Bruce and Becky Tammen, owners of Tammen Treeberry Farm in Wilmington, were recognized this spring as the recipients of Will-South Cook Soil & Water Conservation District’s 2026 Conservation Farm Family Award. On July 24, more than 40 visitors enjoyed a tour of the farm hosted by the SWCD. The Tammen Family has been growing Christmas trees since 1956 when Bruce’s father, Lorenz Tammen, started planting them to utilize the area’s sandy soil. In 1964, blueberries were added to the farm to...

The Will-South Cook Soil and Water Conservation District is proud to announce that the Tammen Family will receive the SWCD’s 2026 Conservation Farm Family Award. Tammen Treeberry Farm is operated by Bruce and Becky Tammen of Wilmington, Illinois. The farm offers customers the opportunity to pick their own blueberries and choose and cut Christmas trees. Bruce’s father, Lorenz Tammen, began planting Christmas trees in the 1950s to utilize unproductive blow sand soil. In 1964, he expanded his...

The Will-South Cook SWCD is pleased to announce the winners of the 2026 Conservation Education Scholarship Awards. These students will each receive a $2,000 scholarship and be honored at the SWCD’s Annual Recognition Dinner on July 23 rd , 2026. Nathan Heldt is the 2026 recipient of the Richard “Dick” McHugh Memorial Scholarship. Nathan is the son of Ryan and Shannon Heldt of Beecher. He is a graduate of Beecher High School and plans to attend Iowa State University in the fall to study...