We don't write papers, we build scrapbooks
We don't write papers, we build scrapbooks
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On Saturday, April 6, the Stephenson County Farm Bureau Young Leaders hosted the 7th Annual Bruce Johnson Memorial Farm To Farm 5K/10K run that raises money for Agriculture In The Classroom. This year 220 runners participated in this great event. This event is always a favorite featuring a 10K Run, 5K run, and a 5K fun run/walk. Top finishers for the event were as follows: Overall Top 5K Finishers: Lynnea Groezinger and Dan Palmer Overall Top 10K Finishers: Amy Schultz and Jason Niemann. A full...
Each year I look forward to kicking off the summer with our annual trip to Shipshewana, Indiana. I love visiting the familiar businesses, enjoying treats from the families/farms we visit and seeing those who have become friends over the years. I’d like to invite you on our 2024 trip that will take place Monday, June 10 through Wednesday, June 12. Our tentative agenda is as follow: - Monday: Leave Freeport Walmart at 6:30a.m., lunch and exploring at Linton Garden, Dinner and a show at Blue G...
San Francisco 49ers or Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City Chiefs and San Fransico 49ers. This is a question on many people’s minds as we move into the weekend of the “Big Game”. No matter which team you are rooting for it’s hard to deny the important role that farmers and agriculture play in this weekends’ festivities. Let us imagine a game without agriculture. That would include no tickets as tickets are printed on paper from trees and often use soy ink from soybeans. Some paper is even made of c...
In less than ten weeks, the Stephenson County Farm Bureau Young Leader’s Committee will host the 7th Annual Bruce Johnson Memorial Farm to Farm 5K/10K Race on April 6, 2024. All proceeds from this event will go to supporting Agriculture in the Classroom efforts in Stephenson County. Entry fee includes race shirt, refreshments, prizes, finisher medals and a swag bag. Shirts and finisher medals cannot be guaranteed after March 22, 2024. The out-and-back course starts and ends at Kent Farms (...
As I write this column it is Thursday, January 18 and it is 14 degrees out, which is much warmer than the beginning of the week. The beginning of the week brought canceled school, extracurriculars and office closures. The Farm Bureau continued our normal routine, but as I drove between Stephenson and Carroll Counties, I thought about our farmers who even though at times the temperature was negative 17 degrees, our dedicated farmers worked diligently to care for their livestock. Their commitment...
On Friday, January 26 the Carroll County Farm Bureau Young Leaders will host their Annual Harvest For All Campaign. For those who may not be familiar with this program, Harvest for All is a program within the Young Leader Committees of Illinois Farm Bureau to combat food insecurity across the state. Each January the Carroll County Farm Bureau Young Leaders collect corn from local farmers, sell it and then donate the proceeds to Carroll County Food pantries. This year the event will take place...
More than $192,000 in scholarships are available for agriculture students through the IAA Foundation. “We are once again pleased to offer a scholarship program that encourages students to explore degrees in agriculture related fields,” said Jennifer Smith, IAA Foundation development manager. “It is imperative that the next generation of agriculture leaders receives the financial support they need to stay immersed in their education and build their career in agriculture.” Agriculture student...
Over the weekend of December 2-5 one of my favorite Farm Bureau events happened. It was the 2023 Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting. I’ve always enjoyed this event even when I was just a kid watching older cousins participate in Discussion Meet. This year was no different. Members from both Carroll and Stephenson Counties traveled to the Palmer House in Chicago for this year’s event. Those who attended the conference participated in micro talks, general sessions, Young Leader awards program and...
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we wanted to share how thankful we are for our members, our volunteers and the community who supports the Farm Bureau. We wouldn’t be as successful as we are without your support. From our Farm Bureau Family to yours we’d like to wish you a happy and safe Thanksgiving. Our Carroll County office will be closed November 23-24 and reopen Monday, November 27. Our Stephenson County office will close at noon on November 22 and remain closed until Monday, Nov...
I am notorious for ruining almost every surprise I plan. I often get too excited and want to tell the gift or plan for an event or a special activity. An example of this was last year for Christmas I bought my husband some concert tickets. I had bought these in September and had told him about them by the end of November, which for me was a pretty decent run. The past month or so we have been working diligently on planning and organizing trips for 2024. We had planned on releasing this...
The Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) and COUNTRY Financial share a common interest in helping farmers and are partnering to host four “Emergency Planning on Your Farm” seminars in February, 2024. The keynote speaker will be Mike Pearson, host of RFD-TV’s “This Week in Agribusiness.” We need your help getting the conversation started with our members. Each seminar will: Provide current and prospective IFB members and COUNTRY clients with information and questions that are essential to being prepared...
This past week I traveled north to the Career Fair at UW-Platteville to talk about the many opportunities with Farm Bureau, such as internships and full-time positions. I will forever be grateful for my time as an intern with the McHenry County Farm Bureau. It ultimately, lead me to my career with Illinois Farm Bureau and the Stephenson and Carroll County Farm Bureaus. If you know someone looking for an internship or full-time position, I encourage you to have them check out...
My household ushered in the beginning of fall this past weekend by “watching” football, or maybe I was half watching and the other half folding laundry, checking my phone and snacking. I did not grow up with a football watching family and only started watching when I got in college because I had some friends who were pretty big football fans. Then when I met my husband, it became a regular fall event. Over the years I’ve begun to pick up on what was happening on the field and gain a bette...
National Farm Safety and Health Week is September 17-23, 2023. The theme for the NFSHW 2023 is “No One Can Take Your Place”. National Farm Safety and Health Week is an annual event that aims to raise awareness about the importance of safety and health practices in the agriculture industry. The goal is to reduce the number of accidents, injuries and fatalities that occur in the agriculture sector. It is in everyone’s best interest to prioritize the health and safety of those who work to provi...
As many of you may know, fall is my favorite season of all. A few of my favorite activities of fall are possible because of agriculture. First, I love visiting apple orchards and indulging in delicious apple flavored treats. A close second is visiting pumpkin patches in search of the perfect pumpkin. In honor of our first few days of fall I have included some apple and pumpkin facts below: - Apples are grown in every state. But only 36 states including Illinois grow apples to sell in large amoun...
One thing you may not know about me is I love lists! I am often sucked into reading lists about travel, food, famous people the topics are endless. But my favorite list to read each month is “How did Farm Bureau serve our members”? Below see the top 5 ways Farm Bureau served you our, members: - With a drought ongoing, Illinois Farm Bureau leaders met with members of Illinois’ Congressional delegation, discussing the importance of crop insurance in the next farm bill, a solution to Propo...
It’s hard to believe it’s August already. That means we are preparing for a busy fall with back-to-school spots for our Agriculture in the Classroom programs and harvest season. Speaking of Agriculture in the Classroom, let the Farm Bureau make your evening meals easier and support the Agriculture in the Classroom program in the process. Both Stephenson and Carroll County Farm Bureaus are offering freezer meals for pick up this fall. Orders are being accepted now. See details for each cou...
With July well underway, that means Stephenson and Carroll County Fairs will be here before we know it. With the Stephenson County Fair to take place July 25 through July 29 and Carroll County Fair to follow August 8 through 12. I encourage you to check out each fair’s individual page for event schedule and details. Below I will highlight some County Farm Bureau program specifics that will be happening at each county’s fairs. We hope to see you there! Peach Reminder: We wanted to remind our rea...
Did you know that July is National Ice Cream month, which I think is a pretty perfect idea since July is typically a hot month and ice cream is a great way to cool down. I love hearing what everyone’s favorite ice cream flavor is. I personally like most coffee flavored ice cream, but recently I’ve really been enjoying rhubarb crumble and blueberry waffle cone. I also enjoy the occasional root beer float or dipped cone. According to frozendessertsupplies.com the top 10 ice cream flavors inc...
June is dairy and I wanted to share a way for you to celebrate the dairy industry. A favorite Agriculture in the Classroom activity is to make your own butter. This is a great activity for summer. Enjoy the instructions and recipe below. Shake it Up ~ Butter Making Recipe Ingredients 1 empty baby food jar or large size pimiento jar with tight fitting lid Whipping cream Good music Smiling kids Directions 1. Take 1 jar and fill ½ with whipping cream 2. Add several kids dancing and shaking with...
June 1st marks the beginning of Dairy Month. This is one of my favorite times of the year. Growing up in Harvard, Illinois, the first weekend in June was typically our Milk Days Festival. This year's events look a little different, but the reason behind the celebration is still just as important. Milk Days began in 1942 when over 3,000 men, women and children gathered to honor the dairy farmers and their industry for their wartime contributions. That inaugural event included speeches, singing...
With some graduations already taking place and others just around the corner, the Stephenson County Farm Bureau would like to congratulate all graduates. Whether it is high school or college graduation we want to wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. We would like to share a special congratulations to Andrew Kempel who was the recipient of a $1,000 scholarship from the Stephenson County Farm Bureau Foundation. Andrew is a Lena-Winslow graduate. To learn more about the Stephenson Co...
It certainly feels like spring and that means farmers are planting or preparing to plant. Farmers are masters of adjusting. They often adjust plans on the farm because of weather, equipment breakdowns and even the occasional loose animal. Farmers remind us to be flexible and to adjust as needed. With planting season upon us farmers will begin to plant, meaning there will be more equipment on the roadways while moving from field to field. If you see these “Slow Moving Vehicles” or SMV’s pleas...
I am excited to announce that the Stephenson County Farm Bureau Foundation is now accepting applications for our “Roots and Shoots Apprentice/Internship Grants”. While Bruce Johnson was the Manager of the Stephenson County Farm Bureau, he established the Roots and Shoots Program. The goal of Roots and Shoots is to encourage Stephenson County youth to explore job opportunities within our community and the agriculture industry. As part of this we are offering a matching grant for Agriculture-relat...
I love spring and the warmth, sunshine, and longer days it brings. It is also the prefect time to plan summer activities. This summer there are many things I am looking forward to and I hope you’ll join us for a few. June 5-7: Shipshewana Amish Country Bus Trip (this trip is full but we are accepting a wait list) June 13 and 14: Summer Agriculture Institute for teachers/educators June 21 and 22: Summer Agriculture Institute for teachers/educators June 29: Lavender Farm and Baraboo Bus Trip July...
