Our Family
19×1950 Family Farm is owned and operated by DeAnn, her three daughters, Lauren, Corrie, and Elise, and their families.
DeAnn Heck
DeAnn grew up on the farm with her two older sisters and older brother. The youngest daughter of Marvin and Pat, DeAnn
has had a varied career in education where she was a classroom teacher before moving into administration. Since 2023 she has been
the Superintendent of Schools at El Paso Gridley Schools.
Lauren Reedy
Lauren has felt the black earth of the farmland calling to her since she was a young girl. Early memories of
walking the beans with her grandfather still bring her joy. Life's adventures saw her move to southern Illinois
then overseas to Switzerland before settling down in California, where she lives with her husband and their two of four children
still at home. Lauren co-manages the farm from her home in California and travels to Illinois to oversee projects and get her hands back
in the soil as often as possible.
Corrie Scott
Corrie's love of the farmland drew her back to Illinois after many years working for the government of Hawaii. She and her
husband purchased the homestead adjacent to the farm land where they are now raising their two children. They have embraced
the joys of homesteading and are bringing life of all kinds back to the homestead. Corrie works for The Nature Conservancy as
the Director of Global Communications. She locally co-manages the farm, observing the day to day needs of the regenerative practices being performed.
Elise Panić
Elise finds peace along the crop rows and among the sunflowers that grow on the farm. She and her three children
often travel back from their home in Kansas to participate in farm activities including spring planting, summer weeding, and autumn
produce harvests. Elise is an RN and yoga instructor in addition to working with 19×1950 Family Farm and Farm Family Foods.
Corrie Scott, Elise Panić, and Lauren Reedy
The Farm
Located at the corner of County Road 1900 East and 1950 North in Woodford County, 19×1950 Family Farm is a family-run business focused on regenerative and perennial food production. For many years it was conventionally farmed using practices in common place. In 2021 the process to transition to regenerative farming practices began. About 5 acres is dedicated to diverse products like asparagus, elderberry, rhubarb, and other market vegetables, herbs, and cut flowers. The market farm acreage is surrounded by certified organic production of corn, soybeans, and wheat.
Farm Family Foods
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We farm outside a very small Illinois town built in 1873 on the railroad, which then boomed with coal production in the early 1900s, and is now sustained by the grain elevators that tower above the humble buildings along Front Street. But there is no grocery store or convenience shop, not even a gas station in this village which is home to a few hundred families. The parents and their children, the elderly community members, and the small business owners who call Benson, Illinois their own have no local place to get even the most basic food or household items.
In 2022 we purchased the former grocery store that has sat empty for at least a decade. Several years ago the roof failed and the interior has been suffering in the Midwest weather. Our dream is the community’s dream: a functional, accessible grocery store to feed the community and support local farmers. With a lot of grit and hard work, some working capital (hopefully a grant or two), and great support from our community, we will finish the necessary renovations and open our brick-and-mortar storefront: Farm Family Foods.
In the meantime, we are building a food hub operation to connect local producers throughout the central IL region with the community. Currently, customers order online from the seasonal products offered by farm families and businesses. We offer weekly on-farm pickup, other pickup locations in nearby towns, and optional delivery for those grocery orders of fresh produce, pastured proteins, regionally-milled grains, and preserves to their kitchens.
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In Loving Memory of
Robby J. Tomlinson
With heavy hearts, we share that on April 13, 2025, we lost Robby Tomlinson, our cherished friend and first farm employee. His passing was sudden and unexpected, leaving us grieving the absence of someone who meant so much to us and countless others.
Even as we navigate this profound loss, we choose to celebrate the extraordinary life of our invaluable Robby. He was the most genuine, big-hearted, and hardworking member of our 19x1950 Family Farm and Farm Family Foods team.
Robby possessed a rare gift for infusing life with optimism and positivity. In every conversation, shared laugh, and challenge faced, he reminded us to celebrate each day. He understood that life isn't measured by grand achievements or milestones, but by the small, beautiful moments that bring meaning to our days. Whether during a harvest meal, a heartfelt conversation about potatoes, or an adventure to Fairbury for orders, Robby transformed ordinary experiences into cherished memories. He taught us that joy often resides in the simplest gestures—a warm smile, a kind word, or a genuine embrace.
We will miss him more than words can express. Our hope is that we can all honor his memory by embracing life with the same enthusiasm and warmth he showed us daily.
As his best friend so beautifully expressed: "It was no surprise that he died of heart failure, as he spent his life giving pieces of his heart away."
Robby J. Tomlinson's Memorial Fund
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