Education Program for Legislators and Staff
Farm Bureau Schedules Education Program for Legislators and Staff
Join Cook County Farm Bureau® for the 2018 Staff Exchange Program. The program is designed to provide attendees with an enhanced understanding of agriculture in Cook County.
Wednesday, June 20
Bus Departs at 8:30 a.m.
Bus Returns at 3:00 p.m.
Although details are still being finalized, participants will tour the Stickney Water Treatment Site and explore the steps that municipalities and water treatment sites are taking to reduce nutrient output before traveling to Smits Farms. At Smits Farms participants will explore the greenhouses and vegetable fields while discussing farmers’ efforts to reduce nutrient runoff from crop protectants.
Nutrient pollution occurs when there are excess nutrients. The main culprits of nutrient pollution are phosphorous and nitrogen. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) has developed a process that recovers the phosphorous and nitrogen in wastewater and converts it into a high-grade, slow-release fertilizer. The fertilizer can be used for agricultural applications.
Smits Farms is a family owned and operated business. Over the last 25-years Smits Farms has grown from a single greenhouse and a family of two to thirteen greenhouse and a family of eight.
Responses are needed by June 1.
This program is limited to Cook County legislators and staff. For additional information, contact the Farm Bureau at (708) 354-3276.