Typing the address for Friendly Farms into a GPS may leave visitors wondering if they have arrived at the correct location. Yet just beyond the residence situated off a rural stretch of highway in Pope County lies an impressive operation: meticulously cultivated mums arranged in neat, vibrant rows behind the family home.
Known for its large Yoder and Belgium chrysanthemums, Friendly Farms was the final stop for the Summer Twilight Series hosted by Illinois Extension. The monthly series offered four unique on-farm learning experiences throughout the growing season, each highlighting a diverse farming operation in southern Illinois.
Friendly Farms began as a modest halfacre pumpkin patch in 2018 and has since evolved into a notable fall destination for highquality mums. In its first year, the operation produced just 300 plants; today, it has expanded into a thriving retail and wholesale enterprise featuring more than 3,100 mums.
For owners Mike and Jerrica Respondek, the production cycle begins each November as they map out plans for the coming year. By late May, they receive live plant plugs from Michigan, each no larger than a thumb, and begin the laborintensive process of filling pots with soil. With a crew of six, the entire planting operation can be completed within a few hours.
During the event, Mike outlined how their business began and walked attendees through the methods behind their consistently shaped, highquality mums. Their property includes a retail pad holding 1,450 plants and a separate wholesale section with an additional 1,650 mums.
A key part of their system is a continuous feed of watersoluble fertilizer delivered through tubing installed throughout the rows. At this stage in the growing season, the automated water system supplies roughly 3,000 gallons per day, and with a single tap on his phone, Mike can adjust the schedule as needed. Once the buds start to develop, adjustments are made to reduce nitrogen and increase phosphorus and potassium to create big blooms. Netting is added in the first part of August to provide more structure to support the growing plants and help them retain their shape.
The popularity of the mums has spread through social media and word-of-mouth advertising, with many customers returning year after year to snag mums available only during their one-day sale. The highly sought-after “mumbo” plants come in 16-inch pots filled with three colors. New this year, they have added a limited number of mums grown in bourbon barrels, filled with five colorful varieties, their biggest mums yet.
In addition to mums, visitors can also purchase decorative pumpkins, many of which are neatly stacked and ready to enhance any porch display. This year’s event, held Saturday, Sept. 5, is already drawing strong interest, and there is no shortage of customers.
“We have people lined up well before we open at 8 a.m. and by midafternoon, nearly 95 percent of our inventory is gone,” said Respondek.
Last year, a portion of the proceeds went to M.A.S.H 62938, a southern Illinois charitable organization that provides financial and community support for local cancer patients. The cause holds special meaning for Friendly Farms. As a cancer survivor, Jerrica has seen firsthand the impact M.A.S.H 62938 makes in the region, inspiring the farm to donate $9 from every sale of their pink mum variety. In 2025, the effort raised $1,400, and they hope to surpass that total this year.
The Twilight Series will return next summer with monthly sessions from May through August. Watch for details on the Extension website at extension.illinois.edu. Local farming operations that would like to be featured in next year’s series can reach out to Bronwyn Aly at baly@illinois.edu.
WRITER: Heather Willis, media communications coordinator, hdwillis@illinois.edu, 217-300-3972
ABOUT EXTENSION: University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 500 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through five program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, health and community wellness, and natural resources, environment, and energy.
