Farmer John

Farmer John, or John Peterson’72, lived a life dedicated to bringing joy and fresh produce to all people. In 2005, filmmaker Taggart Siegel ’81, also a Beloit alumnus, decided to make a documentary about Farmer John’s life. It tells the “50 year journey from innocence through turmoil to redemption.” The courage of Farmer John inspired millions of people around the world. The documentary is titled The Real Dirt on Farmer John (2005) and received very positive reviews from critics. According to Angelic Organics, positive reviews even came from the 45th Vice President of the United States, Al Gore.

Farmer John is from Caledonia, Illinois and an alumnus of Beloit College. The documentary explores Farmer John’s life, standing against feeling like an outcast in a rural community. According to the documentary, he stems from a long line of farmers, with the neighborhood community all caring for and helping each other, even having meals together. But unfortunately, John’s dad got diabetes and eventually passed away. After his death, John became responsible for much more of the farming tools and labor. This is when he attended Beloit College in order to stay close to home. At Beloit, he learned to care for art, and students of all kinds came to his farm and found sanctuary. They had wild parties and tripping students at the farm, which they called the “Midwest Coast.” They built a log cabin as a sanctuary for meditation and arts. Despite the farm being a source of fun and expression, people held this wild behavior against him. This was despite John having a strong work ethic and working three jobs. 

During the ‘70s it was very easy to get loans and eventually John owed friends, bankers and loan sharks hundreds of thousands of dollars. He had to sell almost all of his grandfather’s land in order to pay for his loans. He had to part with the fields he grew up on and the fields his family plowed each spring for generations was ending with him. He only had 22 remaining acres of the original 350. Family and friends felt that John was completely responsible for the selling of the land. He fell into a depression following the sale. In this depression he spent some time in Mexico where he read Henry Millers, Tropic of Cancer, inspiring John to turn his miseries and losses into stories. Upon returning though he felt that “farmers were speaking a dying language” as fields were being bought and used for housing. In this hardship John began to produce plays capturing the experience in a “catharsis of up and down pent up grief.” But his hardships did not end there. Farmer John would have over friends of different kinds which led to harassment and the sheriff talking about “drug-busting” his farm. These harassments led him to go to South only to return again as his farm was calling him back home. When he returned he was in need of money and the community didn’t want him. So he drove to his moms and asked for money for seed to restart the farm and she agreed. The farm soon was called Angelic Organics. 

It all changed when John received a call from CSA or Community Supported Agriculture. The proposal was that people joined the farm for a season and joined harvest; shareholders received a box of freshly picked organic vegetables each week. This means that people can support local farmers and enjoy organic produce. John initially didn’t want people involved with farms like that but then he agreed, saying, “Farming should be having a direct relationship with the people you grow for.” There were 25 families by the end of the first year. John’s passion for organic produce meant blending diverse elements together as a whole with different environments and species which began to heal the farm. Then they went from 75 to 400 shareholders, who could upgrade equipment. Then it was like the 60s again, idealistic people are drawn to the farm as a place of expression and freedom. John even worked with organizations to bring persecuted refugees to the farm. John reflected on his uncle’s death and decided to clear his name with the neighbors. Shareholders put together 180,000 dollars to buy the land next door. According to Beloit College, Angelic Organics became the largest farm of its type in the world, supplying some 500,000 people in the Chicagoland area with organic vegetables.

According to a 2026 Beloit College Article, unfortunately in 2024 John suffered a stroke and was forced to close Angelic Organics after 34 years in business. He was also diagnosed with neck and tonsil cancer in 2025. John feels compelled to begin writing again but is in need of financial assistance to resolve barriers in order to sell his property. If you feel compelled to help there is a go fund me available: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-our-farmer-john-get-through-a-tough-time.

Featured image: Beloit International Film Festival