CCFB News» Bob Rohrer, CCFB Manager

My favorite rendition of “Get your Kicks on Route 66” came from Natalie Cole’s Unforgettable Album. The song, of course, has been recorded by many artists from the original Bobby Troup to Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby to the Rolling Stones. (Do you have the Route 66 songs stuck repeating in your head now?)

Did you know that U.S. Highway 66 is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this summer?

The Underachiever:
Growing up on the farm, you would have thought that I would’ve taken advantage of all the amazing gifts available to me. I had gifts in buckets. Great parents and family. Strong farm experiences. A supportive community. School and church. Quality organizations with open arms including 4-H and FFA seeking to build leaders.

I first learned about smut from my dad, the Farmer. Yes, I used the title “Smut” to grab your attention! No, not that kind of smut! Where are your minds, members?

The Farm Bureau has given me so much throughout the years. One of those gifts has been the opportunity to go to places I likely never would have traveled to see. A recent example is Anaheim, California.

I’ve been around long enough to see some of the USDA dietary guidelines evolve through the years. Admittedly, I missed the 1916 through 1956 recommendations, darn it. During those years, it looks like the advice was to “eat enough”.

In 2020, Cook County Farm Bureau was poised to celebrate its 100-year anniversary. It was going to be a very special observation! And then some mysterious virus called COVID-19 made an appearance. So much for those plans!

As we prepared for this impressive occasion, I penned a column for our anniversary book entitled “20/20 Vision”.

Ham – the White Christmas meat. A highlight course for Christmas dinner for me growing up on the farm. .

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. As I reflect on the year 2025 and life in general, a few thankful thoughts float through my gray matter. Rather than let those thoughts remain stuck all alone up there in my brain, I must share…need that memory space to create a Christmas gift list.

The “rural” community. The “African American” community. The “Christian” community. The “Latino” community. The “Farm” community. The “business” community. The “LGBTQ” community. The “deaf” community. And so on…

We hear the word “community” frequently. In the news. On social media. In daily conversations.

My “friends” frequently like to share a fish story about me. They say, “Bob is a great fisherman… He caught a fish this long,” while holding out one hand extended to show the length of the fish. My
friends think they are pretty funny with their “one arm jokes”.

Have you ever seen a couple people on the side of the road looking a bit helpless. Frustrated. A bit peeved? That could have been me and my wife a few weeks ago while in Wyoming.

Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney, in the Irving Berlin classic, White Christmas, famously sang, “When I'm worried and I can't sleep…I count my blessings instead of sheep. And I fall asleep counting my blessings.”

When it comes to counting sheep, Cook County is home to some.

I admit it. Google has become a part of my daily life. How did this happen? I don’t even marvel about it anymore. I’ve come to realize there is no longer a reason not to know the answer to a question. Just Google it. It is not a stretch to say I now know “less” because I no longer have to remember facts and details … just look it up.

Extreme sports. Ruled by adrenaline junkie athletes, mostly age 15 years old or so. They live life on the edge by competing in events like:

• Free style snowmobile jumping (flipping a snowmobile with hopes that it lands right side up…who decided that was a good idea?)
• High wire balance crossing from mountain peak to mountain peak (they do make solid ground trails and roads from point A to point B)
• Tsunami surfing (I’m guessing you do it once, dude)
• Underwater cave exploring (talk about claustrophobic nightmare)
• Free solo climbing (no safety harness, no rope, no future)

During a recent staff meeting, I said it “half” as a joke. We were spit-balling ideas about why members find value with Cook County Farm Bureau that we could market and promote. We are in full blown “retain and recruit” members mode. The questions posed to the staff:
• What makes us different?
• What makes us unique?

Is your phone tethered to your hand?
Do you panic when you can’t find your phone in your pocket? (Because it is in your hand)

Throughout this year, I plan on writing about the amazing “value proposition” your Cook County Farm Bureau membership offers for only pennies each day.

On the farm, hog calling was a “thing” for us. We used “the call” when feeding and checking on the pasture hogs. I would yell out “Suey, Suey… Here pig, here pig, here pig”. Those pigs would come running across the fields. I’m pretty sure it was not my melodic voice that drew them in because there was pig food involved.

Farmers are great at producing food. Meat, eggs, dairy, grains, fish, vegetables, fruit. That seems to cover all the options.
The rest of it is on “us” … How we prepare food, cook food, process food, enhance food, consume food.

Food is always a fascinating topic to me both from a Farm Bureau perspective and personally. Topics related to food and farming jump out at me as I skim headlines and go about the daily business of Farm Bureau. Some people collect antiques. Some collect stamps. Some collect arrowheads. Some collect baseball cards. Some collect pig art.

A flag is an important symbol. Flags can be fought for and died for. Saluted. Cried over. Rallied upon. A flag can be used to display national pride.

The Cook County Farm Bureau office is like a living organism. In the office, people (that are living) called “Staff” provide daily energy, problem-solving, resource engagement, motivation, people skills, service, brainpower, physical strength, and many intangibles.

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).

Early man discovered how to create fire. Then big things started to happen…heated caves, bbq brontosaurus chops, gun powder, the peace pipe, and warm baths. July was then named National Hotdog month.

AM radio helped shape the person I now call “Me”.

As a kid, I had this AM/FM radio in a brown, leather-ish carrying case, powered by a 9-volt battery. Truthfully, it was the Farmer’s radio but we, the kids, borrowed it from Dad 100% of the time. As the oldest kid (and a selfish bully), I had the self-appointed responsibility of selecting the proper radio station for quality sibling listening.

17 years ago…sure, I remember it well. Normally, a question about what happened 17 years ago would receive the “blank” look from me. Where was I seven minutes ago?

When I was growing up on the farm, money seemed to be scarce. Okay – it was scarce. Mom and Dad confirmed that fact with me just the other day. We did not farm money trees. Yet, somehow, Mom and Dad still clothed five kids, kept shoes on our feet (sure I used duct tape to keep the sole on the boot occasionally), and we were well fed from the milk cow, garden, and livestock.

The farm somehow provided the essentials despite periodic cashflow difficulties. We weren’t alone but neighbors bartered, shared resources, and helped one another.

Each and every January, my least favorite responsibility of the job is employee evaluation and reviews. It’s certainly not because we have any major staff issues. In fact, I would put Cook County Farm Bureau staff up against any staff. They are outstanding!

The process requires “judgment”. Most people don’t want to be judged. I get it. I don’t like judging nor being judged (I know “Good looks and athletic body” were already taken).

And yet, evaluations and reviews are part of the job.

“The plan and born in a barn”
As we enter 2024, I thought I would share some details regarding our plan for the Co-Operator publication throughout the year. It remains our goal to continue providing the publication in two different formats: hard copy sent to you through the United States Postal Service and electronic version sent to you to your electronic mailbox using the wonders of the internet. The electronic version should land near the first of the month. The hardcopy should land in your mailbox around the first week of the month if all the various pieces come together and the USPS cooperates. There are a lot of moving parts!

Many times, when I reminisce about the farm, I think about the rural tranquility and peaceful sounds that call to my soul. The breeze rattling corn leaves. The gentle lowing of cattle in the pasture. The squeak of the rope swing in the tree. The purr of the barn cat. Bees buzzing in the breeze during the day. Crickets and katydids chirping at night.

When does one’s path toward an agriculturally related career begin?

Is such a course towards agriculture predetermined?

What influences impacts an individual’s decision of what to do when she or he grows up?

Watermelon. A true summer treat!

I love it and I am so pleased that my five-year-old grandson loves it as much as I do. If fact, we now make sure watermelon is a part of almost every meal when he visits. Like most people, we both prefer a watermelon that is very fresh, sweet, and ripe. We both want melon flesh to be so juicy that it leaks with every bite, rolling down one’s lip and over the chin. Perfect photo ops of grandchildren and grandparents alike!

Watermelon. A true summer treat!

I love it and I am so pleased that my five-year-old grandson loves it as much as I do. If fact, we now make sure watermelon is a part of almost every meal when he visits. Like most people, we both prefer a watermelon that is very fresh, sweet, and ripe. We both want melon flesh to be so juicy that it leaks with every bite, rolling down one’s lip and over the chin. Perfect photo ops of grandchildren and grandparents alike!

This month’s topic is a bit heavy. Bear with me. I want to talk about this little piece of federal legislation commonly called the "Farm Bill”. It is a complex piece of legislation that I will breakdown in simple “Bob” terms.

How many people do you hear complain about their memory? Add me to your list. Faulty nerve cells, misfiring synapses, a bad cerebellum? I don’t recall.

Sometimes, I feel a very long way from
the farm of my youth. April 27th was
one of those days.