WOLD FARM PRAIRIE DREAMING

BY CHRISTY EBERT VRTIS

The prairies of the Midwestern United States have long occupied the imaginations of artists, writers, and lovers. For Elkader painter and photographer Jillian Webb Herrmann, the prairie symbolizes new life and the possibility of connection.

She first encountered the tallgrass prairie on Wold Farm near St. Olaf, Iowa, 15 years ago with her then-boyfriend –now-husband – Zach. They had traveled to the family farm to “meet the grandparents.” On that first visit, Zach’s Grandpa Don tucked them into the tractor and gave Jillian the full tour of the farm property. She fell in love.

She was struck by the beauty and tranquility of the near-170-year-old farm: the rolling hills, the undulating prairie grasses and wildflowers, the endless sky, and the feeling of belonging – amidst seemingly boundless nature. But what caught her attention and her artist’s imagination were the grain bins. Continued on next page

“Those would make the cutest cabins!” Jillian remembers saying to Zach’s mom.

“And then his mom was like ‘that is actually something people do’ and so she started sending me pictures and I’m like ‘we can do this one day!’ and I started drawing.”

And she started dreaming. She hoped to welcome guests to experience the same feelings of serenity, belonging, and connection that she had every time she went to the farm.

“I feel like the people who will value this space are the people who really value their time together. There is no TV in here. That was a choice. I kind of want it to be a place where you really have to connect…you get to,” she says, laughing.

This passion project, which started during the first year of COVID, was not without challenges. However, with the unwavering support of her husband, her mom, Zach’s mom, and dedicated local contractors and vendors, the first renovation – the largest grain bin – was completed in the summer of 2022.

“The whole process was like a couple years of growth for me. I had to learn how to trust myself and trust that what I was doing was going to work out. I had to have a lot of faith, honestly,” Jillian recalls. “I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t had people that believed in me. Anybody that’s doing something big, or little, if you have the support of somebody who believes in you and will back you…That’s why this is here. If I hadn’t had that, this would not be here. I’m grateful that I get to share it now.”

They officially opened the Grain Bin to the public to rent in July of 2022, and in October, they invited friends and the community out to celebrate Jillian’s birthday with a “Barn Party” at Wold Farm. Folks