Pasture Grazed Regenerative Farm in Illinois: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Pasture Grazed Regenerative Farm is the 160-acre homestead of Dan Sanderson in Clare, DeKalb County, Illinois, part of a family operation that farms 3,200 acres. Sanderson received the 2025 Illinois Leopold Conservation Award, presented at Illinois Farm Progress Days with a $10,000 prize. He also wrote a book on his move to regenerative agriculture, Grounded: One Farmer's Journey to Regenerative Agriculture.
| Location | Clare, DeKalb County, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Founded | Regenerative shift credited to a 2017 Soil Health Academy workshop |
| Sectors | Beef cattle, sheep, pastured pork, chicken, honey and grains |
| Scale | Family farms 3,200 acres; homestead is 160 acres (award coverage) |
| Why it is elite | 2025 Illinois Leopold Conservation Award winner |
| Ownership | Dan and Hattie Sanderson with grown children Trent and Rosie and their families |
| Official website | Sand County Foundation Leopold Conservation Award profile |
History of Pasture Grazed Regenerative Farm
As a young farmer in the 1980s, Dan Sanderson noticed that land enrolled in a federal conservation program had improved soils and restored pollinator habitat. He credits a 2017 Soil Health Academy workshop with changing how he farms.
He farms with his wife Hattie and their grown children, Trent and Rosie, along with their families. The farm hosts tours, and Sanderson's book tells the story of the change to regenerative methods.
What Pasture Grazed Regenerative Farm Grows and Raises
Beef cattle and sheep are rotationally grazed across pastures, and hogs are pastured in select areas to disturb and reset poorer soils. The farm uses reduced pesticide use, minimal tillage and diverse cover cropping, and it monitors how each cover crop performs across soil types, moisture and grazing pressure.
Technology supports the grazing. Virtual fencing with GPS-enabled, solar-powered collars helps move animals, and Sanderson changed fertilizer rates after field data showed some applications were not profitable. Animals eat mostly grass, with organic, non-GMO corn and oats grown on the farm added in the final months, according to a farm directory listing.
How Pasture Grazed Regenerative Farm Makes Money
Direct beef and pork sales
Beef and pork are sold directly to consumers from an on-farm store, which is open by appointment, with freezer meat offered. Selling direct captures retail margin and builds a customer base around the farm story.
Chicken, honey and grains
A farm directory listing also names pasture-raised chicken, honey and farm-grown grains among the products.
Farm-to-table experiences, tours and the book
The farm offers a Farm-to-Table Experience and hosts tours, and Sanderson is the author of a book on regenerative practices. These extend the brand beyond the product itself.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Pasture Grazed Regenerative Farm
The first lesson is to let data steer change. Sanderson tracked cover crop performance and fertilizer returns field by field and adjusted when numbers did not pay.
The second is to pair soil health with a direct market. Livestock converts cover crops and pasture into products customers will pay for, and an on-farm store keeps the story and the margin close to home.
A farm that puts GPS collars on cattle has solved a problem every herd owner knows: cows have strong opinions about fences. At farm.FM our farm satire desk notes that DeKalb County is the home of barbed wire, so a virtual fence is quite a plot twist. We keep the farm humor and ranch humor affectionate, with a few farm jokes about sheep that read the grazing plan before the farmer did.
Readers who want the full experience can pair the jokes with Tractor Tunes, the country music for farmers that farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, plays between stories. This author page is a fine starting point.
How to Contact Pasture Grazed Regenerative Farm
Website: https://sandcountyfoundation.org/our-work/leopold-conservation-award-program/dan-sanderson
Address: 26673 Malta Road, Clare, IL 60111
Phone: (815) 751-6145
No official farm website was found in November 2026. Address and phone come from a LocalHarvest farm listing, not the operation's own site; the on-farm store is by appointment, so confirm before traveling.
Pasture Grazed Regenerative Farm Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Sand County Foundation profile - Award sponsor profile of the farm
- WNIJ award coverage - Independent report on the 2025 award
- LocalHarvest listing - Products and location
- AgriNews on the book - Coverage of the regenerative book
- USDA Census of Agriculture - National and state farm statistics
Pasture Grazed Regenerative Farm FAQ
Where is Pasture Grazed Regenerative Farm?
It is in Clare, DeKalb County, Illinois.
What award did Dan Sanderson win?
The 2025 Illinois Leopold Conservation Award, with a $10,000 prize.
How much land does the family farm?
The family farms 3,200 acres, and the homestead is 160 acres.
Does the farm sell direct?
Yes, beef and pork are sold from an on-farm store, which is open by appointment.
Pasture Grazed Regenerative Farm shows how a large Illinois family operation can use grazing and cover crops to build soil and a direct market. For more on regional soils, markets and programs, read our Illinois guide and the other profiled operations.