Doug Winter Farm in Illinois: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Doug Winter Farm in Mill Shoals, Illinois, is a fifth-generation grain and seed operation in White County whose family bought the original land in 1869. Doug Winter is a 2026 Prairie Farmer Master Farmer, and he and his wife Nancy were named the Illinois Soybean Association's Farm Family of the Year. The farm grows about 3,200 acres of corn, soybeans and seed soybeans and runs a Pioneer seed dealership.
| Location | Mill Shoals, White County, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Founded | Original farmland bought in 1869; 2026 was the 157th crop (Prairie Farmer) |
| Sectors | Yellow and white corn; soybeans; seed soybeans; wheat; seed dealership |
| Scale | About 3,200 acres per Prairie Farmer; 250,000 bushels of on-farm storage |
| Why it is notable | 2026 Master Farmer; Illinois Soybean Association Farm Family of the Year |
| Ownership | Doug and Nancy Winter; fifth-generation family farm |
| Official website | Prairie Farmer profile of Doug Winter |
History of Doug Winter Farm
Prairie Farmer reports that the Winter family bought the original farmland in 1869, and Doug Winter counted the 2026 season as the 157th crop on it. He started in 1975 with 60 acres and 70 Polled Herefords, farmed with his father and then in partnership with his brother Richard until 2017. He now owns about 40 percent of the land and rents the rest from close relatives.
Winter has operated a Pioneer seed dealership since 1988. He chairs the U.S. Soybean Export Council and has served on the United Soybean Board and the Illinois Soybean Association. He has visited 26 countries, hosted international buyers and ran a live farm camera project through U.S. Soy.
What Doug Winter Farm Grows and Raises
The farm grows yellow and white corn, soybeans, seed soybeans for Pioneer and Remington, and soft red winter wheat when the market favors it. Prairie Farmer describes a mix of no-till, mulch-till and conventional tillage, while AgriNews reports about 70 percent no-till. Much of the ground borders the Little Wabash River, so fertilizer is managed carefully.
Conservation is a signature. Prairie Farmer says cover crops now cover 65 percent of acres, up from a 10 percent test, and AgriNews reports about 1,150 acres planned with cereal rye before soybeans and an oat and rapeseed mix before corn. The farm uses parallel tile outlet terraces, buffer strips, grid soil sampling since 1996 and variable-rate lime. About 120 acres are in the Conservation Reserve Program. On-farm storage of 250,000 bushels lets him sell outside low-priced harvest periods.
How Doug Winter Farm Makes Money
Export-oriented grain
Prairie Farmer says most grain goes to export, and white corn is sold to a local processor. Storage lets the farm time sales instead of selling at harvest.
Seed soybeans
Growing seed soybeans for Pioneer and Remington adds a premium-market stream, and the seed beans are kept separate from commodity grain.
Pioneer seed dealership
The dealership, operating since 1988, sells seed to neighboring farmers and adds a service income separate from crop prices.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Doug Winter Farm
The first lesson is to own the marketing window. With 250,000 bushels of storage, Winter can avoid the harvest price dip, and the investment pays year after year.
The second is to make conservation measurable. He tests practices on small acreage, as with the 10 percent cover crop trial that grew to 65 percent, and he monitors phosphate and nitrate in tile outflow. The third is financial teamwork: Nancy Winter, a CPA, manages records, payroll and taxes while Doug projects yields and prices field by field.
A farm that has raised 157 crops on one piece of White County ground has heard every forecast, and most of them were wrong in interesting ways. At farm.FM our farm satire team salutes a man who started with 70 Polled Herefords and ended up chairing a soybean export council. We keep the farm humor and ranch humor warm, with farm jokes about tile outlets that behave better than the weather.
farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, also runs Tractor Tunes, a country music lineup for farmers. For a sample of the writing, try the archive of one of its staff humorists.
How to Contact Doug Winter Farm
Website: https://www.farmprogress.com/names-in-the-news/doug-winter-a-legacy-grows
No official farm website was found in November 2026, so this is the Prairie Farmer profile. Business contact details were not published. Contact the White County Farm Bureau or the Illinois Soybean Association for introductions.
Doug Winter Farm Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Prairie Farmer profile - A Legacy Grows: Doug Winter
- AgriNews Farm Family of the Year - Illinois Soybean Association award
- U.S. Soy virtual farm tour - Doug Winter's farm for export buyers
- FarmWeek 2026 Master Farmers - Illinois Farm Bureau members named Master Farmers
- USDA Census of Agriculture - National and state farm statistics
Doug Winter Farm FAQ
Where is Doug Winter Farm?
It is in Mill Shoals, White County, Illinois.
How long has the family farmed there?
The family bought the original land in 1869, and 2026 was the 157th crop.
What does it grow?
Corn, soybeans, seed soybeans for Pioneer and Remington, and wheat when markets support it.
What awards has Doug Winter received?
He is a 2026 Prairie Farmer Master Farmer, and the Winters were named Illinois Soybean Association Farm Family of the Year.
Doug Winter Farm shows how a fifth-generation family can combine seed, storage, export marketing and conservation. For more on Illinois soils, markets and programs, read our Illinois farms guide and the other profiled operations.