From the Grayslake Historical Society Archives: Picket Fence Farm

Picket Fence Farm in Grayslake was an important chapter in the international market for purebred Angus cattle by raising world champion stock and being a leader throughout the world as a breeder of seedstock.

Jerry Helgren, former manager at Picket Fence Farm and now owner of Picket Fence Livestock Exports on Fairfield Road in Lake Villa, was the featured speaker recently at the monthly program of the Grayslake Historical Society.

He traced the history of the farm which began operation in 1962 and was part of the diverse and fading agricultural flavor of Lake County until it was sold in 1989 to the Lake County Forest Preserve District. In the interim, several acres of the farm were donated by the owners to the Lake County Junior College District for the development and building of the CLC campus between Brae Loch Road and Washington Street.

"That was where the alfalfa field was," Helgren said after the meeting.

The original land purchase of about 500 acres was made in the early 1960s from owner Paul Barrie to Harold Anderson, the developer of Woodfield Mall, and Paul Brandel, another Chicago developer, Helgren noted. Elliott Frank was a partner in the venture.

The original land purchase was on both sides of Washington Street between Route 45 and Route 83. The property, owned by Barrie, was farmed by the Gwaltney family and other area farmers, Helgren said. Eventually, the farm was expanded northward to almost Rollins Road and included the farms of Paul Smythe Sr. and Frank Belgrau, he said.

Helgren, a Nebraskan, was hired in 1962 to operate the farm. He said he was paid $375 a month and was given a house and car. When he was hired, he said, he was asked by the owners, who favored raising short horn cattle, which breed of cattle would be best. Helgren said he told them to raise Angus because of his experience in Nebraska with the breed. And, they took his advise.

"We had one of the top Angus herds in the nation," he told the Chicago Tribune in 1989. "We won lots of prizes."

These included the grand champion cow, a female Angus, at the International Liverstock Exposition in Chicago in 1973 which then was known as the top livestock exposition in the world. The farm also earned repeated championships in  several Lake County fairs, and state fairs in Illinois, Iowa and surrounding states. For several years the farm earned Sire of the Year honors.

Helgren was also a recognized cattle judge and judged many shows including those in Australia.

The farm was the site of many field days and picnics, Helgren said. These included the picnics and festivities of the Chicago Farmers Club, an elite organization of "gentlemen" farmers in the Chicago area.

Helgren said the farm once donated a steer for a raffle that help raise funds for the parking lot at Avon School.

In 1971, the farm became the first in the country to sell cattle to the Russians, Helgren recalled. Several Russians came to the Grayslake farm and purchased 100 head of cattle. International sales were expanded into Italy and Spain. Several well-known and well-promoted auctions were held during the Picket Fence Farm years.

In 1989, the Lake County Forest Preserve District purchased the farm, then the second largest land purchase by the district. The 880 acres sold for over $11 million, or $13,200 an acre, The Chicago Tribune reported.

"We should just wrap this gift up and present it to the people of Lake County as the best Christmas gift they could get," Lake County Board member Carol Calabresa said then, according to the Tribune.

An international cattle operation that began at Picket Fence Farm in Grayslake was continued by Helgren and his wife Edna when the cattle were sold in 1980. They founded the Picket Fence Livestock Exports which operates on 23 acres on Fairfield Road in Lake Villa. They export the livestock, including alpacas, llamas and brahmas from several barns on the Lake Villa property. They have also exported zoo animals.

According to the farm's website, "Picket Fence is the official USDA and Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service approved North American quarantine station for Australia." It coordinates importing and exporting of beef and dairy cattle, sheep, goats, alpacas, llamas and other species.

It is noted that over the past 25 years Picket Fence has exported more than 7,000 head of livestock to foreign countries.

The Grayslake Historical Society invites people to visit the Grayslake Heritage Center and Museum to view the latest exhibit Farms: Seeds of Our Community which traces the agricultural heritage of Grayslake by displaying artifacts, images and farm implements. The museum is open from noon to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and during downtown community events.

—Contributed by the Grayslake Historical Society