Get to Know Your Farmer

Bruce and René Gelder have been married since the early 1980s. René is the second daughter of Jerry and Anita Ellis and grew up on Ellis Farms. She and Bruce moved into her Grandmother’s old house a few years after they were wed and have been farming the land with her parents for several years. They are the owners of Bruné Farms which is part of the overall Ellis Family Farms picture.

Bruce is part owner of a farm equipment dealership and store not far from the farm. He is the fourth generation of Gelders to operate the business which he owns with his brother. In 2010 Louis Gelder & Sons Co. was proud to be celebrating 100 years and 5 generations of business. Besides that, back at home Bruce does much of the tractor work and has a hand in figuring out fieldwork and farm improvements.  You can often hear him lovingly tell René, “you know that I all ready have a full-time job” as he puts in long evenings on the farm.

As the generational shift takes place René is more and more involved in the overall management of the farm. She has taken over the Chicago markets and the two suburban locations, managing all of the employees and operations. She spearheads many, many projects for the farm and takes care of the vast majority of paperwork and financial records.

Bruce and René have three children, along with Christina, all of whom are involved in the farming business at this time.

A note from René:  ”I am so proud of our children.  You cannot imagine how hard they all work (at their employment/school) and on the farm.  We, and I hope you also, are blessed with their love.”

Mathew and Christina Gelder were married at the end of the 2009 market season. They now make their home about ten minutes away from the farm but are there often to help out and enjoy time with Mat’s family.

Mathew’s fulltime employment is actually at the farm equipment store owned by his father and uncle but he spends a lot of time at Ellis Family Farms as well. Growing up on the farm was a blessing to Mathew and has given him a love for the industry. After going to markets with his grandparents for years in Chicago he was given his own market to manage. Mathew and his wife, Christina, will again manage the North Center market on Saturdays this year. Mathew also enjoys working on the farm’s tractors and other equipment.  He is always eager to research new varieties with his Mom.

Christina has a background in the retail side of farming. She has worked at Chicago markets, and a Michigan based farm market and u-pic for years. Though she now works full-time at a local credit union,  Christina is also a professional photographer and journalist. She does freelance work for a local paper and enjoys taking family portraits. One of her favorite places to document moments is on the farm.

In the process of learning more about farming and finding her place in the operation she is in charge of updating the Ellis Family Farms blog, facebook and twitter. She will also be logging some hours on manual farm work and going to markets with Mat as she balances all the other aspects of their busy lives.

Marc Gelder is the second son of Bruce and René. He is in his early twenties and lives on the farm with his parents. Marc is preparing to add to the farm in the future as he dedicates more time to raising fruit.

Marc currently logs at least 40 hours of the work week at Louis Gelder & Sons Co., the family business on the Gelder side, in addition to working on the farm taking an active role in the tractor work and manual labor at Ellis Family Farms.  During the fall of 2010 he used his carpentry talents in renovating the “eggery” and building a new chicken coop.

Marc has managed a market for many years.  Maybe you remember him on North Halstead?  During the past few years, including 2010, he has devoted his time to managing the Gold Coast market on Division Street.

Mary Gelder is the youngest child of Bruce and René. As a teenager she is currently enrolled in a local junior high school and is dedicated to keeping her grades up, (Honor Roll).  Mary is also involved in band, volleyball , and track.

On the farm, Mary is the owner of several chickens, geese and ducks. She operates Mary’s Eggs and her eggs are sold in Chicago at several of our markets. Mary takes care of her poultry, gathers eggs and works to clean and package them. Her chickens and eggs have been the recipients of many awards at the Berrien County Youth Fair over the last couple of years. Her eggs won Grand Champion in 2009.

Mary often attends markets with René. She is a very valuable asset as she takes care of many household chores such as cleaning, cooking and laundry while other members of the family are occupied with other farm tasks and markets.

Jim Frazee is our right hand man. He is “the guy” when it comes to markets. Jim was raised in the agriculture industry and has been selling produce in Chicago for years. He has worked specifically for Ellis Family Farms for about five years. He is a regular at Green City and this year he will also be at the Naperville Farmer’s Market on Saturdays.

Cliff Simpson is like family without sharing our genetics. He has a several year history on the farm as both Mathew and Marc’s best friend from high school. Now he is an invaluable help for several tasks and projects.

Cliff has been a staple at markets and is the driving force behind the farm website. He has the skills to implement the vision portrayed to him. He is called upon often to help with an amazing amount of projects. We all appreciate his help and loyalty.

Suzanne Glass has worked for Ellis Family Farms three seasons and is about to start her fourth year. She does quite a bit of organizing, packing and sorting. Suzanne often acts as René’s assistant in preparing for markets on Friday. She regularly works two Chicago markets each week: Museum of Contemporary Art on Tuesdays and Naperville Farmer’s Market on Saturday. She is also enjoys helping on Green City when she is available.