Outstanding generations of ladies honored during inaugural event

NORMAL, Ill. — Members of the first-place winners of the 2026 Legacy Farm Family Award are involved with farming operations located in Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa.

The Schultz/Miller family is a story of entrepreneurship.

“We are a family that is spread out,” said Madeline Schultz, who represents the second generation. “We have eight individually owned farm businesses and one partnership farm and we also five ladies with full-time agricultural careers.”

The Generations of Women in Agriculture Across America, or GoAg3, initiative was created by Illinois Agri-Women to honor families that include three or more living generations of women who are involved with the agricultural industry.

“Agriculture is more than a profession — it is a legacy passed from generation to the next and this family is incredible,” said state Rep. Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, during the award presentation.

“Their impact reaches beyond the farm,” the House Minority Leader said. “These women have led in livestock production, education, banking, genetics, agritourism and entrepreneurship throughout their communities.”

“But perhaps the greatest legacy is the example they have set for women who will follow them,” McCombie said. “Thank you for helping to pave the way for Illinois women.”

“Our family is really honored to be recognized as the first-ever winner of this award,” Schultz said. “I think we have 20 people here today and we have 64 people in our family.”

“This is a great opportunity to reflect on our farm family legacy and especially the values our grandmothers instilled in us,” the award winner said. “We have a strong agrarian imperative or will to farm that our grandmothers gave to us and I think that is really special.”

In addition to the farming operations, Schultz said, family members also own a variety of other businesses including custom harvesting, photography and trucking.

“We also have three doctors, two nurses and three teachers,” she said. “And we are involved in over 30 different agricultural organizations.”

The first generation includes Dorothy Schultz, who started a poultry farm with her husband, Charlie, near Algonquin in northern Illinois.

They also raised cattle and operated a livestock trucking business. They donated 220 acres for a state nature preserve, Exner Marsh.

“My parents rented a farm in 1962,” Madeline Schultz said about Kaye and Bob Miller, who began the Mil-R-Mor dairy. “They moved the dairy from McHenry County to Stephenson County in 2006 because of urban sprawl.”

Schultz’s daughter, Lorilee, now manages the dairy herd.

“She has been running the dairy herd for 18 years,” she said. “And in our fourth generation we have 12 cousins in the family.”

Green Farm Family

The Green Farm Family is the second-place Legacy Farm Family Award winner from Arthur in east-central Illinois.

First-generation Dorothy Clausen was not allowed to run equipment or be involved in outside labor, said her daughter, Jerelyn Green.

However, Green has been active in running equipment and she recalls the days when tractors did not have cabs and walking acres of beans to eliminate weeds.

Heritage Family Farms, she said, is more than land and equipment — it is knowledge that is passed down through generations, lessons learned through hard seasons and pride built over decades.

Even though Monica Green, who represents the third generation of the family, lived in town, she showed goats in 4-H and also walked beans and washed turkey barns. After working for a decade in the public school system, she is not involved full time on the farm.

“To work alongside my husband and now my children is a gift I don’t take for granted,” Monica Green said.

Makenna Frantz is the fourth generation of the family and the first full-time agronomist for Heritage Family Farms. She has purchased her first 70 acres of farmland by utilizing the Young Farmer loan program.

O’Bryan Farm Family

Five generations of women were honored with the third-place Legacy Farm Family Award given to the O’Bryan Farm Family from Grants Pass in southwestern Oregon.

The family operates Shamrock Ranch, where they raise registered myotonic goats for breeding, show, pets and meat. They also raise Boer goats for breeding and meat, dairy goats, dairy cattle and locker lambs.

Elsie Harmon, the first generation, was a sharecropper’s wife who raised chickens for meat and eggs and was a gardener.

Mary Wallman raised chickens and rabbits and was responsible for the farm recordkeeping. In addition, the second generation of the family is the founding leader of Sonoma County 4-H.

Kay O’Bryan raised veal calves, sheep and hogs to feed her family of eight. The third generation of the family is helping to inspire her 10 granddaughters to develop a love for agriculture.

Amanda O’Bryan was involved in 4-H and FFA and now teaches grafting and enjoys showing myotonic goats. She is certified for AI in goats and the fourth generation of the family stresses that agriculture plays a vital part in everyone’s life.

Her daughter, Brenna, is a college freshman and is studying to become an agriculture teacher. She has been very active in 4-H and FFA and also spends time showing the family’s myotonic goats.