CCFB News» January 2020

“How big is your farm?”, “What animals do you have on your farm?”, “How many greenhouses do you have?” The third-grade students at Walker Elementary School in Bedford Park had many questions for Young Leaders Doug Yunker and Becca Biernacki who visited the school as part of the Illinois Ag in the Classroom Adopt A Classroom Program.

The Ag in the Classroom program, through the Cook County Farm Bureau Foundation®, is offering a summer internship to a college student majoring in Ag Communications or Ag Education.

Through a grassroots process, Farm Bureau members submitted the following resolutions to delegates at the 2018 Illinois Agricultural Association® annual meeting.

Program will include curriculum concepts to agriculture with STEM focused content and lessons. Earn 30 PDCH or 2 Grad Credits Each. Click to view more info.

Young Leaders presents coats to Together We Cope, 5 large bags of coats were generously donated by various Cook County Farm Bureau members to benefit the Together We Cope charity in Tinley Park. The 501 (c)(3) charity supports over 27 communities in the southwestern area of Cook County.

Visit Cook County Farm Bureau® member Farms, Greenhouse & Garden Centers for all your planting needs!

The Cook County Farm Bureau is pleased to announce the winners of our 2020 photo contest! We received over 30 entries, and each image was beautiful and portrayed a scene of the agriculture in all its unique glory, but there were 9 photos (3 in each category) that stood out to our judges.

Startup Company uses Drones to help Pollinate Tree Crops (FarmWeekNow)- A New York-based startup company is using drones to help pollinate tree crops, according to Growing Produce. Dropcopter relied on hexacopters to augment pollination of such crops as almonds, apples, cherries and pears. Three years of trials showed drone-augmented pollination increased yields by 25% to 50%. Not many trees are needed to harvest enough pollen for the entire orchard, according to the company and some buds remain on the trees whose buds are harvested. The drones follow a predetermined set flight plan, and the pollen is contained in a patented device that scatters pollen from the drone. Drones fly up and down the rows about 10 feet above the tree canopy and can cover about 20 to 25 acres an hour.

Throwback Recipe! Reprinted with permission from member Zeldenrust Farm Market of Chicago Heights, from our 2019 Cookfresh Recipe Collection Brochure, available online at www.cookcfb.org/discover-local/recipes.

Each month we are highlighting a Cook County Farm Bureau Member: This month's "Face of CCFB" is... Brooke Bestwina, co-owner of The Feed Store.

For the past 19 years, Cook County Farm Bureau® has partnered with Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. Through the generosity of partners Farm Bureau has donated over $145,000 and nearly 100,000 pounds of food.

The American Farm Bureau Federation® (AFBF) has named the Cook County Farm Bureau’s "Food Pantry Challenge" a 2020 County Activity of Excellence (CAE)! As a CAE winner, Cook CFB will participate in the Farm Bureau CAE Showcase at the 2020 AFBF Annual Convention and Trade Show in Austin, Texas this month.

Dear Congressman,

It’s me, Bona Heinsohn. I think you’ve might have forgotten about me amid politics, political posturing, and campaign fundraising.

It’s a big year and we hope you’ll be a part of the celebration! You’re going to be hearing a lot about 100 in 2020 as that is the theme of the year for the Cook County Farm Bureau as we reach our 100th anniversary.

These days, my husband’s favorite supper of roast beef with mashed potatoes, gravy and homemade rolls prompts him to ask, “What’s the occasion?” My response: “We’re home.”

I typically choose to focus on the positive and not the negative. I’m inclined towards the optimistic and I hope it’s reflected in what I write. However, 2019 was a difficult year for farmers and there’s no avoiding it.