Kane County Farm Bureau,the Illinois Farm Bureau andCOUNTRY Financial are work-ing together to make it easier forassociate members who are alsoCOUNTRY Mutual Insur anceCompany or COUNTRY Prefer -red Insurance Com pany cus-tomers to pay their membershipdues. Beginning in July, yourannual Kane County FarmBureau/Illinois Farm Bureaumember dues will be includedwith your insurance premium inone billing for most personallines policies. From then on, youwill only need to make one easypayment to COUNTRYFinancial and we’ll take care ofthe rest.

Adding your membershipdues to the COUNTRY premi-um bill may change the timingof your membership dues pay-ment. If so, you will remain amember of the Kane CountyFarm Bureau/Illinois FarmBureau during the time betweenyour last payment year and yournew payment due date.

Following payment of yourdues, your new membershipcards will be mailed to you. Atthat time you have the chance tocontribute to the Kane CountyFarm Bureau FOUNDATION.If you’re a regular supporter –

we thank you! If not, now is agreat time to show your supportof farms and food.

Voting members (farmers and

farmland owners) of the KaneCounty Farm Bureau/IllinoisFarm Bureau will see no changein the method or timing of mem-bership dues invoices. Thesewere mailed Friday, August 21for payment on or beforeSeptember 30. Similarly, associ-ate members who are not clientsof COUNTRY Financial willcontinue to receive a ‘stand-alone’ invoice for Farm Bureaumembership dues annually onthe anniversary of their joining

the organization.For questions regarding

Kane County Farm Bureaumembership dues, benefits andservices, call Liz Polovin at 630-584-8660 or email member@kanecfb.com

Why haven’t I received my

KCFBdues notice?

Many of you may have noticedby now that your Kane CountyFarm Bureau dues notice did notshow up in your mailbox inAugust. It’s no mistake! That’sbecause, if you are a COUNTRYFinancial client, your dues arenow included on a premiumstatement so there’s only oneeasy payment to make.

KCFB’s 9th Annual HarvestLeadership Picnic for KaneCounty public officials will beheld at Midwest Groundcoversin Virgil on September 23. Peterand Irma Orum and their staffwill welcome guests for tours ofthe 270 acre site with 90 acresof growing areas organized tofunction as a mini nursery –with another 30 acre growingarea currently under construc-tion. The Virgil facility is alsoheadquarters to MidwestTrading facilities. Midwest alsohas facilities in St. Charles andGlenn, Michigan.

The invitation-only picnic isspecifically for federal, state,and local (county, township andmunicipal) elected and appoint-ed officials and departmentheads. The picnic providesinvited Farm Bureau leaders theopportunity to discuss issuesthat affect their farming opera-tions with local officials andthank them for their help in

keeping Kane County a greatplace to live and farm. Theevening’s events will include awine andcheese recep-tion featuringlocal productsfollowed bydinner and ashort pro-gram.

Public offi-cials are askedto contact the

Farm Bureau at 630-584-8660or reply to info@kanecfb.comto reserve a place at the picnic.

Midwest Ground -covers will host the2015 HarvestLeadership Picnic atits 270 acre Virgillocation.Harvest Picnic atten-dees will get a lookinside the two-acregreenhouse. KCFBmember Peter Orum

started the company in 1969 and it now employs around 200 seasonalemployees and 50 year-round staff.

Right: Over 100KCFB members tookin a Kane CountyCougars game at ourmember outing inAugust and picked upa Farm Bureau prizeon their way into thepark.

Left: Farm Bureau memberLinda Hilbert of Algonquininvited six family members tothe game including grandsonJonathan Lucas (3) and hisdad Ben, who picked up a pigpencil topper on their wayinto the game.

Above: KCFB members enjoyedsome perfect summer weatherand a great view of the gamewith seats close to the plate.

Enhance the quality of life for member families;Promote agriculture, farms & food; and,

Advocate good stewardship of our land and resources.

VOL. 80 NO. 9 SEPTEMBER 2015

DATES TO REMEMBER

SeptemberSeptember 1-3Farm Progress Show, DecaturSeptember 3KCFB Annual Meeting, 7pmBoard of Directors, 7:30 pmSeptember 7 Labor Day, KCFB OfficeClosed September 7-9IFB Leaders to WashingtonSeptember 7-10IAITC Bike RideSeptember 9Women’s Committee, 9:15amSeptember 18-20Big Rock Plow MatchSeptember 23Harvest Leadership Picnic,Midwest GroundcoversSeptember 27Primrose Park Farm Frolic,11am-3pmSeptember 20-26National Farm Safety &Health Week

September Featured Product

Smokehouse BonelessPork Chops

This month we’re offeringspecial smokehouse bonelessmarinated pork chops! Eachbox comes with eight sealed 8oz. chops to a box. These spe-cial Smokehouse Pork Chopsare marinated in a balsamicreduction with mustard seedand just a hint of onion andvery popular, high quality meatready for your grill. Price:$21.50 for PLUS members,$23.50 for members, and$27.00 for non-members.These special pork chops areavailable while supply lasts forthe month of September at theKane County Farm Bureau,Randall Rd and Oak Street inSt. Charles.

KCFB member outingto Kane Co. Cougars

Midwest Groundcovers to host Harvest Picnic

An easier way to renew membership

Don’t’ forget aboutthese valuable FarmBureau discounts:

$500 Ford Bonus Cash$300-500 Case-IH 31-120 HP

tractor discountsPolaris Snowmobiles $300manufacturer’s incentivePolaris $200-300 off UTVs,

ATVs & GEM Vehicles Soil Testing discountsScriptsave and Agelity

prescription drug discountsGrainger Industrial Supply

discountHotel discounts at 14 nationwide chains

25% Sherwin-Williams discount

Great America discounted tickets And much more! ...

visit www.kanecfb.com and click on “member benefits”.

A freefamily portrait!See page 2 for details

August 6The August KCFB Board

meeting was led by a review ofinvestments and strategies fromBruce Anderson, Senior VicePresident of Wealth Manage -ment at the Anderson Group. He gave a report on KCFBinvestments and an outlook forthe future.

Joe White followed with hisPresident’s Report, which includ-ed a recap of the IFB President’sConference held in July. Whitedelivered a presentation there onFarm Bureau Foundationfundraising where he highlightedsome of Kane County’s accom-plishments over the past 25 years.White reviewed the proceduresfor the upcoming KCFB Board ofDirectors elections andannounced the following candi-dates will be on ballots to bemailed in August: District 5 – JoeEngel, District 4 – Mike Kenyon,District 3 – Chris Collins, District2 – Bill Collins, Karl Kettelkamp,and Elmer Gramley, District 1 –Donna Lehrer. White announceda “Farm Talk” meeting with IFBPresident Rich Guebbert will beheld Aug. 26 at 5pm at DeKalbCFB. White reported on a suc-cessful John Buck Memorial golf

outing in July at Marengo RidgeGolf Course.

Manager Steve Arnold’sreport included a number ofitems including a preview of theactivities Illinois Farm Bureauwill carry out to cel-ebrate the associa-tion’s centennial,including a time cap-sule, commemora-tive t-shirts and cere-monies. KCFB cele-brated its own cen-tennial just two yearsago. Arnold encour-aged everyone totake part in the freeportrait sitting pro-gram for KCFBmembers, Oct 9-11.Arnold announcedthat the COUNTRYFinancial St. Charlesoffice will now close one hourearlier, so their new office hoursare 8:30am to 4pm.

Arnold also reported that aFood Hub Feasibility Studyrecap meeting will be held at5:30pm at KCFB just prior tothe September 3 BoardMeeting. Study results will bepresented by consultants fromPittsburgh and Portland.

Directors discussed somequestions to improve the organ-ization and ensure it meets theneeds of members in the future.They considered questions suchas “How would you like the

Farm Bureau to be perceived?”and “How do we involve mem-bers and grow leaders?”

Directors reviewed a list ofKCFB Foundation donationsfrom the past month. PR andMembership Committee ChairBeth Engel announced dona-tions made to Harvest for ALL,FOOD>Forward and SPROUTS.Other announcements included

a last call for seats to the Aug. 13KCFB member outing to theKane County Cougars and a newmember discount withCaterpillar which makes itsdebut at the Farm Progress

Show in Decatur,Sept. 1-3. Joe White,Mike Kenyon andWayne Schneiderreported on theBrookfield Zoo“Summer Nights”consumer outreachevent held in August.Approximately 250families played afarm trivia game andtalked to the farmervolunteers aboutfarms and food.

In the Govern -mental Affairs arena,directors discussed

the upcoming HarvestLeadership Picnic planned forMidwest Groundcovers on Wed.,Sept. 23. Committee ChairmanWayne Schneider also said a FoxRiver Study Group Ag StudyGroup is to meet at KCFB Aug.19, to discuss voluntary agricul-tural best management practicesand the Illinois Nutrient LossReduction standards in order topropose to IEPA a Fox RiverImplemen tation plan. This is pro-

posed as an alternative to IEPAestablishment of TMDL’s (TotalMaximum Daily Loads) on theFox River and is led by the Kane-DuPage SWCD. Directorsreviewed an executive summaryof the Illinois Nutrient LossReduction Strategy, released July 21.

In Young FarmersCommittee news, KristinDeSutter of Naperville was theIFB District 1 Discussion Meetwinner on Aug. 3 at StephensonCFB. She will represent Dist 1at the IAA Annual Meeting inDecember during the YoungLeader State Discussion Meet.Also, a team will compete at theIllinois State Fair Agri-QuizBowl, August 18. The commit-tee’s plans to attend theNational Night Out event in St.Charles were also discussed.

KCFB activities andfundraisers at Kane County Fairraised over $2,000. The boardrecognized volunteers whohelped out at the fair including:Lisa Geisler, Mike Kenyon,Joseph & Bonnie White, John &Lauren Biddle, Andy & SarahLenkaitis, Tom Campbell, TrentPierson, Nan Long, Beth &Dennis Engel, Nancy Meyer,Louise Johnson, Flo D’Angelo,

PAGE 2 KANE COUNTY FARMER SEPTEMBER 2015

Kane County FarmerKANE COUNTY FARM BUREAU

PUBLISHED MONTHLY

Steven J. Arnold, Editor

Suzi Myers, Ag Literacy CoordinatorAudre Pack, Training Specialist

Ryan Klassy, Information DirectorElizabeth Polovin, Administrative and Program Assistant

OFFICE: Randall Rd. between Routes 64 & 38Address: 2N710 Randall Rd., St. Charles

PHONE: 630-584-8660info@kanecfb.com www.kanecfb.com

OFFICE HOURS: 8:30-5:00 Monday though Friday

(USPS No. 289700)POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Kane County Farmer

2N710 Randall Rd., St. Charles, IL 60174

Periodical Postage • Paid to St. Charles, IL 60174Year Subscription: $2.00

■ DISTRICT 1Aurora, Sugar Grove,Big Rock Twnshp.

Nan Long11461 E. County Line Rd.Big Rock, IL 60511815-693-7214

Donna Lehrer7S027 Jericho Rd.Big Rock, IL 60511630-556-3476

Steve Schramm7328 Perry Rd.DeKalb, IL 60115630-557-2410

■ DISTRICT 2Kaneville, Blackberry,Gen./Bat. Twnshp.

Bill Collins1125 Lewis Rd.Geneva, IL 60134630-484-6852

Karl Kettelkamp0S860 Rowe Rd.Elburn, IL 60119630-365-2713

Joe WhitePresident47W727 Main St. Rd.Elburn, IL 60119630-557-2517

■ DISTRICT 3Virgil, Campton,St. Charles Twnshp.

Frank Carlson104 Sumac CourtSt. Charles, IL 60174630-513-9980

Chris Collins1143 AndersonElburn, IL 60119630-934-4642

Dale Pitstick128 N Hadsall St.Genoa, IL 60135630-816-0223

■ DISTRICT 4Burlington, PlatoElgin Twnshp.

Beth Gehrke12N860 US Hwy. 20Elgin, IL 60124847-697-2538

Mike KenyonSecretary/Treasurer1250 E. Main St.South Elgin, IL 60177847-741-1818

Craig Bradley37W791 Orchard LaneElgin, IL 60124847-888-2380

■ DISTRICT 5Hampshire, Rutland,Dundee Twnshp.

Beth Engel15N638 Walker RoadHampshire, IL 60140847-683-3482

Gerald Gaitsch10613 Brittany Ave.Huntley, IL 60142847-669-2003

Wayne SchneiderVice President721 Lindsay LaneWest Dundee, IL 60118847-428-0488

You receive the Kane CountyFarmer because you are a FarmBureau member. If you are afarm operator or owner, youbenefit from a local, state andnational organization committedto agriculture and your way of life.

If you do not have direct tiesto farming, your membershiphelps promote local farms andfarming, encourages wise use ofour limited natural resources andpreserves farmland and our agri-cultural heritage while allowingyou to enjoy COUNTRY insur-ance and the many other benefitsof one of Illinois’ premier mem-bership organizations.

We appreciate your member-ship and continued support andwe welcome your comments onthe content of the Farmer. Weencourage you to make recom-mendations about farm, home,food, natural resource, renewableenergy or agricultural heritage andhistory related topics for inclusionin future issues of the Farmer.

KANE COUNTY FARM BUREAU BOARD ATTENDANCEOCTOBER 2014 THRU SEPTEMBER 2015

OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JLY AUG. SEP.C. BRADLEY X X X X X X X X X X X F. CARLSON X X X X X X X X X X X B. COLLINS X X X X X X X X X X C. COLLINS X X X X X X X X X X B. ENGEL X X X X X X X X X X G. GAITSCH X X X X X X X X B. GEHRKE X X X X X X X X X M. KENYON X X X X X X X X X X X K. KETTLEKAMP X X X X X X X X X X X D. LEHRER X X X X X X X X X N. LONG X X X X X X X X X X X *D. PITSTICK X X X W. SCHNEIDER X X X X X X X X X X X S. SCHRAMM X X X X X X X J. WHITE X X X X X X X X X X X

*New to the Board of Directors 2/1/15

Beef store is now open! By appointment only

100% hormone free beef.Selling individual cuts. Buy as little or as much as you want.

815.895.4691Mark & Linda Schramer, Owners8N840 Lakin Road, Maple Park Sample Packs make great gifts!

KCFB Board Meeting review

KCFB volunteers including (l to r) Lisa Geisler, Joe White andValerie Johnson helped hundreds of families play a farms andfood trivia game at Summer Nights at Brookfield Zoo in August.

Free family portrait for KCFB membersKane County Farm Bureau is

offering members an outstand-ing opportunity to gather yourfamily for a free professionalportrait sitting at the KCFBoffice in St. Charles. As a FarmBureau member family, youwill receive a FREE 8”x 10” fullcolor portrait of your family.

Individual poses are available,however this program is limitedto one (1) FREE portrait perfamily or household. Childrenunder 18 must be accompaniedby an adult in the free portrait.You will be able to view yourphotos immediately on a digitalviewing system.

Appointments are availableFriday Oct. 9 from 2 to 9 p.m.,and Saturday, October 10 from10 am to 5pm. Family photosmake a wonderful gift.Appointments fill quickly!Click the “portrait sign-up” linkat www.kanecfb.com or call theFarm Bureau at 630-584-8660.

Time to update your family portrait? Make your appointmentand get a FREE 8x10.

The Kane County FarmBureau Women’s Committeehas scheduled a 55 AliveMature Driving Programthrough the AARP. The datesare Wednesday & Thursday,October 14 & 15 from 9am to1pm each day at the KaneCounty Farm Bureau, 2N710Randall Road, St. Charles. Tocomplete the course, both ses-sions must be completed.

This two-day, eight hourcourse covers driving in variousroad and weather conditions,passing techniques, the effectsof alcohol and drugs on drivingand other defensive driving

methods. Many insurance com-panies offer a discount on autoinsurance to insured’s age 55and older who qualify andattend all eight hours of thecourse. Contact your insuranceagent for more details.

A fee of $15 per person forAARP members and $20 fornon-members (payable the firstday) will be charged to coverthe cost of materials. For moreinformation or to register, con-tact the Kane County FarmBureau at 630-584-8660.Attendees must be licenseddrivers. Pre-registration isrequired.

(continued on page 3)

Defensive Driving class

Joe White, Wayne Gehrke, DalePitstick, Alex Olson, CodyPitstick, and Chase Bornemann.

Lastly, directors discussedplans to attend the IFB AnnualMeeting, December 5-8, at thePalmer House Hilton inChicago and the AFBF AnnualMeeting, January 10-13, inOrlando, FL.

Correspondence circulated atthe meeting included: BrentonBartelt, thanks for KCFBFoundation AgriculturalScholarship; Allyssa Mish,thanks for KCFB FoundationScholarship; Michael Long,

thanks for KCFB FoundationScholarship; AshleighWackerlin, thanks for sponsoringplaques at the Kane County Fair;Kelsey Gould, thanks for KCFBFoundation Scholarship(University of Illinois); KathyChwee, in appreciation for pastscholarships for her children;Northern Illinois Food Bank,thanks for Harvest for ALL con-tributions (O’Connell, Mings,Spohr); Children’s Hunger Fund,thanks for Harvest for ALL con-tribution (Chris & Dana Gould);U of I Extension, thanks forsponsoring 4-H awards at theKane County Fair; Illinois AgLeadership Foundation, in appre-ciation for support from KCFB;

Illinois Ag LeadershipFoundation, invitation to August11 Open House in new headquar-ters; Living Well Cancer Center,invitation to 10 year anniversaryOpen House on Sept. 1; AlyceKonen, enclosing a $1,000 con-tribution to SPROUTS in memo-ry of her late husband BobKonen; 4-H Foundation/BlueRibbon Sale Committee, thanksfor County Fair purchase andinvite to August 19 event; MartinBurnidge, thanks for purchasinghis sheep at the Kane CountyBlue Ribbon Livestock Sale;Northern Illinois Food Bank,welcoming KCFB as a “Circle of Hope” supporter of the Food Bank.

SEPTEMBER 2015 KANE COUNTY FARMER PAGE 3

Illinois Farm Bureau kicks off Centennial CelebrationPlans are in place to cele-

brate Illinois Farm Bureau’s100th birthday! IFB was bornon January 26, 1916.Celebration activities kick off atthis year’s Farm Progress Showin Decatur. Centennial activitieswill continue throughout 2016and will include a 100thBirthday party, time capsule,activities at State Fair, and apre-opening gala. Also, keepyour eyes and ears open for fea-tures on RFD radio, inFarmWeek and Partners maga-zine, and on social media.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The follow-ing is part of a series on the his-tory of the Kane County FarmBureau, Illinois Farm Bureau,and its affiliates that ran in theKane County Farmer in 2012-13, during KCFB’s centennialyear. Excerpts are included fromFarm Bureau in Illinois, John J.Lacey & The Diamond Harvest,A History of Illinois FarmBureau, Dan Leifel and NormaManey, and the IFB brochure,Glimpses of a Rich History.The Illinois Farm Bureau –How it all started

In December 1913, a group

of farm advisers met inChampaign to organize theIllinois Association of CountyAgriculturalists, naming JeromeE. Readhimer of Kane County,president. The farm advisershad been discussing the need forthe county crop improvement

associations to band together formutual helpfulness.

At their meeting inDecember 1915, they instructedEd Heaton of DuPage County,as secretary, to send invitations

to farmers in the organizedcounties inviting them to attendthe meeting of the Illinois StateAssociation of CountyAgriculturalist to be held inJanuary at the University ofIllinois.

On January 26, 1916,

Herman W. Danforth ofTazewell County was appointedchair while the matter of form-ing a state federation of countyagricultural associations be con-sidered. A committee wasappointed consisting ofDanforth, two farm advisers,and two farmers to consider thematter of a state association, andreport at a later date. Eckhardtmoved to amend the motion sothat the committee would bemade up entirely of farmers,leaving out the farm advisers.The amendment carried, andthen Dean Davenport offered anamendment, which would per-

mit the committee to call thefarm advisers for consultation.

At 8:30 that evening, inRoom 903, AgriculturalBuilding, the committee report-ed to the entire group whichadopted the name “IllinoisAgricultural Association,” setthe dues at $100 a year for eachcounty association, and electedDanforth the president. Thuswas set in motion the mightiestforce that had ever appeared inIllinois agriculture. It was tobring profound changes for allfarmers in Illinois.

The home office of IllinoisFarm Bureau and its affiliatesmoved to Bloomington in 1959and opened the new building at1701 Towanda in 1961. Prior torelocating to Bloomington,from 1947 to 1959, IFB and itsaffiliates were headquartered ina twelve story building justnorth of the loop at 43 EastOhio St. in Chicago.

Farmers have always gov-erned the business of IllinoisFarm Bureau and its family ofcompanies. Members of the IFBBoard are elected by fellowfarmers from their areas to repre-sent various districts around thestate. IFB board members servetwo-year terms and are elected atthe Illinois Farm Bureau annualmeeting held each December.Terms are staggered so that onlyhalf the board members are upfor election each year. Farmerdelegates to the annual meetingalso elected a president and vicepresident who serve two-yearterms as well.

Throughout the decadesvisionary farmers from aroundIllinois provided powerful ideasand drive to make the IAA thedefinitive voice of Illinois farm-ers, and the premier farm organ-ization that helped improve thebusiness of farming and thequality of rural life. IllinoisFarm Bureau hit its stride in the1920s and 1930s and through-out the remainder of the centurywas the political and socialforce in rural Illinois.

Active in politics to ensurefarmers got a fair return on theirinvestment and that rural commu-nities received necessary servic-es, IFB helped bring improvedroads to an undeveloped ruralIllinois. Farm Bureau and its uni-versity and government partnershelped stamp out the dreaded hogcholera in the late 1960s that con-stantly threatened the hog indus-try throughout the decades. Thispartnership also helped end thefly plague of the 1940s and 1950sand Farm Bureau has alwayschampioned finding new uses forfarm products to help improvefarm income; products from soy-beans such a soy paint, and cornbyproducts such as ethanol,known as hi-ball gas in the 1930s.

Over the years, IFB hasfought hard to keep agriculturea top industry for the state. IFBworked with government regu-lators and others to create anenvironment where agriculturein Illinois can expand and growto meet the nation’s and worlddemand for abundant andaffordable food.

At the dedication of the IAA office building in Bloomington in 1961, coun-ty Farm Bureau presidents brought soil from their counties to be blendedin a planting area in the courtyard to symbolize the intermixing of ideas,influences and efforts of Farm Bureaus. Membership in a county FarmBureau also makes you an Illinois Farm Bureau member.

Thanks for your support

The KCFB Foundation offers its sincere appreciation to the fol-lowing for their pledges (crop proceeds, cash, farm products orlabor) and contributions to our community service, education andscholarship programs. Names shown are pledges made as of August15, 2015 and not previously recognized. Numerous pledges have alsobeen made and will be listed here when fulfilled.

Thanks to members whorenewed their Harvest for ALLhunger relief pledges to the localfood pantry of their choice. Visit

www.kanecfb.com to download a participation form or call 630-584-8660.Renewed commitmentsDonor BeneficiaryMike Dienst St. Vincent DePaul – Maple ParkJami & Julie White Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry

A new KCFB Foundation initiative to increase classroomeducation resources and providecollege scholarships for local stu-dents was launched in June. New commitmentsDonor – John & Nan Long

Board meeting(continued from page 1)

Sweet cornnow officialIL statevegetable

Sweet corn is now Illinois’official state vegetable. Gov.Bruce Rauner signed legislationin July after state Sen. SamMcCann of Plainview intro-duced it to honor the request ofa group of fourth-graders atChatham Elementary School. In2014, Illinois produced a record2.35 billion bushels of corn andranked No. 2 in the U.S. forcorn production behind Iowa,which yielded 2.37 billionbushels, according to USDA.That total includes both fieldand sweet corn.

The legislation had unani-mous support. Sweet corn joinsthe list of other state symbols,including popcorn as the officialstate snack food, violet as theofficial flower and the cardinalas the official bird.

Pizza is often used to showchildren how many differentthings the farmers grow makeup the pizza ... from the wheatused to make the flour in thecrust to the cheese made frommilk of a dairy cow, includingmeats and vegetables as well assome fruits.

Pizza for the Queen tells thetrue story of the creation ofMargherita Pizza. “Raffaelemakes the best pizza in all ofNapoli. It is so good that evenQueen Margherita has requesteda taste. Raffaele runs aroundtown collecting the finest ingre-dients for the pizzas he’s plan-ning for the queen, but when asneaky cat eats the anchovies,he has to revise his plans.Inspired by the colors of the

Italian flag, the pizza Raffaelecreates is one that delights notonly the queen but pizza loversfor generations to come.Accompanied by a generousassortment of rich and detailedacrylic paintings, the story endswith a pizza recipe meant totempt the taste buds of pizzalovers everywhere.”

Book of the month

Pizza for the Queenby Nancy Castaldo

Every year since I’ve movedback to Illinois in 1984, my

extended family and I spend oneweek, or parts of a weekdepending on vacation time, onWashington Island inWisconsin.

Washington Island lies offDoor County, and was settled in1865 by Icelandic andScandinavian immigrants. In theold days, to get to WashingtonIsland from what is now calledDoor County, a traveler wouldhave to pass through “port desmortes” or “Death’s Door”.There are hundreds of woodenshipwrecks located in the watersthere. Today, all you need to dois take a 45 minute ferry ride to“cross the tension line” andarrive safely on the Island.

The tradition of “BraunWeek” on the Island beganwhen my older sister had a sum-mer cottage there, so we’d all goto visit. We’d all snuggle intothe small three bedroom cottageor camp in the surroundingwoods to spend the weektogether ... we’d eat, laugh, playgames, eat some more, swim,hike, shop, eat some more, andjust enjoy being together.

Through the years, the peoplecoming to the island haschanged due to weddings, birthsand sad to say, deaths in the fam-ily. However, all that can arriveon Saturday and meet at ourfavorite beach ... SchoolhouseBeach. This beach is not sandy,but made up of limestone rocksthat have been smoothed bytumbling in the water for thou-sands of years. It is one of onlyfive such rocky beaches in theworld. These rocks are great forstacking and skipping or givingsomeone a hot rock treatment,but walking on them is difficult,so most of us wear water shoeseven when we swim. As hard towalk on as these smooth rocksare, they are a very special rock,so if you are caught removingone, there is a steep fine of$250.00 ... photographs are free,so that’s what is done these daysto remember their beauty.

Not all of our time is spent onthe beach. We kayak or canoe inthe beautiful waters of LakeMichigan, try to catch fish, rideour bikes, hike in the woods, birdwatch, and look for deer. There

are a few special shops on theIsland that we visit, my wonder-ful brother-in-law makes a dailymorning run into “town” for ourcoffee order at the Red Cup.Usually the kids take a class innature-related art at the Art andNature Center, climb up LookOut Tower, and look for crayfishat a special beach. Occasionally,we will walk the prayer path onthe way to the Stavkirke or StaveChurch, which was built to honorthe Scandinavian heritage of theIsland. Every year all of us adultsjoin the Bitters Club, an Islandtradition. We spend eveningsaround a campfire, makings‘mores and looking at the stars.

This year, I was on the Islandfor the Blue Moon. My nieceEmma and I put our kayaks inthe van and headed down to alocal beach for “Kayak the BlueMoon” paddle we’d seen adver-tised. We were both very excit-ed, as it was a beautiful eveningand one we would surelyremember. We got to the beacha bit early ... “island time” isalways LATE. We waited for abit, watching the sun set ... therewere lots of people in the arealistening to a local guitarist, butnone by the beach with kayaks.We decided to go on our own.When we got to the water withour kayaks, it became some-what clear why we were theonly ones there ... the waveswere pounding onto the beach.Who knows, maybe there was anew beach designated for thepaddle, but we didn’t knowwhere that would be and reallyjust wanted to paddle. So, wegot into our kayaks and took off... yes, we were just the two ofus, but it couldn’t have been amore special paddle. To be outon the water, watching a lovelysunset followed by a huge bluemoon, (which we howled at)sharing this experience of a life-time together. Who could askfor more? Well, the “more”could have been reflective stripson our kayaks or paddles. That’swhat brought us in eventually,as more and more big boatscame into the marina to tie upfor the night ... we were littleunseen specks in the water.Safety said to go in, sorry to say.Thanks for the memories,Emma.

PAGE 4 KANE COUNTY FARMER SEPTEMBER 2015

AG LITERACY CORNERBy Suzi Myers

Grains 101 --what makes a grain a whole grain?There are 8 different types of true grains; wheat, oats, rice, corn, barley, sorghum, rye, and millet. These are all edible seeds ofdifferent types of grass.

New research shows that grains in their whole form offer a variety of vitamins and minerals, as well as high levels of antioxidants and plant-based nutrients. In fact, some whole grains provide unique antioxi-dants not found in any other type of food. So, what makes a grain a whole grain?

All grains start off as whole grains. If, after the grain is milled, it still contains all threeof its original parts – the endosperm, the bran, and the germ – in their original proportions,then it is qualified to be a whole grain. Dietary guidelines recommend that people make atleast half of the grains they consume whole grains. Based on the daily recommended grainstudies for Americans, this equals 3 or more servings of whole grains per day. Whole grains and refined grains – or none-whole grains – have different nutritional value.

During the milling process, many nutrients are eliminated when the grains are ground in themill. Most flours are milled into a very fine meal, as is desirable for making baked goods. Thisprocess removes the germ and bran from the grain (which contain the large majority of

nutritional content) leaving only the endosperm. Replacing refined grains with whole grains does not mean eating heavy food. There are some

softer varieties of whole grains, such as barley, oats, and millet that, when milled into flours, can bevery suitable substitutes to white flours.

Find healthy choices fast bychoosing products that have theWhole Grain stamp.

• If a product bears the100% Stamp, then all its grainingredients are whole grains.There is a minimum requirementof 16g (16 grams) – a full serv-ing – of whole grain per labeledserving, for products using the100% Stamp.

• If a product bears the BasicStamp, it contains at least 8g (8grams) – a half serving –of whole grain, but mayalso contain some refinedgrain. Even if a productcontains large amounts ofwhole grain (23g, 37g,41g, etc.), it will use theBasic Stamp if it also con-tains extra bran, germ orrefined flour.

Each stamp also shows anumber, telling you how manygrams of whole grain ingredientsare in a serving of the product.Even though the image aboveshows just four different num-bers (8g, 23g, 16g, 47g), whenyou look on your groceryshelves you’ll see a wide rangeof numbers, reflecting the wholegrain content of a serving of thatspecific product.

Grains

SEPTEMBER 2015 KANE COUNTY FARMER PAGE 5

Name ______________________________________________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip ________________________________________________________________________

Telephone ___________________________ Email ________________________________ Age ______Please complete and return to the Farm Bureau, 2N710 Randall Road, St. Charles, IL 60174

by September15, 2015 to be entered in a drawing for a whole-grain themed prize.

Q K M X Y X C H S E C I R V E Q X D N P

S L L A E R E C L I T T E H G A P S E P

M V G Y X N A M D Q S B X A D A K K E D

R G Q J M Y L O G X Q S V M U Z A J E G

E U V M Q P F Z M B A R L E Y C M L Z Y

P Q Z F M S T T I C N M J H N X I O K E

S Z P C W H E A T Y P B A A M C A L Y X

O J O A I T H N H M C V P M I T Z G H H

D R T K B Y E T V R Q N R O S C Z R L R

N Z A K A L L I F E N L U E U F P C K E

E C G I G A Q O D G E S M T B H A M M U

S U U U E V Y X T U H P Q S R I F P K A

E Z K H L S S I N B R E A D W I F G G T

R X A H N N V D U Q W M J H R P T G R I

V C O I W O N A K T A T O C W Q W I W P

I F A O J R K N F Z D L R M W X U W O I

N R H K C C C T R M E N E T U L G N T N

G X J J G I G S R P A A T C D K A J X L

W P Y G L E B J N N S N T T C R D S F W

B Y W M M I L L I N G L A M B Q I Q I S

Whole grains word search

Compiled by Kristi Van Oost &Suzi Myers

GRAINS PANCAKE WHEAT OATS CORN

RICE ANTIOXIDANTS FIBER HEALTHY WHOLE

MILLING ENDOSPERM GERM BRAN DELICIOUS

BAGEL SPAGHETTI BREAD CEREAL PITA

SERVING DIET NUTRITION GLUTEN BARLEY

September is:National

Chicken MonthHoney Month

Mushroom MonthPapaya MonthPotato MonthRice Month

Whole Grains MonthDays to celebrate

in September5 National Cheese Pizza Day7 Labor Day18 National Cheeseburger Day19 National Eat an Apple Day28 National Good Neighbor Day29 National Coffee Day

Whole grain humor:Grain farmers have a tough life.

They barley survivefrom wheat to wheat.

When Beethoven lived on afarm, he wrote Oat to Joy.

I tried to navigate the farmer’sfield. But it was a maize.

What does corn wear at night tokeep warm? Stalkings.

Grains

The Whole Grain stampCorn: Used in human foodproduction, livestock feed, alsoused in plastic, batteries, med-ication, fuel, household cleanersand much more.

Wheat: We grow soft redwinter wheat which is used forcake and pastry flours. (Gets itsname from the fact that it isplanted in the fall and wintersover to be harvested in thespring.)Oats: Used for cereal as in oat-meal and rolled oats, also forlivestock feed.Popcorn: One of America’sfavorite snack foods, as well as

the official snack of Illinois. It isa special type of corn that has amoisture-sealed hull and a densestarchy interior. When heated,pressure builds within the ker-nel, and a small explosion (or“pop”) is the end result. Barley: Used in cereal, animalfeed and malt used in brewingprocesses. Barley is one of thefirst cultivated grains, datingback to early human history.

Grains grown and raised in Kane County

CongratulationsBill Haberstitch of Elgin!Bill’s name was chosen fromthe entries received for cor-rectly completing last month’s“Food Preservation” wordsearch. For his participation,Bill receives a collection ofassorted food preservationrelated goodies complimentsof Kane County Farm Bureau.Thank you, Bill, for readingthe Kane County Farmer andcontinue to watch each monthfor a chance to win a prize!

Whole grain dining & decoratingA great family project to help children see where butter and butter-

milk come from. Making buttermilk pancakes with fresh butter andbuttermilk like they did in the pioneer days is really easy to do ... allyou need is some helping hands to make the butter and buttermilkused in this recipe. Buttermilk pancakes with freshly made butter

To make the butter and buttermilk: Pour 1/2 pint of room tempera-ture heavy whipping cream into a small jar with a cover (should beonly 1/3 full) and add 1/4 tsp. salt (if wanted). Shake the jar vigorous-ly; eventually the cream will separate into butter and a watery sub-stance known as buttermilk. Open the lid and carefully pour off the liq-uid, collecting it in a bowl to be used in the pancake batter.

Pancake batter:Mix together 1 cup bread flour, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp. salt,3/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup buttermilk left from the cream you made butter with.

Cook the pancakes and serve with the homemade butter ... yum! Make a decorative grain bottle

It is so easy to make thisbottle – just choose your seedsand grains and fill a clear glassbottle making layers. Youshould start with the smallestseeds and continue with thelarger ones. To finish, tie a bowaround the neck of the bottleand put a cork on top.

Bran – The outershell that providesfiber, B vitamins

and trace mineralsEndosperm – The

middle part that suppliescarbohydrates and protein

Germ – The inner part that providesantioxidants, vitamin E and B vitamins

All teachers and students en -joy a wonderful school year!

The weather was great thisyear for the Kane County Fair! Ihope you were able to attend.The Women’s Committeehelped Suzi Meyer, KCFB AgCoordinator, with a free craftproject for children visiting theFarm Bureau’s building.

The Women’s Committee(WC) set our 2015-2016Program of Activities at ourJuly meeting. We have a projectmost months. The mission ofthe WC is to help our farmersand to promote farming. Wemeet at 9:15 A.M. on the secondWednesday of the month, forten months of the year. We wel-come new members!

This month we will call hun-dreds of Kane County schoolsto make sure we have the cor-rect fourth grade teachers andprincipals for these schools. Theprincipals and teachers will becontacted for our March AgDays. To aide teachers, Suzi isdocumenting how Ag Days fitinto the “common core” objec-tives. Many school districtsrequire teachers to have thisdocumentation for all field trips.

Tomatoes are now in abun-dance. If you have a bumper

crop at the end of the season,you can save your ripe tomatoesfor winter enjoyment in cookedfood. Wash and core the toma-toes, then put them into yourfreezer bags and freeze. Whenyou use the frozen tomatoes, thepeel will easily slip off forremoval as the tomatoes start tocook in your stew or otherrecipe.

Back-to-school snack-timeor lunchtime treats, with lots ofprotein for brainpower, are greatfor students. This is my simpli-fied version which has no addedsugar.

Quick Energy Pickups (My children call them QEP’s.)1 c. powdered milk2 c. (1 lb.) peanut butter, soft-ened on low in yourmicrowave

6 Tblsp. of water2 c. semisweet chocolate chips2 handfuls of coconut (more orless, as desired)Mix all ingredients. Shape

into one-inch balls. Refrigerateuntil firm.

NOTES: 1. These can befrozen. (Frozen balls may bebest for sending to school.) 2.This recipe can be halved, butas is, it uses all of a 1-pound jarof peanut butter.

PAGE 6 KANE COUNTY FARMER SEPTEMBER 2015

Women’s CornerBy Louise Johnson

Women’s Committee Chair

CONNECTWITH US

Farm, Food & Fuel briefs

It’s been a busy summer formembers of the Kane CountyFarm Bureau Young FarmersCommittee. After wrap-ping up activities at theKane County Fair, theymoved on to otherevents and competi-tions. Farm Bureaumembers who are 18-35years old are encour-aged to take advantageof the leadership-build-ing, social, and com-munity service eventsand activities the YoungFarmers take part in. You don’thave to be a farmer to belong –just a willing attitude and adesire to pitch in to be a goodadvocate for agriculture.Young Leaders Agri-Quiz Bowl

Members of the KCFBYoung Farmers committeeAndy Lenkaitis, Wayne Gehrke,Carolyn Gehrke and ChaseBornemann competed in theIllinois Farm Bureaus YoungLeaders Agri-Quiz Bowl inAugust at the Illinois State Fairin Springfield.

They competed against 30other teams during the all-dayevent. Team members werequizzed on their knowledge ofAg Safety, Ag Management, AgMechanics, Animal Science,Crop Production, Horticulture,Natural Resources, Ag Statisticsand Ag Issues/Current Issues.

In their first round, KaneCounty played Edwards Countyand Hancock County. At the endof three rounds they were tiedwith Edwards and had to go intoa one-minute playoff. EdwardsCounty came out ahead.

“Overall the team had a gooddiverse split of knowledge,”said Lenkaitis, who has compet-ed in the contest each of the pastseven years. He added,“Carolyn had the economicquestions, Wayne was goodwith crops, Chase had animalscience and nutrition, and Irounded it out with equipmentand random knowledge.”

Teams consist of two to four

Illinois Farm Bureau members,all 18-35 years of age. Lenkaitisand Wayne Gehrke finished in

second place last year. Theywere part of the Kane Countyteam that took the 2013 champi-onship title, along with Trentand Heather Pierson of Elburn.

In the second round KaneCounty won handily by 200points or so, advancing into thesingle elimination champi-onship round with two otherteams. One team would advanceto play the three remainingundefeated teams. It wasneck and neck in the semi-final round between KaneCounty and the YoungLeaders from Ford-Iroquois.

“The lead changed a fewtimes,” Lenkaitis said. “Butthey ended up getting thebest of us in the end.”

Ford-Iroquois went on totake the championship title.Perry County was the runner up,Henry County placed third andWoodford County rounded outthe top four.

COUNTRY Financial spon-sored this year’s event.

Kristen DeSutter

DeSutter qualifies for IFB Young Leader

State Discussion MeetKristen DeSutter of

Naperville has qualified to com-pete in the Illinois Farm BureauYoung Leader State Discussion

Meet. Kristen compet-ed at the District 1 & 2Discussion Meet inAugust. The contest,which judges a contest-ants ability to manage asmall group discussion,was held at StephensonCounty Farm Bureau inFreeport. Each provided an

opening statement on agiven issue and partici-

pants then exchanged facts andinsights. Judges award pointsbased on based upon how wellparticipants work with one anoth-er; how well they express them-selves; and on their knowledge ofthe topic. Kristen will face offagainst fellow Young Leaders atthe state competition to be held atthe IAA Annual Meeting inChicago, December 5-8.

National Night OutJohn Biddle’s 7330 John

Deere tractor was once again abig hit with adults and kids atthe Kane County Sheriff’sOffice “National Night Out” inAugust. KCFB staff & volun-teers helped kids learn aboutfarm safety and handed out farmsafety safety-themed coloringbooks and soybean-basedcrayons. Hundreds of familiesattended the event which fea-tured armored vehicles, a K-9unit and a helicopter fly-in.Similar events were held incommunities across the countryto build relationships betweencommunity groups and the pub-lic and strengthen bonds withlocal law enforcement.

Young Farmers update

The Kane County Young Farmers Agri-Quiz Bowl Team (l to r) Andy Lenkaitis, Chase Bornemann, Wayne Gehrkeand Carolyn Gehrke.

NEW JOBS AHEADAccording to new data from the USDA there will be 57,900 annual job openings in food, agriculture,

renewable natural resources, and environment fields between 2015 and 2020.

Participate in our upcoming photography programat Kane County Farm Bureau and help our community

by donating a non-perishable food item.

Our recent “Summer Nights”event at Brookfield Zoo

allowed seven Farm Bureau vol-unteers to meet hundreds offamilies and play a farm triviagame with them. Live music, abison mascot, a man on stiltsand a laser light show added tothe excitement of beautiful sum-mer night at the zoo. The bestpart for me was getting to talk topeople about farms and food –and finding out what they did or did not know about Illinoisagriculture.

Our farm trivia gameinvolved spinning a wheelmarked out with pie-shaped sec-tions with 20 different questionsabout farming. The pointerclick, click, clicked until it land-ed on a space. The questionmissed most-often was: True orFalse ... peaches and pecans aregrown in Illinois. True!

The fact that peaches aregrown here didn’t seem to be asmuch of a surprise. We just heldour annual peach sale here atKCFB in August as we have foryears, as many of you know.Those peaches come fromsouthern Illinois – just 45 milesnorth of the border – atRendleman Orchards in AltoPass. Wayne Rendleman “Ren”Sirles farms 800 acres that hisfamily has owned since 1873.Ren’s son Wayne and wifeMichelle are the sixth genera-tion on the farm. If you haven’ttried these peaches – you shouldnext year! I’ve had many peopletell me they are like no peachesthey’ve tasted.

Pecans grown in Illinoisthough? That was a little harder

for people to believe. “I thoughtthey were all in Georgia!”everyone said. To get the scoopon Illinois’ pecan industry Icalled Clinton County FarmBureau member Ralph Voss atVoss Farms in Carlyle, roughly50 miles straight east of St.Louis. He took a break fromwelding and assembling a standfor a conveyor to tell me a littleabout his trade.

Voss’s family settled there in1832 just over a mile from the Kaskaskia River – a 325mile-long tributary of theMississippi. “Pecan trees love adeep, rich, dark soil and mois-ture is not a problem,” Vosssaid. “In the flood in 1993 therewere only two types of trees thatsurvived along the river, wil-lows and pecans.”

Voss said he is just about theonly farmer in Illinois raisingpecans in Illinois, partly he saysbecause it’s very labor inten-

sive. Voss himself makes his living raising corn and soybeansand said pecans are really just a hobby.

After harvesting the pecanswith mechanical shakers andharvesters, the pecans gothrough a series of a dozenmachines to get them cleanedand dried. They are taken toshelling facilities – the nearestto Voss’s farm are both about500 miles away in Arkansas andOklahoma.

There aren’t many pecansgroves left in the area becausetrees were cut for timber yearsago and to make way for rowcrops. “If they were huntersthey may have left the pecanand hickory trees,” Voss said.He discovered around 1,200native pecan trees on his proper-ty when he first started hispecan venture 31 years ago.“The old-timers talk about howthey used to come out here andcollect pecans and haul awaybox wagons full of them.”

Voss now plants trees as wellacross 140 acres and says theyounger trees fare better in highwinds. In 2006, Voss lost 243trees and had hundreds moredamaged by 100 mile-per-hourstraight-line winds.

SEPTEMBER 2015 KANE COUNTY FARMER PAGE 7

A NUTTY QUESTIONBy Ryan Klassy, Information Director

“Helping to keep America Picked up for 45 years”

Kane County Farm Bureau members receive 10% discount on all service work.

FOR SALE

1972 JD 4,000 Farm Tractor,1,727 hours, 148 loader, full 3point and much more $15,000;1800 Watt Generator PTO driv-en, on trailer $225; Craftsman 12 inch Radial Arm Saw $125Call: W - 630-365-9191, H - 630-557- 2711

Affordable Hutchinson DriveOver Grain Pit, 4 years old,$8,500. Call: 847 436 2538

Vintage DeWalt 12” Radial ArmSaw, Model GP-39, 2HP SinglePhase, one owner, Excellentworking condition, extra bladesand DeWalt table included. $350or offer. Vintage Wood Lathe –Craftsman 54” 1/4 HP, Set of 8Craftsman wood handle knivesoriginal box, Set of 8 plain woodhandle knives original box,Original Instruction Book, WorkBench Magazine and tableincluded. $225 or offer. Call: 815-341-7182

USED BUT NICE – 4 BridgestoneDueler HT Tires P26570R17 $25ea. OBO; 2 Trailer Tires with rims,ST20575D15 $35 ea OBO; 1 14’Behlen Green H.D. Gate $95OBO; 1 Overhead Gas Heater

28,000 BTU $275 OBO; 4 MetalWheels for a Paypec Silo Loader$600 OBO— Ask for Mark. Call:331-642 4818

2011 JD 625F hydra-flex platformhead, F/A, CM, single point hook-up, high dam, stubble lights, noauger damage, low acres, goodcondition, $23,500 OBO. Call:630-878-1726

SERVICES

Jim Verhaeghe & Sons, Inc. –Tree removal, tree trimming, &stump grinding. Backhoe work &Tile Lines. Fully insured – FreeEstimates – Jim Verhaeghe Sr.Call: 847 334 5730

Farm site demolition & clean up.New horse barns with under-ground utilities and earthwork.Drainage tiles, pasture mowing,spraying, new seeding, interseeding & fence installation. Wefollow SIU Plant & Soil SciencePractices. 10% discount for FarmBureau members, 5% if you men-tion this add! Berning EarthworkInc., Tom Berning 630-330-9970,BerningEarthWorks@comcast.net; Galusha Farms, SteveBerning, 630-878-6350, steve@GalushaFarm.com. Call: 630-330-9970

WANTED

Will pick up for free unwanted orold snowmobiles. Also buyingolder Polaris snowmobiles 1977& 1978 TXL & 1979 TX’s. CallJon – 630-254-9446.

Want to buy vintage & used toolsCall Chris, 630 550 7182

Help Wanted: Clerical/customerservice entry level East-side St. Charles. M-F hours to fit yourschedule. Perfect for homemakeror student. Call Bob, 630-377-7797.

CLASSIFIED AD RATESClassified advertising rates: 20cents per word/$20 minimum (60words or less). DISCOUNTS formembers: Associate members,20%; Voting members, 30%; PLUSmembers, 40%. Advance paymentrequested. Ads due by the 15th ofevery month for the next issue. Noadvertising (classified or display)for financial or insurance serviceswill be accepted. Call 630-584-8660.

CLASSIFIED ADS

“I didn’t lose one tree under18 inches in diameter,” Vosssaid. “Just like young people, ayounger tree can bend, where anolder tree (some are up to 5 feetin diameter) might just break.”

Voss said pecans come in alltypes – short, tall, skinny, andfat. He selects the best trees anduses grafting to end up with apecan that is a superior nut withgood size, excellent flavor andgood disease resistance.

Pecan harvest starts aroundNovember 10. Bumper cropsgenerally skip a year and he said2013 was what he calls a “limb-breaker” year, with pecansweighing down the branches.Voss said this year is looking

like it should be a good one. So there you have it – peach-

es and pecans grown right herein Illinois. Bake a peach cobbler,improve the taste of your pecanpie, or just have an advantage ifyou get a shot at the FarmBureau trivia prize wheel.

KCFB sold out of pecanhalves last month during ourspecial sale, but we’ve ordereda shipment of new crop pecansin one-pound bags to be deliv-ered around Thanksgiving, freshfrom Voss Farms. In the mean-time, stop by Kane County FarmBureau for a great deal onchocolate covered pecans andpecan caramel clusters – whilesupply lasts.

Pecan SpecialStock up on chocolate and caramel covered pecan

treats! Special prices while supply lasts at Kane CountyFarm Bureau in St. Charles, M-F 8:30am-5pm.

MILK CHOC. PECANS, 12 OZ. BAG ................. $7 CHOC. PECAN CLUSTERS, 12 OZ BAG............ $7

KCFB volunteers played a farm trivia game with visitors at the BrookfieldZoo during “Summer Nights” in August and even managed to corral abison to have him spin the game wheel! Maybe you’ll be surprised at thenutty question that was missed most often ...

Farm, Food & Fuel briefsSPICY FOODS – A new study finds those who had spicy food six or seven times a week were found to have a 14 per cent lower mortality risk than those who rarely consumed such foods.

PAGE 8 KANE COUNTY FARMER SEPTEMBER 2015

Letters of appreciationfrom KCFB Foundationscholars and 4-Hers

Each year hundreds of Kane County youth participate in livestockjudging and sales at the Kane County Fair through their 4-H

chapters. Kane County Farm Bureau strongly supports their effortsand the leadership and discipline these activities build. Below arejust a few of the notes of thanks received from 4H members this year.Many notes of thanks have come from KCFB Foundation scholar-ship recipients for the 2015-16 school year. The cards wereaddressed to the KCFB Foundation, but the sentiments expressedare really for you, the members who support college scholarshipsand classroom education.

—––––—––— � —––––––——Thank you for sponsoring the Grand Champion Bantam

Cockerel Award. I won with my Buff Brahma chicken named Ian. I enjoy raising chickens and showing at the fair. Thanks for support-ing the 4-H program.

Sincerely, Ashley Werner (Elgin)

Thank you for supporting 4-H and donating the GrandChampion plaque I received. I really appreciate it.

Jacie Panek (Batavia)

Thank you for supporting my goat showmanship plaque. It is peo-ple like you that keep 4-H going and a great thing. Thank you again.

Sincerely, Ashleigh Wackerlin (Hinckley)

Thank you so much for the scholarship I received from yourorganization. I am very much appreciative. This will help me payfor school at Augustana College. Now that I have graduated highschool, college is feeling more and more real and I am so excited!Thank you very much!

Sincerely, Alyssa Mish (Elgin)

I am writing to express my sincere appreciation for your generosityin the form of a scholarship for my next academic year. I know choices about scholarship recipients are made with thoughtfuland purposeful consideration, and I am flattered to have been chosen.

I just finished my junior year studying AgriculturalCommunications, and I have no doubts about the degree I am pur-suing! I changed my major several times the first few semesters atIllinois, but once I discovered Ag Com, it was a no-brainer. As a per-son with an agricultural background and interests and strengths inwriting and communicating, this degree is perfect for me. I alwaysknew that I wanted to pursue a career path that would allow me touse knowledge about agriculture to work toward ending hunger andpoverty in the world, but I thought my weakness in science wouldlikely inhibit me from that. The opportunities and education I havereceived from classes at Illinois have disproved that theory severaltimes over. I am so grateful for all I have learned and will continueto learn in the following semesters about writing and communicat-ing specifically about agriculture and the environment.

I hope you know how much of an impact this scholarship has.The benefit for me is twofold. Firstly, the financial support, obvi-ously, is a relief and makes the loan payback after I graduate seemless daunting, and I am so thankful for that! Secondly, and perhapsmore lasting, is the knowledge that people like you find value inwhat I hope to accomplish. It is tremendously encouraging and it isunlikely that I will forget it any time soon.

Thank you for all that you do!Sincerely, Kelsey Gould (Elburn)

My lifelong dream of attending the University of Illinois is mov-ing forward, thanks to your support and generosity. Since beingnamed a recipient of the Mary K. Heckel-Blickle MemorialScholarship my dream is becoming a reality. This award has givenme the opportunity to learn skills that will give me the ability toserve an industry that has given me so much. While attending theUniversity of Illinois I will be earning a degree in Animal Sciencewith a pre-veterinary concentration and a minor in nutrition. Iwould like to thank you for your support in my further education.

Sincerely, Alex Rowe (Maroa)

Thank you for awarding me a scholarship again this year. This scholarship has helped me so much with paying for my collegeeducation.

Sincerely, Michael Long

Plan a day in the countryIt’s the perfect time of year to

take the entire family outdoors!This fall, spend a day at yourlocal apple orchard or pumpkinfarm! Pick apples, go for a hay ride or choose the perfectpumpkin for your HalloweenJack-O-Lantern. Visit www.bountyofkane.org for a list ofdirect farm markets and farmer’smarkets in Kane County.

Scan the QR code to visit our farmmarket directory and enjoy anautumn day on the farm.

Visit KCFB at Primrose Park FarmFrolic–September 27, 11am-3pm

The Kane County FarmBureau Ag in the Classroom pro-gram will take the show on theroad Sunday, Sept. 27 at thePrimrose Park Farm Frolic.Members of the KCFB Women’sCommittee will be on hand mak-ing dragonflies out of corn husksand decorating them with water

colors. They’ll have an “I SPY”bottle to see how many of theitems depicting the many uses ofcorn kids can find floating in abottle full of corn kernels. Take ashot at winning a prize by guess-ing how many kernels of corn arein the jar. Plus lots of corn funfacts. The Farm Frolic has

dozens of fun activities for kids. Primrose Park Farm is a

1930s era working farm operat-ed by the St. Charles ParkDistrict and located at 5N726Crane Road in St. Charles. Call630-513-4370 or visit www.primroseparkfarm.com for moreinformation.

What’s new in the COUNTRY agencies?St. Charles Agency, Bob Effner,Agency Manager

BOBBI BOBSTON has beennamed the Financial Represen -tative of the Month for June2015 in the St. Charles/ElginAgency, as announced byAgency Manager, Robert J.Effner, Sr., CLF®, LUTCF.Bobbi has provided tangibleplans for addressing the imme-diate and long term insuranceand financial security needs ofher clients through COUNTRYFinancial’s diverse products and

services: Auto, Farm, Home,L i f e / D i s a b i l i t y / H e a l t h /Annuities/Long Term Care,Retirement Planning, Businessand Investments. Let Bobbi’sexpertise help you! You maycontact Bobbi at her office,2N710 Randall Rd., St. Charlesor by phone/email/website:630-485-5155, bobbi.boston@countryfinancial, countryfinancial.com/bobbi.boston.Congratulations, Bobbi! Aurora Agency, Kevin Gomes,Agency Manager

Brandon Kopf, Financial

Representative with the AuroraAgency, is our FinancialRepresentative of the Month forJuly, 2015. Brandon began hiscareer with COUNTRYFinancial in June of 2005 andservices clients out of his officelocated at: 450 W. Galena Blvd,Aurora, 60506 (630) 801-0946.Brandon’s professionalism andvast knowledge of auto, home,life, commercial and financialproducts make him a great per-son to do business with.Congratulations, Brandon!

Recruiters of the MonthKane County Farm Bureau

honors the person or personswho sign the most members intoour organization. This month,we have a three-waytie! Congrats to BobbiBoston, CandyHanslik and LukeFawkes, who eachsigned three newmembers.

Bobbi has been afinancial representa-tive with COUNTRY®

Financial since October 2004.She serves clients from heroffice at 2N710 Randall Rd, St.Charles, and may be reached at

630-485-5155.Candy has been a financial

representative with since July2000. She serves clients from

her office at 302 East State St,Geneva, and may be reached at630-762-1329.

Luke has been a financial

representative with COUN-TRY® since June 2006. Heserves clients from his office at1750 Grandstand Place, Ste. 20,

Elgin, and may bereached at 847-742-0001.

Luke Fawkes wasthe first to respond toour email trivia ques-tion tie-breaker andreceives two tickets toCharlestowne MovieTheater.

Thank you all for your con-tinued support of Kane CountyFarm Bureau and congratula-tions on your success!

Bobbi Boston Candy Hanslik Luke Fawkes

KCFB Information Director Ryan Klassy presented an Illinois FarmFamilies sign to Stevi Steorts of Theis Farms in Maple Park. The signs arepart of a Farm Bureau program to showcase Kane County farms and thefamilies that run them. Nearly all (97%) of Illinois Farms are family ownedand many have been for generations. There are a limited number of signsstill available to KCFB farmer members. Call 630-584-8660 to inquire.

CATTLE HERD GROWINGThe U.S. cow-calf industry

will grow by over 3 millionhead in the next four to sixyears, according to a reportreleased Monday by Rabobank,an agribusiness research firmthat monitors and evaluatesglobal agricultural markets.

FUEL PRICESSource: USA Today

Big vehicles, like pickupsand SUVs, are flying off car lotsas gasoline prices remain low.The price of West Texas crudeoil is half what it was a year ago.

Farm, Food& Fuel briefs

Your Farm Bureau membership means Value