CCFB News» August 2024

Cook County Farm Bureau® sent the following letter to MWRD Commissioner Cam Davis in support of his resolution to promote and recognize urban agriculture in Cook County.

Cook County Farm Bureau supports the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s (MWRD) efforts to facilitate the expansion of urban agriculture through its Green Infrastructure Partnership Program and real estate program.

Farm Bureau has a proven history of supporting food access and urban agriculture issues. Including support for Senate Bill 850, which creates the Grocery Initiative Act. The Act provides that in addition to studying food insecurity in urban and rural food deserts, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will also establish a Grocery Initiative to expand access to healthy foods in food deserts in Illinois by providing assistance to independently owned for-profit grocery stores, as well as grocery stores owned and operated by local governmental units.

Get your camera and capture moments by showcasing your best photos depicting theme of Agriculture in the Summer. Send in your photos – selfies, pictures of others, landscape, etc.

During the last week of June, I traveled to Utah to attend the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference. The three-day annual conference is an event I eagerly look forward to all year.

Pollinators provide invaluable support to agricultural production and supply chains — a message that matters to farmers and Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, especially during Pollinator Week.

To provide outreach about the importance of pollinators, the zoo hosted its third annual Pollinator Week education collaboration alongside community partners from Illinois Farm Bureau and the Cook County area. Tourists and residents of all ages visiting on June 18 had the chance to learn about the work pollinators do to support food production and how farmers and consumers alike can work to implement practices that can support them long-term.

Visited member Ag / farm business locations and provided materials for use with customers. We will continue to promote local to members and customers.

I’ve worked in some aspect of government or government relations since college. First as a legislative intern. Followed by a legislative staff intern. Legislative staff. Political staff. Communications staff. And so on.

Mental Health Care Packages Now Available

This CCFB Farm Crawl is back better than ever!

Most have seen those cool, little drones that hover like hummingbirds to capture bird’s-eye images at festivals, weddings and sporting events. In agriculture, these unmanned aerial vehicles survey cattle, monitor plant health, locate wind-damaged crops and define field boundaries.

The “Evening for Ag Education” Gala fundraiser was a fun-filled night to remember, which raised more than $29,000 to support agricultural literacy efforts in Cook County. The event was held Friday, July 19, at Silver Lake Country Club in Orland Park.

Zucchini Casserole
Joyce Holste, Midlothian

I have known my parents for many decades. They are farming Americans from the rural area. They might be Republicans or Democrats or Independents. I don’t know. After all those decades, I still do not know who they have voted for, if they have a party affiliation, or who they will vote for in the upcoming presidential election. Their vote has always been very personal, and they believe it is no one’s business to know how they vote (including their nosy son).