CCFB News» November 2020

The IAA Foundation, the charitable arm of the Illinois Farm Bureau, is taking its auction online to benefit Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (IAITC). Online bidding will happen Nov. 30 through Dec. 7.

Restaurants Closing 6 Months Into Pandemic (National Restaurant Association) - a survey released by the National Restaurant Association reports that nearly one in 6 restaurants (representing nearly 100,000 restaurants) has either closed permanently or long term and nearly 3 million employees are still out of work. The industry is on track to lose $240 billion in sales by the end of the year.

The 2020 Cookfresh Recipe Collection is a special “throwback” edition for our 100th year. Recipes selected from decades of submissions to commemorate our Centennial. Recipe booklets are available now.

At Puckerville Farms, Lemont, on Saturday, October 3rd brought in some giants!

Since 2017, Illinois has experienced stable cash rents. For 2020, Illinois’ average cash rent is $222 per acre, down $2 from 2019, according to USDA data. Generally, the highest cash rents in the state are in central Illinois.

In October, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle unveiled her $6.9 billion proposed budget. Her proposal does not propose new or increased taxes to fund the gap but instead relies on fee increases, not filling vacant positions, and reserves.

The Cook County Forest Preserve District’s budget will be 7.6% higher in 2021 compared to this year. The budget proposal relies heavily on reserve funds. The $134.2 million budget is targeted at catching up on maintenance and improving infrastructure.

Throughout Cook County Farm Bureau’s history, women have played an important leadership and volunteer role in the successful programming and member service efforts made by the organization. One such example is the Women’s Committee, which was formed in 1932 and later disbanded in 2005 when volunteers were integrated into other committees.

A tremendous thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate CCFB's 100th anniversary!

The Cook County Farm Bureau Building Committee is proud to announce that the installation of a new monument sign on the grounds of the Cook County Farm Bureau has finally been completed. Dan Biernacki, Chairman of the Committee, said, “The new monument sign is modern and attractive and will provide great exposure to the organization for those traveling by the building and seeking services in the office.”

First there was the flipped classroom that focused on interactive student learning that included discussions, projects, and collaboration while teachers guided student learning. Teamwork was a regular part of the school day. Our agriculture lessons could not have been more perfect for providing hands-on, interactive experiences. Having students work together as we visited was a key part of the lessons. Then came COVID and everything flipped, and we are now flip-flopping between educational models daily.

University of Illinois Extension has honored the South Suburban Cook County Master Gardeners with a State Teamwork Award for their development and implementation of their Soil Test Interpretation and Answer Team.

J.D. Power recently named COUNTRY Financial as the national leader in the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Home Insurance Study. The insurance and financial provider, with offices in 19 states, topped all other homeowner insurers in client satisfaction in the study.

The impacts of COVID-19 will be felt for months to come. Families are suffering. Businesses are suffering. Farms are suffering. Together with members, Cook County Farm Bureau® is poised to provide assistance to local food pantries during this difficult time in Illinois and the entire United States.

To my surprise, our son recently announced how much he loves Thanksgiving. Keep in mind, this comes from a kid who started his Christmas wish list in August. For a couple weeks this fall, he and his sister discussed whether our 10-month-old farm dog should dress as a delivery driver or a hot dog for Halloween.

Fresh out of college I donned my designer heels and J. Crew suits and walked the sacred halls of the Illinois capitol. My tenure at the capitol started shortly after the 2000 remap. Like many of my colleagues, I wanted nothing more than to be in Springfield during a remap year. I wanted to review population data. Demographics. Population shifts. I wanted to help create districts that were not gerrymandered or designed for political gamesmanship. However, I left the Statehouse for the Farm Bureau before the 2010 census and subsequent remap. Ten years later, the 2020 remap is nearly upon us.

The 2020 Cookfresh Recipe Collection is a special “throwback” edition for our 100th year. Recipes selected from decades of submissions to commemorate our Centennial. Recipe booklets are available now.

On Saturday, October 10, the Cook County Farm Bureau “present” intersected with Farm Bureau past and Farm Bureau future during a “Drive Through” Celebration in recognition of our 100-year anniversary. We were pleased that many members stopped by to chat, take a look at past archival materials, talk about the future, and pick up a gift bag. We had a great time.