CCFB News» September 2022

Senator Julie Morrison receives a 2022 Friend of Agriculture award from Cook, Lake, and Green County Farm Bureaus during a recent Adopt-a-Legislator® visit.

U.S. Congresswoman Robin Kelly takes a moment with Farm Bureau staff Bona Heinsohn after a summer ‘barn hall’ meeting to discuss pertinent agricultural and economic issues impacting residents of the second congressional district.

Nutrient Loss Reduction Stewardship Information Exchange participants toured Ostara at the Stickney Reclamation Plant in Cicero. Ostara’s technology enables the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District to remove and repurpose phosphorus and nitrogen into a high value fertilizer.

The Cook County Farm Bureau® and the University of Illinois Extension continue to partner on a project that benefits local Farm Bureau members and the general public. Since April 15, the master gardeners have been back (working virtually) to answer questions from members and the general public related to gardening and horticulture. This dedicated group will continue to respond to questions through mid-November of 2022.

In November, voters will be asked to approve or deny a property tax increase of 0.025% or less than $1.66 per month for the majority of property owners.

Ted Biernacki, founder, and namesake of Ted’s Greenhouse Inc. in Tinley Park was named an Illinois Specialty Growers Association Award of Excellence during Agriculture Day at the State Fair in Springfield. 

Agriculture Celebrates Heritage, Future at State Fair- At the state fair on August 16, Gov. J.B. Pritzker highlighted the importance of young people studying agriculture, saying their “fate is vital to our state’s success and future growth. That’s why we’re making agricultural education more accessible across Illinois. Pritzker announced a new state appropriation of $550,000 will pay the FFA membership dues for every student taking ag classes in Illinois. The fee elimination makes Illinois an FFA-affiliation-membership state, ensuring every ag ed student will have his or her FFA dues automatically paid. Previously a third of ag students, nearly 15,000, didn’t have access to FFA membership, according to the governor.

According to the USDA, “urban agriculture allows for the development of a variety of environmental, economic and social benefits to the surrounding communities.” Those benefits don’t come easily, however, as urban farmers face a number of obstacles, in addition to the natural challenges of farming, as they aim to operate in busy, landlocked and sometimes blighted areas.

Happy Pumpkin Spice Latte Season! Although spring is my favorite season, fall is a close second. Fall is special because there’s change in the air: the leaves start to change colors, the temperature starts getting cooler, and harvest is underway.

Cook County Farm Bureau® has been notified of three pending solar projects seeking to build in the county. Cottage Grove Ave. Solar 1 LLC, Torrence Ave. Solar 1 LLC, and North Cottage Grove Solar 1 LLC is seeking to build a 2 mega-watt alternating current commercial solar energy facilities consisting of up to 17.5 and 15 acres, respectively. All three facilities are located in south Cook County specifically Sauk Village and Glenwood.

The following policies were approved by the Cook County Farm Bureau® Board of Directors, made it through a preliminary hurdle in July, and will be considered by the full Farm Bureau delegation in December.

For many families, August and September bring the return of school. Routines. Schedules. Fall sports. And another month closer to Halloween. For our family, the tail end of summer brings the county fair.

The Cook County Farm Bureau Foundation Board has created a new scholarship honoring the many contributions made by the Stuenkel Family to the Cook County Farm Bureau, the Foundation, and the organization’s agriculture education and literacy programming.

Cook County Farm Bureau Foundation® set to put funds to use in scholarships and programming

The “Evening for Ag Education” Gala Fun’Raiser was a fun-filled night to remember, which raised more than $24,000 for agricultural literacy in Cook County. The Fun’Raiser was held Friday, July 22, at Crystal Grand Banquets in Lemont.

Kevin McCabe, Cook County Farm Bureau member, presented a check for $3,890 to 50-50 split the pot raffle winner, Goldin Winker.

Connected Cook County Farm bureau members with staff and leadership from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. Forest Preserve District, University of Illinois, and Illinois Farm Bureau in discussions about avenues to reduce nutrient loss and reuse.

Gerry Kopping, Cook County Farm Bureau Vice President, snapped a photo through the window of his truck of a newly replaced Slow Moving Vehicle (SMV) emblem display properly on the back of his tractor. The SMV sign is a reflective orange triangle bordered with red that warns other road users that the vehicle displaying the sign is traveling slower than the normal speed of traffic.

“My life is one big volunteer commitment. LOL.” That’s an accurate assessment. I inquired about a project of our FFA Alumni organization, and my aunt was fresh off two community events for separate volunteer groups that weekend. Mind you, this is after a week of watching grandkids, preparing meals for the farm crew and caring for aging parents. It seems appropriate to insert a cross-eyed, slightly stressed emoji face to our message exchange. Her bank account didn’t reflect it, but she impacted many lives for the better and profited in satisfaction.

Recipe printed with permission from member, IL Farm Families.

Earlier this summer, my wife and I drove through the mountains of New York during our northeastern U.S vacation. That drive reminded me of a book that I loved in my youth, My Side of the Mountain by Jean George. The book was about a boy named Sam who lived in New York City and decided to run away from home and live in New York’s Catskill Mountains. The book was great for my imagination…a young boy’s wilderness “how-to” survival guide for fire, shelter, foraging, hunting, and scavenging.