and highly communicative, Sydney is especially looking forward to welcoming guests, leading tours, and building community through shared work. She also brings strong research experience and a long-standing interest in food equity (including an independent study on SNAP), and she is fluent in English and Mandarin.
Daniel Stroscio, Livestock Intern
Daniel Stroscio is a hardworking and adaptable college student with a strong work ethic and a growing passion for regenerative agriculture and sustainable living.
With experience in hands-on roles ranging from automotive inspection to food service, Daniel has developed practical skills in teamwork, problem-solving, and working efficiently in fast-paced environments. He is motivated by a desire to reconnect with nature, improve personal and community health through clean food systems, and eventually pursue farming or a lifestyle closely tied to land and animals.
While new to formal farm work, Daniel brings humility, discipline, and a clear willingness to learn—paired with a strong sense of purpose and alignment with Hungry World Farm’s regenerative mission.
Ike Specht, Market Garden Intern
Ike just graduated from high school pursuing an IB Diploma at United World College Dilijan in Armenia, after growing up internationally in a State Department family with deep Illinois roots in Annawan.
He brings a strong interest in regenerative agriculture, biology, chemistry, and the science of growing food sustainably, along with hands-on skills in carpentry, construction, cooking, gardening, and outdoor physical work. His references describe him as reliable, thoughtful, hardworking, community-minded, and unusually capable for his age—someone who takes initiative, works well with others, and brings positive energy wherever he goes.
We’re grateful that Ike will be joining the Market Garden team this season as he continues exploring how good farming can help feed future generations and care for creation.
Katleho Mokhele, Market Garden Intern
Coming July 4th!