Farm and Home Supply - Blog

Sourced Locally – Our Partnership with Frericks Gardens

By: Katie Bigley

What began as a small produce stand around 1906 has now become a fifth-generation, family-owned greenhouse of over 120,000 square feet. Frericks Gardens is a staple within the Quincy community when it comes to live plants and gardening needs. If you don’t already know, all Farm & Home Supply stores receive live plants from Frericks Gardens!

                Joyce, who is an employee of Farm & Home, has spent many years prior working at Frericks , and for this month’s blog, I was given the opportunity to tour the facility and get a behind-the-scenes look at everything that takes place when it comes to running a large-scale greenhouse!

Getting Started with Backyard Chickens

By: Katie Bigley

With egg prices soaring, many are turning to backyard chickens as a sustainable solution. Raising chickens is more than just collecting eggs, it’s a big commitment! I’ve teamed up with Leon Obert, the store manager of the Quincy Farm & Home Supply, to help provide some useful information for the first-time chick owner.

Initial Supplies and Costs – If you are considering owning chicks, it’s important to understand the cost associated with raising chickens and familiarize yourself with the initial supplies you will need before bringing them home.

Some essential supplies

Find Your Furry Best Friend: The Ultimate Pet Adoption Guide with Quincy Humane Society

By: Katie Bigley

So, you're thinking about bringing a furry friend into your life? Congratulations! Adopting a pet for the first time is a gratifying experience filled with love, laughter, and many adorable moments. But let's be real, it can also be a little overwhelming.  For this month’s blog, I decided to team up with Pilar Brumbaugh, the Director of the Quincy Humane Society to help walk through everything you need to know, from choosing the right pet for your lifestyle to preparing your home and building a lasting bond.

It’s a big commitment to welcome a new pet into your life and it’s important to make sure your lifestyle and the needs of the pet mesh well together

Rehabbed & Released: A Day in the Life of a Wildlife Rescue

By: Katie Bigley 

Critter Care is a licensed wildlife rehabilitation center in Mendon, a little town just outside Quincy, IL. Owned by Bill and his wife, they have always been known to help wildlife. In 2018, they decided to make it official and reach out to the Illinois Department of Conservation to obtain their license to rescue and rehabilitate animals in Illinois. Once they received their license, Critter Care became official! Bill explains that becoming certified to rehab wild animals is quite a process. Once you obtain your certification, you have to follow the rules and regulations set by the Department of Conservations

Healthy Habits for the New Year

By Katie Bigley 

The new year is quickly approaching and it’s a popular time to set new goals for the year but one of the biggest challenges is how do you get yourself to stick with those goals through the year? I reached out to Damon Gibson with Nutrition HQ, a supplement store located in Quincy, IL to share his tips on taking those goals and turning them into a sustainable lifestyle that you can carry with you for years to come!

What is a common mistake people make when establishing new healthy habits?

The biggest mistake people can make when setting new habits or goals for the New Year is trying to do too much at once. While it’s great

Tips for Hosting for the Holidays

By Katie Bigley

Tis’ the season! The holidays are coming upon us quickly and whether you are hitting the road to attend a Thanksgiving gathering or a holiday party or hosting one yourself – it can be a busy, stressful time making sure you have all the boxes checked. This blog will hopefully help give some guidance for a few common questions you may have when it comes to planning, prepping, and transporting your meals.

               Picture this: Your mom calls you and suddenly you find yourself being told that you will be in charge of the cooking this year. Surprise! This is your first year holding this honorable privilege and you are in a panic. 

Top 3 Most Haunted Towns of Farm & Home

By Katie Bigley

Unsolved mysteries, unexplained sightings, odd experiences, and eerie sounds… this blog is going to be a little different as I am going to explore the secrets of the top three most haunted towns in our store areas. So, buckle up and hang on as we dive into some mysteries that are too close to home! 

First up is Jerseyville, IL. A small town that is big on community… and hauntings. If you’ve ever driven through Jerseyville, you probably wouldn’t think it would be a popular ghost hunting spot, but this one location says otherwise – 

Cheney Mansion – In 1827, the first ever building was constructed

Tailgating Tips with Chad Duesterhaus
by Katie Bigley

It’s football season and that means it’s tailgating season! Whether you come for the game or the food, Quincy native Chad Duesterhaus is our tailgating expert, and he will share his tips and tricks on how you can make the most of the experience from the essential items to tailgating etiquette. Chad has all the knowledge from coaching, scorekeeping, and attending countless high school, college, and pro football games, no one knows the world of tailgating better than Chad! 

When I asked Chad about his favorite tailgating memory, he took me back to the 90s when he recalled his first Chief’s game. On the game day, Chad and his buddies loaded up the car and headed out of Quincy. When they arrived at the stadium,

Best Tips on Keeping Your Horse Cool with Quest Stables
by Katie Bigley

Summer is a busy time for most horse owners, as the weather is warmer, and activities start picking back up again. Whether it be fairs, shows, competitions, or trail riding – it’s important to know the needs of your horses now that the heat is in full force during this busy season! With that, I decided to reach out to Quest Stables located just outside of Quincy, IL to see how they keep their horses cool. But before we get into heat-related stuff, let’s give Quest Stables the recognition it so greatly deserves.

If you haven’t heard of Quest Stables before, let me give you a quick background on how this wonderful organization came about. Back in 2009, there was an unfortunate situation in Hannibal, MO that prompted a group of girls to take action and save the horses involved. This group of girls had a grandmother who had the perfect property to take in these horses, and the girls did just

Tips for Successful Canning with 60+ Years of Experience
By Katie Bigley

Canning can be a very rewarding hobby as there is nothing like the feeling of stocking your cabinets with homegrown food or gifting your friends your secret recipe salsa made with tomatoes from your backyard. But, for someone with no experience who wants to begin canning on their own, it may seem time-consuming and daunting. Ginger, a cashier at Quincy Farm & Home Supply has years of canning experience and shares some information on how to get started. It’s not as complicated as you might think!

Meet Ginger – Farm & Home Supply’s very own “expert canner”. She has been with the Quincy team for almost eight years. What makes Ginger the go-to person for canning needs? Just her casual 60+ years of experience!

When I asked Ginger how she got into canning, she shared that her grandmother began to teach her about canning when she was about 5 or 6 years old with