VOL. 81 NO. 3 MARCH 2016 Dine with Farm Bureau &your … · 2016-04-15 · Strategic Action Plan The American Farm Bureau Federation has released high-lights of its 2016 strategic

Illinois farmers are invited toattend the “Meet the Buyers”event on March 22, 2016. Thisone-day event will take place atthe Northern Illinois Food Bank,273 Dearborn Court, Geneva,from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM(Doors open at 8:30 AM).

This event is an opportunityfor farmers to meet with buyersone-on-one, and learn what ittakes to do business with the gro-cery and foodservice industries.Buyers interested in sourcinglocal and regional food will beavailable to meet with fruit andvegetable farmers as well asfarmers providing meats, cheese,dairy products, eggs, artisanproducts, value-added products,and more. Among the buyersscheduled to appear are Jewel-Osco, Fresh Thyme, Blue GooseMarket, Goodness Greeness,Niemann Foods (CountyMarket), Artisan Specialty

Foods, Northern Illinois FoodBank, Testa Produce, MidwestFoods, Get Fresh, Farm Logix,WI Food Hub Co-op and others.The day will include group andone-on-one meetings with buyers, lunch, a produce boxpacking presentation and tour ofNorthern Illinois Food Bank’sfacility.

Event registration fee is $15for Farm Bureau members ($20for non-members) and includesall event materials and lunch.Due to limited seating, registra-tion must be completed byMarch 18, 2016. On-site registra-tion, if seating is available, willbe $35.00 per person. On-siteregistration is first come, firstserved, and as space allows.Lunch is NOT guaranteed withon-site registration. This is a pop-ular event and space fills up

quickly – online registrations areencouraged.

For more information andregistration, visit http://www.

i l f b . o r g / i f b - n e w s - a n d -events/conferences-events/march-22,-2016-meet- the-buyer-event.aspx.

The Kane County Farm BureauYoung Farmers Committee andKaneland FFA volunteered at theNorthern Illinois Food Bank onJanuary 28. The group repackaged907 lbs. of corn flakes and 1940 lbs.of potatoes, providing 2,372 mealsto be delivered through the FoodBank’s 13 county service area whichfeeds 71,000 people weekly. KaneCounty’s Young Farmers have ledtheir membership group in Harvestfor ALL contributions for 14 straightyears. The annual tally includes dol-lars donated, pounds of food donat-ed and volunteer hours served.

KCFB thanks the Kaneland FFA Chapter for assis-tance in this most important work, feeding our hungry neighbors, something Kane County farmersare engaged in every day!

Now in its 14th year, FarmBureau’s “Lunches to Legis -lators” program gives farmer-members the opportunity tomeet local State Represen -tatives, Senators and Congress -men, along with their staff, in asimple, but effective program toremind them of the importanceof the farm and food sector.Through Lunches to Legislators,local Farm Bureau membersdeliver boxed lunches to locallegislative offices and have theopportunity to visit with electedofficials and their staff.

Due to the popularity of thislegislative program, visits willbe made on two dates this yearto give more volunteers a chanceto participate. On Friday, March11 and Monday, March 14, FarmBureau members will takeboxed lunches, Farm Bureaupolicy books and farm and foodfacts literature to legislators’ dis-trict offices. Lunches areordered prior to the visits andpicked up by FB members at theKane County Farm Bureau in St.Charles before everyone headsout for a day of getting to knowlocal legislators, or renewing oldrelationships.

New faces are always wel-come. Help represent KCFBand thousands of your fellowFarm Bureau members. A pre-program briefing will be heldfor members wishing to partici-pate in the program on theevening of Thursday, March 10where Farm Bureau legislativepriorities and tips for meetingwith local public officials willbe shared over a light dinner.

To learn more or volunteer,contact Steve Arnold at theKane County Farm Bureau at630-584-8660.

Enhance the quality of life for member families;Promote agriculture, farms & food; and,

Advocate good stewardship of our land and resources.

VOL. 81 NO. 3 MARCH 2016

Dine with Farm Bureau & your Legislator on March 11 or 14Farm Bureau members invited to share lunch, experiences and FB policy with legislators

DATES TO REMEMBER

MarchMarch 1Food for Thought Committee,11:30, Brookfield ZooMarch 4Teacher’s Institute, ExcitingEnergy, KCFB, 7:30-4March 1-6Young Leader Ag Industry Tour,South FloridaMarch 6-12Ag Safety Awareness WeekMarch 8Agricultural Leaders ofTomorrow, KCFB, 9:00 amMarch 9Women’s Committee, 9:15 amMarch 10Legislative Briefing, 6 pmBoard of Directors, 7 pmMarch 11Lunches to LegislatorsYoungFarmers Euchre Tourney, 6:30p.m.March 14Lunches to Legislators Ag Days Set-up, MooseheartMarch 13-19National Agriculture WeekMarch 15-16Ag Days at MooseheartMarch 21Foundation Board of Directors,8:00 a.m.March 21-23IFB Leaders to WashingtonMarch 22Meet the Buyer, Northern IllinoisFood Bank, 9 am

CONNECTWITH US

March Featured ProductHomemade

Corned BeefBrisket

The special this month is athree-pound home brinedcorned beef brisket. Eachbrisket will come sealed withthe seasoning and includes thecooking instructions for yourSt. Patrick’s Day celebration.The Member price is $19.50,PLUS Members $17.50, andnon-Members $22.50.

Overstock Sale!While supplies last.

5 lb. Marinated SteakhousePorkchops – $16

5 lb. Southwest MarinatedChicken Breast – $20

5 lb. Black & BlueBeef Burgers – $16

5 lb. Bratwurst – $205 lb. Mediterranean Burgers –

$17.505 lb. Lemon RosemaryPork Roast – $17.50

L-R: KCFB Secretary-Treasurer Mike Kenyon of South Elgin, an unidentified legislative staffer, Senator Karen McConnaughay and KCFB President Joe White of Kaneville enjoy lunch and conversation as part of2015’s Lunches to Legislators.

Attention Farmers! ‘Meet the Buyers’ on March 22

Illinois Association FFA State SecretarySusie Thompson of Maple Park attend-ed the February 4 meeting of the KCFBBoard to report on the IL LeadershipSeminar for State Officers to SouthAfrica.

Thompson thanksmembers of the KCFBFoundation for help-ing to “sponsor” herparticipation in theleadership develop-ment seminar. Pic -tured from left to rightare Wayne Schneider,Mike Kenyon, SusieThompson, Joe White,and Karl Kettelkamp.

Kids, Learn How to be a Soil Scientist

From the Ground Up – TheScience of Soil offers an onlineFamily Farm for kids wherethey can choose an avatar andnavigate the science of soil test-ing and proper fertilizer applica-tion in order to grow a prizewinning crop on their virtualplot of land. Prizes are present-ed at the end to those who learnhow to add their fertilizer cor-rectly. Visit TheScienceofSoil.com, good luck, and enjoy YourDay with NPK.Kane County is having a C.O.W. about farmland

The Kane County Develop -ment and Community ServicesDepartment presented aFarmland Protection VirtualTour at the County BoardCommittee of the Whole(C.O.W.) last month. Those thatwere unable to attend the meet-ing and who are interested in

what Kane County is doing toprotect valuable farmland ,encourage the growth of agri-culture and local foods and pre-serve open space in Kane canvisit the online meeting portal atwww.countyofkane.orgAFBF Approves Strategic Action Plan

The American Farm BureauFederation has released high-lights of its 2016 strategicaction plan, which addressespublic policy issues in the com-ing year. The plan is a result of deliberations of delegates tothe AFBF’s 97th AnnualConvention in Orlando.

The board-approved planfocuses the organization’s atten-tion on a number of key issuesincluding:

• Creating a more-positivedialogue with consumers aboutmodern agricultural practices;

• Protecting farmers’ abilityto use biotech plant varieties and

other innovative technologies;• Opposing unlawful expan-

sion of federal jurisdictionunder the Clean Water Act; and

• Moving forward with con-gressional approval of theTrans-Pacific PartnershipAgreement.

What would Illinois agricul-ture look like if Farm Bureauhad never been founded?Illinois Farm Bureau PresidentRichard Guebert Jr. shudderedto think about that fact duringthe 100-year birthday celebra-tion on January 26.

“Who would advocate forfarmers? What would the farmbill look like? What would mem-bers be without fire, auto andhome protection, or the farminputs provided by GROW-MARK? Where would we bewithout the ice cream on thebirthday cake? We’re all betteroff because of Farm Bureau,”Guebert told employees of IFBand affiliated companies COUN-TRY Financial, GROWMARKInc. and IAA Credit Union.

Guebert added that membersmake the organization strong andsuccessful. He noted IFB’s richheritage rests on a foundationbuilt on grassroots participationby all members. The organiza-tion was founded Jan. 26, 1916.

A time capsule from the IllinoisFarm Bureau’s move fromChicago to Bloomington in 1961will be opened as part of theIFB’s Centennial Year celebra-tion on July 26, 2016 inBloomington.

February 4, 2016The Board of Directors met on

February 4 at 7:00pm. All Boardmembers were in attendance andseveral guests including CharlesCoffey, Batavia, who reported onthe Illinois Department ofAgriculture/Illinois Farm Bureau“Home grown by Heroes” initia-tive to assist veterans in establish-ing farms and marketing farmproducts; Kenneth Shepro, candi-date for Kane County BoardChairman; Mark VanKerkhoff,Director of the Kane CountyDevelopment & CommunityServices Department, whoreported on the upcomingBeekeeping Open House; andSusie Thompson, IllinoisAssociation FFA Secretary, whoprovided a presentation to theBoard on the recently concludedIllinois Leadership Seminar forState FFA Officers to SouthAfrica.

Directors reported on severaltopics. Pitstick reported on aYoung Farmers/FFA meeting

held at the Northern IllinoisFood Bank. Craig Bradley pro-vided a recap on the January11th celebration at NorthernIllinois Food Bank of the 5 mil-lionth serving of milk. KCFBwas recognized for its supportof the “Milk2MyPlate” programat the celebration. Bill Collinsnoted that a local group wasseeking sponsorship and organi-zational help to conduct anOpen Class or Jackpot Show atthe Kane County Fair.

A written report wasreceived from Natasha Lewisabout the Illinois SpecialtyCrop, Agri-tourism & OrganicConference in Springfield.Manager Steve Arnold distrib-uted a “Future of theOrganization” interim reportfrom the planning team.Committee Reports were thendelivered including a report onand request for assistance atAgDays, to be held on March15 and 16 at Mooseheart.

The Kane County Farm

Bureau’s upcoming programsand meetings were discussedincluding The Food for ThoughtRegional advertising committeemeeting to be held on TuesdayMarch 1 at Brookfield Zoo;Illinois Farm Bureau’s Leadersto Washington program onMarch 21-23 (Joe Engel will par-ticipate); and ALOT (AgricultureLeaders of Tomorrow) to be heldat the Kane County Farm Bureauin both February and March. Itwas also brought to the Board’sattention that the Kane County 4-H Foundation is seeking supportfor a 2016 Pork Chop DinnerFundraiser. A motion wasapproved for the KCFB to be aGold level sponsor of thefundraiser.

The Board recognized andshared their gratitude towardsall contributions from thismonth’s donors to Harvest ForALL: Paul (Griz) Stover, JohnVan Bogaert, William & PatriciaWatson, Michael Kenyon,Wayne Schneider and Karl &

PAGE 2 KANE COUNTY FARMER MARCH 2016

Kane County FarmerKANE COUNTY FARM BUREAU

PUBLISHED MONTHLYSteven J. Arnold, Editor

Suzi Myers, Ag Literacy CoordinatorAudre Pack, Training Specialist

Elizabeth Polovin, Member Services CoordinatorCarolyn Gehrke, Interim Communications ConsultantValerie Johnson, Administrative & Program Assistant

OFFICE: Randall Rd. between Routes 64 & 38Address: 2N710 Randall Rd., St. Charles

PHONE: [email protected] www.kanecfb.com

OFFICE HOURS: 8:30-5:00 Monday though Friday(USPS No. 289700)

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Kane County Farmer2N710 Randall Rd., St. Charles, IL 60174

Periodical Postage • Paid to St. Charles, IL 60174Year Subscription: $2.00

■ DISTRICT 1Aurora, Sugar Grove,Big Rock Twnshp.Nan Long11461 E. County Line Rd.Big Rock, IL 60511815-693-7214Donna Lehrer7S027 Jericho Rd.Big Rock, IL 60511630-556-3476William KeckP.O. Box 281Sugar Grove, IL 60554630-466-4668■ DISTRICT 2Kaneville, Blackberry,Gen./Bat. Twnshp.Bill Collins1125 Lewis Rd.Geneva, IL 60134630-484-6852Karl Kettelkamp0S860 Rowe Rd.Elburn, IL 60119630-365-2713

Joe WhitePresident47W727 Main St. Rd.Elburn, IL 60119630-557-2517■ DISTRICT 3Virgil, Campton,St. Charles Twnshp.Frank Carlson104 Sumac CourtSt. Charles, IL 60174630-513-9980Chris Collins1143 AndersonElburn, IL 60119630-934-4642Dale Pitstick128 N Hadsall St.Genoa, IL 60135630-816-0223■ DISTRICT 4Burlington, PlatoElgin Twnshp.Beth Gehrke12N860 US Hwy. 20Elgin, IL 60124847-697-2538

Mike KenyonSecretary/Treasurer1250 E. Main St.South Elgin, IL 60177847-741-1818Craig Bradley37W791 Orchard LaneElgin, IL 60124847-888-2380■ DISTRICT 5Hampshire, Rutland,Dundee Twnshp.Joe Engel516 Sawgrass Ln.Hampshire, IL 60140847-347-5561Gerald Gaitsch10613 Brittany Ave.Huntley, IL 60142847-669-2003Wayne SchneiderVice President721 Lindsay LaneWest Dundee, IL 60118847-428-0488

You receive the Kane CountyFarmer because you are a FarmBureau member. If you are a farmoperator or owner, you benefitfrom a local, state and nationalorganization committed to agri-culture and your way of life.

If you do not have direct tiesto farming, your membershiphelps promote local farms andfarming, encourages wise use ofour limited natural resources andpreserves farmland and our agri-cultural heritage while allowingyou to enjoy COUNTRY insur-ance and the many other benefitsof one of Illinois’ premier mem-bership organizations.

We appreciate your member-ship and continued support andwe welcome your comments onthe content of the Farmer. Weencourage you to make recom-mendations about farm, home,food, natural resource, renewableenergy or agricultural heritage andhistory related topics for inclusionin future issues of the Farmer.

KANE COUNTY FARM BUREAU BOARD ATTENDANCEOCTOBER 2015 THRU SEPTEMBER 2016

OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JLY AUG. SEP.C. BRADLEY X X X X X F. CARLSON X X X X B. COLLINS X X X X X C. COLLINS X X X X J. ENGEL X X X X X G. GAITSCH X X X X X B. GEHRKE X X X X X W. KECK X X X X X M. KENYON X X X X X K. KETTLEKAMP X X X X D. LEHRER X X X X N. LONG X X X X D. PITSTICK X X X X W. SCHNEIDER X X X X X J. WHITE X X X X X

KCFB Board Meeting

Beef store is now open! By appointment only

100% hormone free beef.Selling individual cuts. Buy as little or as much as you want.

815.895.4691Mark & Linda Schramer, Owners8N840 Lakin Road, Maple Park Sample Packs make great gifts!

Julie Kettelkamp, and the fol-lowing who donated towards theFood>Forward for scholarshipand ag literacy programs:Charles & Mary Heidgen, Dan& Anne Heinrich, Heinz Bros.Greenhouse/Jay Schrock (inmemory of Joel Schrock), andWilliam & Patricia Watson.

Thank you letters from anumber of scholarship appli-cants, the Food for GreaterElgin food pantry for a Harvestfor ALL donation, the KCFBWomen’s committee for theChristmas Party, and a notefrom Susie Thompson thankingthe Farm Bureau for her ILSSO

sponsorship, were distributed tothe Board as well.

In New Business news, theBoard approved acceptance ofonline electronic membershiprenewals and a link to completethe transactions to be placed onthe Kane County Farm Bureau’swebsite to allow members torenew their Farm Bureau’smemberships online.

All consent agenda itemswere approved. The next sched-uled Kane County Board meet-ing will be March 10 at 7:00pm., preceded by dinner and alegislative briefing at 6:00 pm.

Illinois FB celebrates 100th birthday

Farm & Food briefs

Five past presidents of the Illinois Farm Bureau joined President RichardGuebert Jr. at the 100-year birthday celebration, including Kane Countyown John White Jr, of Elburn, (far left) Illinois Farm Bureau Vice-President 1973-83 and President 1983-93.

MARCH 2016 KANE COUNTY FARMER PAGE 3

Buy your chance to win oneof six great prizes in KaneCounty Farm Bureau Foun -dation’s Winner’s ChoiceTractor Raffle. All proceedsfrom the annual raffle benefitFoundation College Scholar -ships and Farm BureauAgricultural Literacy programs.

Tickets are $10 each or 3 for$25 and are available at KaneCounty Farm Bureau (2N710Randall Road, St. Charles),from the Farm Bureau directorslisted on page 2, with VISA orMasterCard at 630-584-8660, orby sending payment with theticket request form below.

In 2015, the Foundationawarded over $30,000 in schol-arships & internships. Your con-tributions to the Foundation,through the annual raffle andother events throughout theyear, help students attain theirdegrees, reach their goals,and help secure a brightfuture for the Ag industry.

The grand prize winnerin the annual raffle to be

drawn at our Touch-A-Tractorevent on Sunday, April 10, 2016can choose one of three nicelyrestored antique tractors: a 1953Farmall Super C or a 1947Farmall Super A (with bellymower). They’ll also have theoption of a machine that’s a littleeasier to fit in the garage, a JohnDeere riding lawn mower, orthey can take $2,500 cash.

There’s a great lineup offood, fuel and Farm Bureauprizes that include a secondprize of $500 in groceries, thirdprize $500 in fuel, and fourthprize of $250 in Kane CountyFarm Bureau Bucks.

For more information andrules on this year’s raffle, schol-arship programs or other KCFBFoundation programs and serv-ices, visit www.kanecfb.com orcontact Steve Arnold at 630-584-8660.

Help raise scholarshipfunds with Tractor Raffle

KCFB Foundation Winner’s Choice Tractor Raffle

Please send me ______ tickets ($10 each or 3 for $25)

Name________________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________

City, State, Zip _________________________________________

Email ________________________________________________

Phone (_________) ____________________________________

Return with check made payable to Kane County Farm BureauFoundation, 2N710 Randall Rd., St. Charles, IL 60174 or charge my:

■ Visa ■ MC #______ ______ ______ ______ Exp ___ / ___

Signature ______________________________Date ___ / ___ / ___

Touch-A-Tractor meansfamily fun, April 8-10

Join your neighbors for aweekend full of farming fun,April 8-10 at Kane CountyFarm Bureau’s annual salute tospring. Touch-A-Tractor, ourfree community service openhouse has lots of antique trac-tors and modern farm equip-ment, plus activities for kids.Have lunch and visit with localfarmers on hand to answer ques-tions. All concession proceedsbenefit KCFB FoundationScholarships.

Kids can hold a baby chick,ride pedal tractors, shell corn,visit the farm zoo, and sit in theseat of tractors and other farmequipment. There’ll be continu-ous showings of farm-themedmovies and song parodies.Parents and grandparents canshop for farm-themed toys andt-shirts and ask local farmersquestions about how your foodis grown.

Children up to 8 years oldcan show us their colorful sidein our new farm-themed color-ing contest and, of course, getregistered for our annual FREEPedal Tractor Drawing to givethem a chance to take home ashiny new pedal tractor of theirown (one entry per child). Bringnon-perishable food items forlocal food pantries to receive anadditional entry.

Tickets will be available forthe Kane County Farm Bureau

Foundation’s Winner’s ChoiceTractor Raffle. The grand prizecan choose one of two IHantique tractors, a 1953 FarmallSuper C, or 1947 Farmall SuperA. Both will be on display at theevent. See a full list of prizesbelow along with a ticket orderform. Purchase tickets withVISA or MasterCard at 630-584-8660.

KCFB Foundation collegescholarship recipients for the2014-2015 school year will beannounced at 3 p.m. on Sunday,April 10. Hours are Noon to4pm on Friday, and 10am to4pm Saturday and Sunday.There is no cost for admission.

Every member of the family canenjoy Touch-A-Tractor – a FREEcommunity service event at theKane County Farm Bureau. The funlasts all weekend long with chil-dren’s activities, food, farm equip-ment, farm animals and more!

The buzz on beekeeping in Kane Co.Kane County officials recog-

nize the importance of a healthyand robust honey bee popula-tion. In response to this interest,the Kane County PlanningCooperative hosted a townhall meeting onThursday, Feb. 11,to discuss the pop-ularity of beekeep-ing in residentialand urban settingsand to look at pos-sible adoption of local ordi-nances regarding beekeeping.

Over 50 local beekeepersand local government officialsattended the meeting, includingfive County Board members andrepresentatives of three localbeekeeping associations,Northern Illinois, Fox Valleyand Cook-DuPage, to discuss-can working together to developand sustain the bee population.

Local officials and plannersexpressed interest in reasonablebeekeeping regulations that sup-port the bee population whileprotecting residential neighbor-hoods. The meeting helped coun-ty officials to gather input fromindividuals experienced in bee-keeping, allowed the participants

to discuss the need for more pub-lic information about the benefitsof bees and began examination ofa possible clearinghouse formatching beekeepers withlandowners, public and private.

Kane CountyFarm Bureau willmonitor the possi-ble development ofa model ordinancefor municipalities ifor when it works its

way through the County Boardcommittee system, beginningwith the Agriculture Committee.Members who have comments onthe beekeeping and ordinancesare encouraged to contact theFarm Bureau or the Kane CountyDevelopment and CommunityServices Department.Beekeeping Education

Want to learn more aboutbees and beekeeping?

Beekeeping for theBackyard Gardener is avail-able on YouTube as part of theUniversity of Illinois Exten -sion’s Four Seasons Gardeningseries. Jennifer Fishburn,Horticulture Educator, discuss-es the basics of starting a back-yard colony, understanding hon-

eybees and hive management.The program is available athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgCbulPr7oA

Backyard Beekeeping is anew class at Heritage PrairieFarm west of Geneva. HeritagePrairie Farm has been harvestinghoney for local bee enthusiastssince 2006. Starting this March,they will be offering an interac-tive two part class. It will takeplace on Saturday, March 12thand Saturday, March 19th, fromnoon-4pm. Participants will alsobe able to purchase a basic start-up eight frame hive at a discount,order 3lb packages of bees deliv-ered to Heritage Prairie Farm foran extra charge, and sign up for alater package installation demon-stration in April.

Classes are limited to 20attendants, To reserve your spot,contact Heritage Prairie Farm at(630) 443-5989.

Photo courtesy of Heritage Prairie Market

DefensiveDriving Class

The Kane County FarmBureau Women’s Committeehas scheduled a 55 AliveMature Driving Program forTuesday and Wednesday, April26 and 27. The class runs from 9a.m. to 1 p.m. each day at KaneCounty Farm Bureau, 2N710Randall Road, St. Charles. Youmust attend both sessions tocomplete the course.

The eight hour course cov-ers driving in various road andweather conditions, passingtechniques, the effects of alco-hol and drugs on driving andother defensive driving meth-ods. Many insurance compa-nies may offer a discount onauto insurance to those age 55and older who qualify andattend all eight hours of thecourse. Contact your insuranceagent for more details.

Attendees must be licenseddrivers. Pre-registration isrequired. Cost is $15 per per-son for AARP members and$20 for non-members (payablethe first day) to cover the costof materials. For more infor-mation or to register, contactKane County Farm Bureau at630-584-8660.

National Agriculture Day,which recognizes and celebratesthe abundance provid-ed by American agri-culture, is March 15ththis year. There areover seven billion peo-ple in the world today– that’s over seven bil-lion mouths to feedevery day. Show yourappreciation on Ag Day for theindividuals that make this featpossible!

Every day during AgAppreciation Week, March 13-

19, we will be postingsomething on ourFacebook to share ourappreciation for thosewho serve in agricul-ture. Join us by likingour Facebook page andsharing any or all ofour posts containing

the #agday2016 hashtag. If youboth like our page and share apost, you will be entered to wina prize.

National Ag Day contest

Spring, Oh SO CloseBy Willow Lawrence

Sunny todaybut Oh what a chill

The wind inhales and exhalesthe trees bend on the hill

Winnie the Pooh’s Blustery Dayjust cannot compete

In like a lion and out like a lamb

I am so tired of paying for heatI long for crocuses,

tulips and greenit seems like ages since they

have been seen

Yes, I agree with you, WillowLawrence. The four seasons weexperience in Illinois are beauti-ful, each in their own right, butsomehow winter seems to dragon and on. This year has beensuch a strange winter, with morerains than snow ... foggy, rainy,dreary and cold. Hasn’t beenone of my favorite winters, as Iactually enjoy shoveling snow inmy Polar Bear hat, but this yearthe hat just hangs there and I getout my umbrella. Somehow thatrain just doesn’t equate to thebeauty of snow for me. So let

spring begin.With spring hopefully just

around the corner, it is that busytime of the year again, begin-ning with our Ag Days, March15 and 16th and finishing withcollege credit classes for teach-ers in June. Many of my programs are only possiblethrough the help of many won-derful volunteers.

SPROUTS, Spring Programof Reading Outreach to UrbanTeachers and Students, is one ofthe programs that is highlydependent upon volunteers. Thevolunteer goes into a 3rd gradeclassroom, reads the Heartlandbook to the students andexplains the year in farming,using toy farm machines, exam-ples of crops and other visuals.We try to place the volunteer ina nearby school and times areworked out between the volun-

Who ever heard of a hen thatcould sing opera? Well, Gladys,Farmer Gobel’s hen could. Shewas so talented that Mrs. Gobelsent her off to New York City’sfamous Carnegie Hall. Whathappened to Gladys in NewYork, was a dream come true.

Scott Harding’s illustrationscompliment this fun book withthe underlying lesson that beingdifferent is okay and can be cel-ebrated.

J.K. Palmer is a local authorwho we will be spotlighting atTouch-A-Tractor. Come out tomeet her and listen to her storytelling on Saturday, April 9th.

Gladys Sings is also avail-able through our Kane CountyFarm Bureau Library. Thanks toa request years ago by Bob

Konen and Dean Dunn thatKane County Farm Bureau starta library of agriculturallythemed books for public use, wehave an ever growing selectionof titles. Feel free to come in tobrowse in our library and tocheck out books of interest.

Book of the month

Kane County Young FarmerDavid Marshall of Sugar Grovewill be part of a group of 30Illinois Farm Bureau YoungLeaders to tour agriculture oper-ations in South Florida as partof the IFB Young Leaders annu-al Ag Tour. Marshall is lookingforward to the tour which willinclude farms that specialize intropical fruit and ornamentals,sugar cane, livestock, aquacul-ture, blueberries & peaches.

Dates for the tour areMarch 1-6, and Marshallplans to share his experi-ences with other membersof the Young FarmersCommittee and the Board ofDirectors.

The Young Leader AgTour is one of many activi-ties coordinated by the IFBState Young LeadersCommittee. Other activities

include annual awards andrecognition programs, confer-ences, a discussion meet, quizbowl, hunger relief activities,and Collegiate Farm Bureauevents all designed to promoteeducation, build skills, anddevelop future leaders for thecounty and state associations.To learn more about YoungFarmer events, contact the KaneCounty Farm Bureau [email protected].

Marshall to attendAg Industry tour

The trees know spring iscoming. The sap is churningunderground and ready to makeits way up through the mapletrees, bringing with it thatsweet, sweet flavor that can bemagically (through a lengthyprocess) turned into maplesyrup.

Maple syrup canonly be produced incertain parts of theU.S. and Canadaand only at a cer-tain time of theyear, and now isthat time.

“In the fall,when the leaves falloff, the tree basicallyshuts down,” said KatieZaban, manager of Pilcher ParkNature Center in Joliet.

“The sap is stored in theroots during the late fall and thecold winter time. When it’s latewinter, early spring and we havethis temperature change whereit’s approximately 20 degrees atnight and it warms up toapproximately 40 degrees dur-ing the day, it’s almost like apump where when the sun hitsthe tree, it’s making the sap riseup. When it gets cold at night,the sap runs back down to theroots. We tap into the xylem andthe phloem layer ... underneaththe bark, and that’s basically the

tube that lets the sap run up anddown the tree. When we drillthe hole into the tree with thespile, which is like a fancyspout, we are pushing that spileright into the xylem and phloemlayer. When the sap runs, it goesright down into the spile andinto the bucket we have hanging

off of it.”Once they get

enough sap – and ittakes 40 gallons ofsap to make onegallon of syrup(sap has one to twopercent sugar andthe rest is water) –

it’s off to the evapo-rator.

Here are some areaevents where you can see theprocess of how sap becomesmaple syrup:MapleFest

Learn how even animalsthrough the ages have usedmaple trees for sap at the FoxValley Park District’s annualfree MapleFest. Maple-themedsnacks and hot beverages willbe available for purchase. 9a.m.-1 p.m., March 21, Red OakNature Center, 2343 S. RiverSt., Batavia, 630-897-1808;Foxvalleyparkdistrict.orgMaple Sugaring Days

Forest Preserve District ofKane County naturalists will

show how to tap a maple tree,and you’ll have the opportunityto try your hand at drilling andsetting your own tap. March 14-15, 2015 – 1-4 pm, LeRoyOakes Forest Preserve, 37W700Dean St., St. Charles, 630-444-3190; www.kaneforest.com.

Maple syrup days areamong the first signs of spring

Gladys Sings by J. K Palmer

PAGE 4 KANE COUNTY FARMER MARCH 2016

AG LITERACY CORNERBy Suzi Myers

teer and teacher’s schedules.Each classroom has a 30 minutepresentation. Training for theprogram is given to new volun-teers. Please feel free to call meat 630-584-8660 if you areinterested in volunteering forthe SPROUTS program ... youare needed.

Touch-A-Tractor is one ofthe spring favorites. We havenew farm machinery, antiquetractors, animals and fun for all.Volunteers are always needed to

help out during this weekendprogram, April 8-10th. We needhelp setting up on Friday as wellas during the program onSaturday and Sunday. Watchingthe smiling children and parentsis a wonderful way to spend aweekend. Call the office if youcan help out in any way.

March is here and thegroundhog didn’t see his shad-ow, so here’s to the promise ofrebirth that spring brings ... mayit come soon.

Althoughthe ground is

still snow-coveredand the air still frigid,something’s happening

in the trees.

With nearly 1,000 entriessubmitted to this year’s HealthyLunchtime Challenge, the 55winning recipes were selectedbased on their healthfulness,taste, originality, affordability,and following USDA’s MyPlaterecommendations. On July 10,these young chefs and a parentor guardian joined the First Ladyfor the Kids’ “State Dinner,” fea-turing a selection of the winningrecipes, followed by a visit to theWhite House Kitchen Garden.

Garam Masala QuinoaBurger with Raita

Posted by Shreya Patel on July 7, 2015

“I have watched my mom andgrandma make all sorts of deli-cious food in the kitchen with anIndian twist since I was born,”says Shreya. “I have been help-ing them cook since I was three.I love to mix, measure, chop,and even clean up afterwards.My grandma and I came up withthis recipe together because weboth love sandwiches. We makethis recipe often to take toschool for lunch or even on pic-nics with friends.”

– Shreya Patel, Age 9, Illinois Makes 4 ServingsIngredients:1 cup cooked garbanzo beans1/2cup cooked quinoa1/4cup chopped kale1/4cup peeled and chopped

onion1 small boiled potato1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin1/4 teaspoon peeled and grated

fresh ginger1 garlic clove, peeled and

minced1/4 teaspoon grated serrano

chile pepper1/4 cup panko breadcrumbsSalt and pepper to taste2 tablespoons olive oil1/2 cup Greek yogurt1/4 cup grated cucumber4 whole-wheat bunsSliced tomatoesBaby spinach leavesPreparation:

1. Coarsely chop the garban-zo beans in a food processor orby hand. In a large bowl, combinethe chopped garbanzo beans withthe quinoa, kale, onion, potato,garam masala, cumin, ginger,garlic, serrano chile pepper, andbreadcrumbs. Season to tastewith salt and pepper. Stir the mix-ture thoroughly and form into 4round patties

2. In a large sauté pan, heatthe olive oil over medium heat.Add the patties and cook, flip-ping once, 5 minutes per side, oruntil brown and crispy.

3. Meanwhile, in a smallbowl, combine the yogurt andcucumber. Season to taste withsalt and pepper.

4. To assemble the sandwich-es, place the patties on the whole-wheat buns, and top with theraita, tomato, and spinach leaves.

379 calories;11g fat; 58g

carbohydrates;15g protein

CALORIESCARBOHYDRATESFATSFOOD

FRUITSGRAMSHEALTHYJOURNAL

LABELMINERALSMYPLATENUTRITION

PROTEINSERVINGSNACKSSODIUM

SUGARVEGETABLESVITAMINSWATER

MARCH 2016 KANE COUNTY FARMER PAGE 5

Name ______________________________________________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip ________________________________________________________________________

Telephone ___________________________ Email ________________________________ Age ______Please complete and return to the Farm Bureau, 2N710 Randall Road, St. Charles, IL 60174

by March 15, 2016 for your chance to win a bag of goodies!

S V B F F S D M X E S P C L I T A P A N M F O L N N I F T O Y A S E I R O L A C A O C A R N A A D W R H Q Z J L S L X M R P C E E T L I S B B O H I S K N F P C G K T R S P U M O G N I V R E S I O A D S A A Q Y M P H P U N O K W B R M O H N W L L M Y S Y Z C B N U N W S O A D K O S D M L C D S U G A R L T W W R T S K D G D T I R C J C T B C G M R J A I G N M Z O D A K K E D B S P W A O I E V F D M R Q T L K K B P B I T J R E R T R O I V D E G H W J L I G W N P Y M R U I J F T S L O X D J Z I F K G N L P I H L O M J O K U K W H U K V R B A T T X N Q T N O S E L B A T E G E V N Q S H I W G E N Z H E A L T H Y B L R S I F T Y L Q S A C O D P A C N M K U X L B A F J V E F L M L V U K C Y H O J C N Z P U M H C B J X V H M S I J J Q B V P N I E T O R P A F X B Y G Q G A C H D E S Q X W S R Z K L

Nutrition

Compiled by Suzi Myers

March is:National

Women’s History MonthNutrition Month

American Red Cross MonthFire Prevention Month

Music in Our Schools Month Craft Month

Frozen Food Month Read Across America Day

(Dr. Seuss Birthday) March 2Employee Appreciation Day

March 4Pi Day March 14

Incredible Kid Day March 15Saint Patrick’s Day March 17

Did you know?• The food you eat contains sub-stances called nutrients that pro-vide the energy (fuel) for yourbody to make new cells, heal,fight illness, grow, play and work.• Here are the 6 kinds of nutri-ents that provide your body withwhat you need to think, play andwork properly.• Proteins are used by the bodyfor growth, and to help build andrepair cells. Proteins also helpkeep muscles, skin, hair, andnails healthy.• Carbohydrates are the mainsource of energy for your body.Some carbs like sugar give youquick energy. Other carbs suchas starches give longer lastingenergy.• Fats and Oils are used to helpthe body store vitamins andbuild tissue to protect important

organs. Fats are also used by thebody as a “backup” fuel system.• Vitamins are needed to help thebody use carbohydrates, fats andproteins and to help its systemsfunction. Many kinds of vitaminsare essential to your diet.• Minerals are used by the bodyto build new cells and controlimportant body processes.• Water dissolves some vita-mins and helps bring nutrientsto the cells in your body. Wateralso helps you swallow anddigest foods, and helps keepyour body temperature normal.• Water is the most necessarynutrient of them all. People can’tsurvive for more than a few dayswithout it. Your body is approxi-mately 70% water.

CongratulationsLeah Miller! Leah’s namewas chosen from the entriesreceived for correctly com-pleting last month’s “LeapYear” word search. February’sprize is some Graham’sChocolates. Thank you forreading the Kane CountyFarmer and continue to watcheach month for a chance towin a prize.

1 Start with theserving informa-tion at the top of thelabel. This will tell you the sizeof a single serving and the totalnumber of servings per container(package).2 Next, check total calories perserving. Pay attention to thecalories per serving and howmany servings you’re really con-suming if you eat the wholepackage. If you double the serv-ings you eat, you double thecalories and nutrients.3 Limit these nutrients. AHArecommends limiting thesenutrients: Based on a 2,000 calo-rie diet, no more than 11-13grams of saturated fat, as little

trans fat asp o s s i b l e ,and nomore than

1,500 mg ofsodium.

4 Get enough ofthese nutrients.Make sure you get

enough of beneficialnutrients such as: dietaryfiber, protein, calcium, iron,

vitamins and other nutrientsyou need every day.5 Quick guide to % DailyValue. The % Daily Value (DV)tells you the percentage of eachnutrient in a single serving, interms of the daily recommendedamount, based on a 2000 calorieper day intake.

• • • • •NOTE: Foods with more than

one ingredient must have aningredient list on the label.Ingredients are listed indescending order by weight.Those in the largest amounts arelisted first. This information isparticularly helpful to individuals

with food sensitivities, thosewho wish to avoid pork or shell-fish, limit added sugars or peo-ple who prefer vegetarian eating.

• • • • •If you are looking to find outnutrient value of fresh fruits andvegetables, there is a chart list-ing all pertinent information at:h t t p : / / w w w. f d a . g o v / f o o d /ingredientspackaginglabeling/labelingnutrition/ucm063367.htm

NutritionHow to read the

nutrition label on food

‘State Dinner’ winner from IL

Really, that’s all for a serving? game Let your child go with you to grocery store and purchase theirfavorite snack, or just get it from the pantry. Be sure it has a nutrition label on it. Let the child read the labelto find out the serving size and how many servings in the container/package. Give the child some plasticsnack bags and let them count out the pieces in a serving and put them into the bags. (If there are 6 piecesper serving of Tootsie Rolls, each bag would contain 6 Tootsie Rolls. A large bag of Midgees contains 9 servings, so your child would have 9 bags of 6 pieces of candy.) Let them eat one serving of the productand store the rest till later. This is a very concrete way to let children know what the serving size really means.

Shreya Patel

St. Charles Agency, Bob Effner,Agency Manager

EDWARD STUEHM hasbeen named the FinancialRepresentative of the Month forDecember 2015 in the St.Charles/Elgin Agency, asannounced by Agency Manager,Robert J. Effner, Sr., CLF®,LUTCF. Ed has provided tangi-ble plans for addressing theimmediate and long term insur-ance and financial security needsof his clients through COUN-

TRY Financial’s diverse productsand services: Auto, Farm, Home,L i f e / D i s a b i l i t y / H e a l t h /Annuities/Long Term Care,Retirement Planning, Businessand Investments. Let Ed’sexpertise help you – contacthim at his office, 425Williamsburg Avenue,Geneva, or by phone/email/website: 630-845-8245,edward.s tuehm@countryfinancial, countryfinancial.com/edward.stuehm. Congrat -

ulations, Ed! Aurora Agency, Kevin Gomes,Agency Manager

Brian Guenther, FinancialRepresentative with the Aurora

What’s new in the COUNTRY agencies?PAGE 6 KANE COUNTY FARMER MARCH 2016

“Helping to keep America Picked up for 45 years”

A BALANCED DIETBy Val Johnson

Val Johnson was a partici-pant in the 2013 Illinois FarmFamilies Field Mom Program.This is a portion of her blogabout her experience after atouring Paul and DonnaJeschke’s farm in Mazon, IL. Valnow spends her time workingfor the Kane County FarmBureau in continuation of heragriculture learning experience.

• • • • •

Iwanted to learn more aboutagriculture. I thought that

being a Field Mom could be away to learn more about pesti-cides, crop nutrients, and organ-ic foods. The month before myfirst farm tour I started research-ing, asking questions, and learn-ing what I could, specificallyabout GMOs, pesticides, andorganic foods. By the day thetour, I was mad at the way theU.S. farmers grew food, dis-turbed about the lack of GMOlabeling on U.S. packaging, andconfused about organic foods. Iread so much about “dirty”foods in the last week I was hes-itant to eat anything in myrefrigerator! Then, the day of thetour came, and I wasn’t quitesure what I was getting myselfinto, but I knew I would walkaway with some sort of adven-ture and knowledge to sharewith my family and friends.

A discussion was led on thebus bound for Paul and DonnaJeschke’s corn and soybeanfarm in Mazon. The farmers

present were very knowledge-able and open to any questionwe fired at them. After whatseemed like a fraction of thetime, we arrived near theJeschkes’ farm. We passed bythe type of barge that carriedphosphate and potash mined inFlorida, and then saw newlyplanted fields that were firstshowing their rows. After arriv-ing at the Field Mom’s corn andsoybean acre, an expensive trac-tor and planter was explained.We took a short walk to thefields and learned from Dr.Brown, Agronomy Managerfrom GROWMARK, about thecorn and bean plants, pests, pes-ticides and crop nutrients.

Most importantly, I learnedthat the same people who Ithought a few hours before wereout to get our family, andmyself, are really people likeyou and I who are trying tomake the best use of our coun-try’s land using science andtechnology. I now understandwhy farmers choose GMO seedover non-GMO seed. I alsounderstand more about pesti-cides, crop nutrients, and organ-ic foods. Lastly, you still need towash your organic fruits andvegetables before you eat them.Organic foods can be dirty!

If you would like to find outmore about pesticides, cropnutrients, organic foods, GMOsand more, visit www.watchusgrow.org.

Now’s the time to thinkabout knocking the dust off thatantique tractor in the shed. Ifyou only take that tractor oneplace this year – make it Touch-A-Tractor at the Kane CountyFarm Bureau!

Our 11th annual Touch-A-Tractor will be held Friday-Sunday, April 8-10, 2016. We’remaking preparations to bringsome farm to the city for thisever-popular event that’s fun forthe whole family. If you have anantique tractor – whether you’vespent hours restoring it or it’s astill working tractor with lots offarming memories – please con-sider bringing it to the event.

There’s nothing like the lookon a child’s face when they sitin the seat of a tractor they nor-mally only see from the road orin a book. This year you’ll get aspecial commemorative gift inappreciation for participating.

Due to space limitations andthe size of modern farmmachines, the Farm Bureau willagain call on Sugar Grove areafarmer Bruce Nagel, a long-

time supporter of Touch-A-Tractor and Ag Days, to providethe necessary modern tractors,

combine, tillage equipment,sprayer and planter to displayfor our urban and suburbanneighbors. But antique tractorsare needed – and the more the

merrier!All tractor participants

will also be treated to afree dinner at 5:30pm onThursday, April 7 at KaneCounty Farm Bureau.Bring your tractor thatnight, or park it on thelawn anytime during theweek leading up to theevent.

Just clip and send inthe form below or call630-584-8660 to let usknow the make and modelof tractor you’ll bring. Wealso need farmers, orretired farmers, to explain

how the equipment works. So ifyou can be there any day of theevent – please let us know!

Bring antique tractors to Touch-A-Tractor, April 8-10

Special offer & dinner for participating tractor fans

Help make Touch-a-Tractor a success.___ Contact me about volunteer opportunities (Saturday, April 9 or Sunday, April 10)___ I will bring the following tractor or farm equipment to display.Please provide a brief description of the equipment. For tractors, include year, make, and model.

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Name ________________________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________________

City________________________________ St_____ Zip _______________

Phone________________________________________________________

We need YOUR antique tractor! Bring anantique tractor to Touch-A-Tractor, April 8-10and receive a special commemorative gift,plus we’ll have dinner on the grill for you onThursday, April 7 to show our appreciation.

Clip and return to KaneCounty Farm Bureau,2N710 Randall Road,St. Charles, IL 60174 orcall 630-584-8660 andask for Carolyn or Val.

Agency, is our FinancialRepresentative of the Month forJanuary 2016. Brian began hiscareer with COUNTRYFinancial in January of 2002 andservices clients out of his officelocated at 1920 Wilson Street,

Batavia, 60510, (630) 406-6017.Brian’s professionalism and

vast knowledge of auto, home,life, commercial and financialproducts make him a great per-son to do business with.Congratulations, Brian!

Edward Stuehm Brian Guenther

Practice farm safetyThe Kane County Farm

Bureau encourages all ourfarmer-members to make farmsafety a top priority.Agricultural Safety AwarenessWeek is March 6-12, but farmsafety should be a top priorityyear-round.

The theme AgriculturalSafety Awareness Week is“Caution – Safety is NoAccident” and highlights a dif-ferent safety focus each day ofthe week.• Monday – ATV Safety • Tuesday – Youth Safety on

the Farm • Wednesday – Tractor Safety • Thursday – Roadway Safety • Friday – Grain Bin Safety

“We need to make safety apriority on our farms,” saidPeggy Romba, who heads up thesafety program for Illinois FarmBureau. “Agricultureis one of the most dan-gerous jobs in thenation. It’s no surprisethat almost everyfarmer personallyknows of a familywho has lost a lovedone in a farm mishap,not to mention theinjuries that cause lossof fingers, hands, arms andlegs.”

Romba reminds us thatspring planting will soon beunderway. “That means tractors

will be started, plows attached,and long days of hard work areahead.” The Farm Bureau affili-ated RFD Radio Network will

provide interviews ona variety of subjectswith safety experts. A content list is available at RFDradio.com.

The AgriculturalSafety AwarenessProgram is coordinat-ed by the AmericanFarm Bureau

Federation (AFBF). FarmBureaus across Illinois take partin this special week by provid-ing information about farmsafety.

Fertilizer management high priorityAn Illinois Corn Grower

Association survey found inter-est among farmers in voluntarybest management practices con-tinues grow. The ICGA has con-ducted the annual policy survey

for 15 years asking farmers whatthree issues should be amongthe organization’s top priorities.Questions on best managementpractices have been included thepast three years. River trans-

portation, ethanol markets,exports and public educationhave been among the top priori-ties throughout the years of thesurvey, but best managementpractices is trending upward.

As the old Irish proverbsays: “May the Lord keep

you in His hand...And neverclose His fist too tight.”

March is here, which meansthat AgDays are here. Thisschool excursion/field-trip is forany fourth grade classroom inKane County. Consider comingand helping: all farmers andnon-farmers are welcome. CallSuzi at the Farm Bureau to vol-unteer or for more information. Ilearn something new every year!

March 19th is the first day ofSpring. However, the averagelast date for a frost in theChicago-area is at the end ofApril. Enjoy any warm days, butdo not plant outside too soon!Your friends in southern Illinoiscan plant near the beginning ofApril; Champaign County canplant around mid-April. This iswhy your college students maytell you about how lovely theflowers are blooming at school,

while we still have two weeks towait for blooms.

What do you know aboutnon-GMO food? Did you knowthat no one has ever gotten sickfrom eating products containingGMOs? Did you know thatextensive, world-wide testing,conducted by many accreditedorganizations, has found no ill-ness/malady/health problemfrom them? Science-basedlearning is necessary to combatall the mis-information that iswhispered and published.

For March I thought youmight like a recipe for Key LimePie. The pie will have specks ofgreen from the grated rind, soyou do not need to add coloringto get a little green. However, ifyou want the dessert to be green,you will have to add a drop ortwo of food coloring, becauselimes are only green on the out-

side, the rind. Frozen Key Lime Pie

9” graham cracker crust8 oz. cream cheese, softened1 14-oz. can sweetened con-

densed milk1 c. evaporated milk1/2 c. lime juice (2-3 limes)1 tsp. grated lime peel = “lime

zest”Whipped cream, if desired

Unwrap the cream cheese andmicrowave it, uncovered, for 10seconds to help soften it. Beat thesoftened cream cheese untilsmooth. Gradually add the 2types of milk. Beat until smooth.

Press and roll the limes oncounter for a few minutes. Thismakes them juice more, so youmay only need 2 limes. Washthe limes and then grate the rindto get zest. Add the lime juiceand zest. Beat on medium for 1minute. Clean off the beatersand then hand mix the gleaningsinto the filling.

Pour into the crust. Freeze atleast 2 hours or until firm. Letstand at room temperature for10 to 15 minutes. If desired gar-nish whole pie or each piece.Serve immediately.

Possible garnish: whippedcream, finely-sliced lime,berries, mint sprigs.

MARCH 2016 KANE COUNTY FARMER PAGE 7

Kane County Farm Bureau members receive 10% discount on all service work.

FOR SALEAlfalfa grass hay – large 3x3x8and 3x4x8 bales – 1st, 2nd, and3rd cuttings. Nutrient contentavailable upon request. Call:847-436-2538Miller Model CP-250TS constantpotential DC mig welder with aModel 10E wire feed attachment.208/230/460 volt 3 phase input,250 amp 35 volt output with aMax. OCV of 44 @ 100% dutycycle. Welder is mounted on acart with pneumatic wheels. Has.030 and .035 wire feed wheels.No tanks or gauges. Works good,bought a newer model to replacethis one. $1000 OBO. Call formore info – 630 878 1726Hay for sale: 1st cutting @$4.00/bale – 2nd cutting @$4.50/bale – 3rd cutting @$4.75/bale. Small quantities ofeach cutting. No rain. All salesare cash sales picked up at thefarm located near Lily Lake.Email address: [email protected] Phone #: 630-244-5241.LIVESTOCK FEED – 5-6,000#daily of bulk fruit/vegetable press-ings. 7-10% moisture, high-pro-tein, delivery negotiable. Formore info., call KCFB and ask forSteve – 630 584-8660.

SERVICESJim Verhaeghe & Sons, Inc. –Tree removal, tree trimming, &stump grinding. Backhoe work &Tile Lines. Fully insured – FreeEstimates – Jim Verhaeghe Sr.Call: 847 334 5730Farm site demolition & clean up.New horse barns with under-ground utilities and earthwork.Drainage tiles, pasture mowing,spraying, new seeding, interseeding & fence installation. Wefollow SIU Plant & Soil SciencePractices. 10% discount for FarmBureau members, 5% if you men-tion this add! Berning EarthworkInc., Tom Berning 630-330-9970,[email protected]; Galusha Farms, SteveBerning, 630-878-6350, [email protected]. Call: 630-330-9970WANTEDWill pick up for free unwanted orold snowmobiles. Also buyingolder Polaris snowmobiles 1977& 1978 TXL & 1979 TX’s CallJon, 630-254-9446Want to buy vintage & used toolsCall Chris, 630 550 7182HELP WANTEDCLERICAL/CUSTOMER SERV-ICE – Entry level – East side of StCharles; Part-time M-F hours tofit your schedule. Some travelpossible. Peerfect for homemak-er or student. Call Bob, 630 377 7797DESIGN & LAYOUT – Entry levelwill train – East side of StCharles; Part-time M-F hours tofit your schedule. Perfect forhomemaker or art or computerstudent. Call Bob, 630 377 7797Local Class A CDL Driver wantedfor a full time position to makedaily local runs in the Chicagoland area. Must have a cleanrecord and at least 1 year experi-ence. Call 815-756-8600 ForInquiries. R. Zimmerman Inc.

CLASSIFIED AD RATESClassified advertising rates: 20cents per word/$20 minimum (60words or less). DISCOUNTS formembers: Associate members,20%; Voting members, 30%; PLUSmembers, 40%. Advance paymentrequested. Ads due by the 15th ofevery month for the next issue. Noadvertising (classified or display)for financial or insurance serviceswill be accepted. Call 630-584-8660.

CLASSIFIED ADS

Women’s CornerBy Louise Johnson

Women’s Committee Chair

———————————————PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT ———————————————

Farmer education,training & social opps

The next Meet the BuyerEvent will be held on March 22from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM at theNorthern Illinois Food Bank inGeneva. The price is $15 forFarm Bureau members and $20for non-Farm Bureau members.For more information and regis-tration, visit http://www.ilfb.org/ifb-news-and-events/confer-ences-events/march-22,-2016-meet-the-buyer-event.aspx. On-site registration is first come,first served, and as space allows.

Gathering of the Green 2016 Register online for the

“Gathering of the Green 2016”from March 16-19, 2016 inRiverCenter, Davenport, Iowa.The Gathering of the Green is aconvention-style conference heldevery-other-year in the QuadCities (Davenport, IA) and dedi-cated to John Deere antique two-cylinder and New Generationtractor and implement enthusi-asts. The ninth Gathering will beheld on March 16-19, 2016 in thespacious and beautiful River -Center in downtown Davenport,Iowa. Highlights include:

Restoration-related technical

and historical workshop,Vendors, Antique tractors andimplements of all years and mod-els on display, displays mirroringthe 2016 “Gathering” themeForge to Farm, Auction, wel-come reception and Saturdaybanquet. Register online atwww.gatheringofthegreen.com.

For questions about theGathering program, [email protected] text/call GatheringInformation at 563-886-7383.

Young Farmers Euchre Tournament

Members for 18-35 with aninterest in agriculture, expand-ing their social network andmeeting with local farmers arewelcome to attend the March 11Young Farmers EuchreTournament. The event will beheld at the Kane County FarmBureau beginning with a briefcommittee meeting at 6:30 fol-lowed by euchre, pizza andsnacks with Young Farmersfrom Kane, Kendall and sur-rounding county Farm Bureaus.Bring a friend or we’ll pair youup with another player.

The KCFB Foundation offers its sincere appreciation to the fol-lowing for their contributions to our community service, educationand scholarship programs. Names shown are contributionsreceived January 15 through February 15, 2016.

Donor BeneficiaryPaul (Griz) Stover Elburn Food Pantry

Thanks to our donors...

PAGE 8 KANE COUNTY FARMER MARCH 2016

Youth crucial to Farm Bureau successEvan Hultine, a farmer from

Princeton (Bureau County),believes Illinois Farm BureauYoung Leaders can maintainrecent success and expand theprogram this year. And, if anyoneknows about boostingparticipation in YoungLeaders, it’s Hultine,who last month beganhis term as the 2015-16 Young Leader StateCommittee chairman.

Hultine wasinstrumental in devel-oping a YoungLeaders Committeein Bureau County more thanfive years ago. “We didn’t havemuch of a group at the time, soI got some of my friends andothers around the county to getinvolved (in Young Leaders),”Hultine told FarmWeek. “Now,we’ve got a good, core group.”

Hultine, who was helping hisfather, Lynn, on the family oper-

ation at the time and alsoworked off the farm, was inter-ested in expanding his profes-sional network. “In college, RonWarfield (former IFB President)was one of my professors,”

Hultine noted. “Wetalked about thevalue of Farm Bureauand the networkingopportunities andprofessional develop-ment, and it seemedlike a good place tostart.

“As a youngfarmer, you don’t

have all the answers or alwaysknow where to go,” he contin-ued. “When you can get togeth-er and share stories with people(in Young Leaders) in the samesituation as you, it makes it easier to figure out.”

Other young farmers and agprofessionals obviously feel thesame way. Young Leaders in

2015 added 92 new members,created three new county pro-grams, and grew Collegiate FarmBureau membership to 425.

The injection of youth will be critical to the future success

of IFB, which celebrates its100th anniversary this year.“Hopefully, we can continue tobuild on the growing interest,”Hultine said. “The more involve-ment we get with Young Leadersnow will help steer where theorganization winds up.”

The Young LeaderCommittee of the Illinois FarmBureau is made up of votingmember representatives under35 years of age from 18Districts around the state. Thenewly named representativefrom District 1 (Kane,McHenry, Lake and DeKalbcounties) is Andy Lenkaitis ofSt. Charles, a dairy farmer andengineer for GEA FarmTechnologies in Naperville.

Evan Hultine

Young Leaders advised to follow3 V’s–Viable, Valuable and Visible

Matt Rush, a New Mexicofarmer and motivational speaker(not to be confused with the for-mer Young Leader chairmanwho goes by the same name)sees a bright future forAmerican agriculture.

But farmers, particularlyyoung ones, must activelyengage with everyone from con-sumers to elected officials inorder to help keep the industry“viable, valuable and visible.”

That was a key part of hisentertaining, yet motivational,message to a record crowd ofmore than 500 Illinois FarmBureau Young Leaders duringthe YL annual conference inEast Peoria.

“You have to be willing to bevisible,” Rush said. “Most of usare content to just sit on ourtractor or horse and do our job.But people want to know whowe are, why we do what we do,

and why it affects them.”Evan Hultine, YL chairman

from Bureau County, echoedthat message. He called on hisfellow Young Leaders to getinvolved in Farm Bureau’s FBAct Program, which calls onmembers to vote and to respondto action requests by contactingelected officials about key agissues.

“To be visible, we have to bevocal,” Hultine said.

Precision conservationmanagement program receivesmulti-million dollar investment

When making decisionsabout conservation practices,farmers must weigh financialrisks, consider labor availabilityand cost, and manage time com-mitments. But the University ofIllinois, the Illinois CornGrowers Association, and 30other partners with agriculturalinterests have developed a newfarmer service program –Precision Conservation Man -agement (PCM) – to help farm-ers make those decisions. TheUSDA’s Natural ResourceConservation Service (NRCS)recently announced that it willmake a significant award toPCM to roll out its services inIllinois, Iowa, and Kentuckyover the next five years.

“We’re partnering with theFarm Business FarmManagement Association(FBFM), agricultural commodi-ty organizations, Heartland

Science and Technology Group,and many others, and usingfarmers’ own data to help themefficiently, effectively, and prof-itably improve water qualityand soil health,” says LauraGentry, Illinois Corn GrowersAssociation director of waterquality research and adjunctprofessor in the NaturalResources and EnvironmentalSciences department at U of I.

The PCM program has beenspecifically designed to helpfarmers meet the voluntary bestmanagement practices suggest-ed in the Illinois EnvironmentalProtection Agency’s IllinoisNutrient Loss ReductionStrategy, which aims to reducenitrogen and phosphorus losses(runoff) by 45 percent.

USDA’s Under Secretary forNatural Resources and Environ -ment Robert Bonnie traveled tothe Bloomington offices of the

Illinois Corn GrowersAssociation to announce theaward, which is part of NRCS’sRegional ConservationPartnership Program.

Partner commitments of cashand in-kind contributions ofmore than $13 million will addsubstantial value to the NRCSaward.

Gentry adds, “PCM wasdesigned to help farmers makegood, financially based, conser-vation decisions. As part of thatgoal, PCM will assist farmerswith participating in NRCS pro-grams and will demonstrate thegood stewardship decisionsfarmers are making to protectour soil and water resources.”

Farmers can enroll in thePCM program after the 2016planting season, and can learnmore about the program ath t t p : / / w w w . p r e c i s i o nconservation.org/.

Nursing scholarship applicationsApplications are now avail-

able for nurse practitionerscholarships through the IllinoisFarm Bureau® Rural NursePractitioner ScholarshipProgram. There will be fivescholarships, worth $4,000each, granted this year.

The scholarship program,now in its 24th year, helpsencourage and develop the poolof rural health practitioners tohelp meet primary health careneeds in rural Illinois. Students

who receive scholarships agreeto practice for two years in anapproved rural area in Illinois.

To be eligible for the scholar-ship, students must be Illinoisresidents and be a RegisteredNurse accepted or enrolled in anaccredited Nurse PractitionerProgram. Funding is providedby the Rural Illinois MedicalStudent Assistance Program.

Applications are available atcounty Farm Bureaus® through-out the state, on the Rural

Illinois Medical StudentAssistance Program website atRIMSAP.com, or by writingPeggy Romba, Manager,Illinois Farm Bureau, PO Box2901, Bloomington, IL 61702-2901. Applications are due May 1.

For additional information,contact Peggy Romba at 309-557-2350, or via e-mail [email protected].

‘Change. Challenge. Opportunity.’

Governmental AffairsLeadership Conference

“Change. Challenge.Opportunity.” is the theme forthe 2016 Illinois Farm Bureau(IFB) Governmental AffairsLeadership Conference(GALC), to be held April 6-7,2016, at the Crowne Plaza inSpringfield.

With two days of generalsessions and workshops, atten-dees will have the opportunityto discuss the changes, face thechallenges and create opportu-nities that impact Illinois farms,as well as access timely infor-mation and tools needed to helpadvance the agenda of farmersand agriculture.

GALC workshop sessionswill focus on three tracks: waterquality, local government andleadership. Speakers also willhighlight current federal andstate issues agriculture is facing,including GMOs, livestock,

transportation and trade. IFB members will have the

opportunity to hear from newly-elected American Farm BureauFederation President ZippyDuvall. Duvall will spend bothdays with IFB members, engag-ing them in discussion and ask-ing for their opinions.

Again this year, attendeeswill see firsthand what happenswhen hundreds of farmers part-ner together on issues during theStatewide Legislative ReceptionWednesday evening.

The cost of the conference is$50 for Wednesday only, $30for Thursday only, or $70 forboth days, which is a savings of$10. Attendees may register forthe conference or obtain addi-tional information, by contact-ing Kane County Farm Bureauat 630 584-8660 or visitingwww.ilfb.org.

IFB participates ingroundbreaking for newag exhibit in St. Louis

The Saint Louis ScienceCenter broke ground on February2 for its GROW agricultureexhibit. Illinois and MissouriFarm Bureaus, along withCounty Farm Bureaus includingKane CFB, along with FB affili-ate Prairie Farms Dairy, wererecognized for their financialcontributions to the project. Withspecial efforts of the Illinois andMissouri Farm Bureaus to helpconnect the Science Center withthe agriculture community, andother agriculture organizations inboth states, the Science Centerexpansion is proceeding.

Major donors from otheragriculture commodity groupsand agriculture organizationsfrom both states included repre-sentatives from 12 Illinois coun-ty Farm Bureaus, includingKane County Farm BureauManager Steve Arnold. All told,40 guests from Illinois farm andcommodity organizations

attended the event. Illinois FarmBureau President Rich Guebertemphasized the project’s uniqueability to help millions of exhib-it visitors see beyond the gro-cery store, and learn aboutwhere their food comes from.

The GROW agricultureexhibit is 50,000 square feet andlocated on the property of theSaint Louis Science Center. Theexhibit features zones to helpvisitors learn about: agriculture,water and weather, plants, mod-ern farming, farm greenhousework, fermentation, and a DIYfarming experience. The sixmillion dollar project is slated toopen sometime this summer.

Illinois Farm Bureau, theIAA Foundation, 78 countyFarm Bureaus, and 32 individu-als contributed a total of$258,245 toward the exhibit. Tolearn more about Farm Bureau’sinvolvement, visit www.ilfb.org/sciencecenter.

Groundbreaking for the “GROW” agricultural exhibit at St. Louis ScienceCenter in January.

Illinois Farm Bureau has setaction priorities for the year. Thepriorities serve as a guide for theorganization and our members,and helps us to effectively repre-sent members as we developpolicy and advocate for agricul-ture. This year’s priorities are: • Promote implementation of

environmental stewardshippractices;

• Influence efforts to improvestate and national fiscal andbusiness climates;

• Lead efforts to build trust inIllinois farmers; and

• Champion the economic well-being of Illinois farmers.

IFB sets Action priorities

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