A Day at Kilgus Farmstead: Where Great Meats Begin

Every item our case has a story that begins long before it reaches our shop. Join us as we spend a day with Justin Kilgus at Kilgus Farmstead and see how careful animal husbandry, thoughtful farming, and generations of family stewardship shape the food we bring home to Evanston.

Recently, our team spent the day in Fairbury, Illinois at Kilgus Farmstead for one of our annual farm visits. These trips are always a valuable chance for our staff to spend time with the farmers we work with and see firsthand the care that goes into raising the animals.

Our friend Justin Kilgus showed us around, and what stood out again was how much attention goes into the details. At Kilgus, almost every decision reflects a concern for the comfort and well-being of the animals.

Care in Every Detail

The cattle at Kilgus rest on soft compost bedding instead of standing on concrete. That bedding has to be spread out twice a day, which takes extra time and labor, but it keeps the animals comfortable and protects their feet.

During the summer, the cows spend the hottest part of the day inside with fans. They head out to pasture later in the afternoon, when the temperatures are cooler, and stay out into the evening. It really is a party until the cows come home!

The same attention carries over to what they eat. Kilgus grows its own feed, using the entire corn plant and naturally fermenting it to make silage. Their hay goes through a similar process. The cattle graze on pasture when they can, but pasture alone isn’t enough, especially through an Illinois winter. By growing and preparing their own non-GMO feed, they can provide consistent, high-quality nutrition year-round.

One thing that surprised me was learning about the calves. When they’re a few months old, they’re placed into small groups so they can learn to socialize. Some are timid, some are more aggressive, and those early interactions help them learn how to live together as part of the herd. I’d never really thought about the fact that cattle have to learn social skills, but it makes perfect sense.

As we walked around the farm, I found myself thinking about how much extra work all of this requires. Every detail we talked about meant another job to do and more investment of time. None of it is the easiest way to farm. It’s simply the way they’ve chosen to do it.

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  Mike G. interacts with cattle

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  Homestead team (L-R): Luke, Mike, Ehran, and Lily

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  Justin Kilgus explains cattle welfare

Building on What Came Before

I also enjoyed hearing more about Justin's origin story. Justin was just 14 years old when he and his brother, Trent, started raising goats as a 4-H project. They researched what chefs in Chicago were looking for, chose the Boer breed, secured a grant to build a goat barn, and turned that project into a successful goat meat business. That success eventually became part of the brothers' broader line of meats that now includes their beef and pork.

That story says a lot about the family. Kilgus Farmstead has been on the same land for generations, and each generation has found new ways to build on what came before. Today, four branches of the Kilgus family work together across the dairy, creamery, and meat businesses. Everyone has a role to play, and every detail matters.

Of course, no visit to Kilgus feels complete without stopping by the farm store for some ice cream before heading home.

I came away from the day feeling grateful -- not just for Justin’s hospitality, but for the care that goes into raising the animals we bring back to Homestead. Our customers see the finished steaks, chops, and roasts in the case. Visits like this are a good reminder that quality starts long before the meat reaches our shop. It starts with people who care enough to keep asking how they can do things a little better every single day.

Homestead Meats is Evanston’s locally sourced butcher shop, handcrafting unique fresh meats, deli meats, sausages, and other charcuterie. All fresh meats and eggs are sourced from family-owned Midwestern farms that raise their livestock in open pastures, without hormones or GMO feed.