Many years ago in 1949, as a young boy, Jeremy Mayne moved to Naperville, Illinois. He has spent nearly his entire life in the town, and he places great importance on serving others in his community.
In 1999, he left his career in international transportation because Mayneland Farm, which started in 1976 from a humble wooden stand at which vegetables were sold, had become so demanding that he had to manage it full-time.
For most of his time running Mayneland Farm, it was usual for Mayne to rise early. He’d wake up at 4:30 a.m. to do paperwork. At dawn, he’d head out to work the land with his staff. Closing would be around 7 p.m., and he’d get to bed at around 9 p.m.
He continued farming until this year when he finally leased his property out. Leasing out the farm has allowed Mayne to enjoy semi-retirement. Mayne is still active in the farm’s operations. He enjoys teaching the tenant and his staff how to grow specialty crops.
Mayneland Farm also employs a variety of local citizens, from young people to retirees. For many of the young employees, their role at the farm is their first paying job. These enterprising young workers learn how to prepare the soil for seeding, fertilize the crops, and undertake pest control. They also seed growing transplants in the greenhouse and seed the prepared fields.
“I have taught dozens of young people how to use the stick shift and clutch on our three tractors,” Mayne said.
“I have kept farming, as I love working with the soil, seeing the first shoots in the spring of beans and other veggies sprouting, working with young people, and serving my customers the freshest produce in the area,” he said.
Teaching these hands-on skills to the young folk is something that Mayne values, and many workers will never forget their time at the farm.
“Probably 10 to 12 former employees return each year to say hello, [or they] send [us] Christmas cards,” the octogenarian farmer said.
For Jeremy Mayne, farm ownership is more than a career. It has served as a way to preserve his health, support the young people in his city, and make a difference in his community.
Over the years, he has donated about 20,000 pounds of food to Loaves and Fishes, the local food pantry.
“I don’t understand why I should throw away food that is still edible on the compost pile,” he said.
For umpteen years he has been of great value to the Naperville community and to many who have lived in and around there. Kudos to Jeremy Mayne.
10/6/24