The overwhelming successof the Farm Bureau’s Harvestfor ALL hunger relief effortover the past two years hasprompted the KCFB Board ofDirectors to continue the effortin 2011. The outpouring of gen-erosity from Farm Bureau mem-bers, farm families and agri-businesses has brought in nearly$35,000 in crop proceeds, cash,labor and in-kind donationssince the program started inApril 2009.

Through the program, farm-

ers donate a portion of the pro-ceeds from their harvest to ben-efit the food pantry of theirchoice. Non-farmers can makecash or in-kind donations to dothe same.

In each of the past two years,the Farm Bureau has marked thefarm locations of many of theHarvest for ALL donors withroadside signs. Many of thedonations to the program haveincluded cash and crop proceedsdonations of over $250.

For 2011, KCFB is offeringone limited edition Harvest forALL branded lightweight

Lands’ End jacket to say thanksto those farmers and all donorswho make a contribution of$250 or more to an area foodpantry.

“We wanted to show ourappreciation to individuals andbusinesses for their generosityand willingness to help theirneighbors,” said KCFBPresident Joe White. “We alsohope it will be a way for them to

Aurora Mayor Tom Weisnerand Sugar Grove VillagePresident Sean Michels collect-ed $2,289.85 in groceries in a

5-minute Shopping Spree onFebruary 25, to benefit localfood pantries and to markNational Food Check-OutWeek. The Kane County FarmBureau’s 10th Annual FoodCheck-Out Challenge was heldat the Batavia Jewel Osco® onRandall Road in Batavia.

Mayor Weisner used a two-handed grab, put it in the cartbehind your back method togather $1,001.05 in food for theAurora Interfaith Food Pantry.He was assisted by his wife,Marilyn Weisner, the executivedirector of the food pantry.

“Everybody wins here,” saidWeisner after his dash throughthe aisles. “We know the foodpantries will put all of theseitems to good use,” added

Weisner, who said he’d gladlydo such an event every day if hecould because of the benefit tothe food pantries.

Village President Michelsfilled several shopping carts aswell, with a total of $1,288.80in groceries for the BetweenFriends Food Pantry, SugarGrove. Directing him in whatitems to select was KaneCounty Board member MelisaTaylor, who is the founder anddirector of the Between FriendsFood Pantry.

It was exciting to be a part ofit,” said Michels. “It’s great thatthe Farm Bureau donates somuch to the pantries and I had areal blast,” added Michels, whosaid his technique was to simplykeep his hands moving.

The contestants werecheered on by the Batavia HighSchool cheerleaders along withFarm Bureau and food pantryvolunteers. The BHS band setthe mood with some livelytunes. All food was purchasedby the Kane County FarmBureau and donated to the twofood pantries.

Food Check-Out Week,February 20-26, is devoted tohelping teach Americans how to

stretch their grocery dollarswith healthy, nutritious food.Because U.S. farmers are themost productive and efficient

food producers in the world,food is a real bargain in the U.S.when compared to the rest ofthe world.

Since it’s inception in 2001,the Farm Bureau sponsoredShopping Spree has donatedover $19,000 in groceries tolocal food pantries. TheShopping Spree complimentsKCFB’s Harvest for ALL pro-gram by which farmers and non-farmers have contributed nearly$35,000 to local food pantriesthrough crop proceeds, cash,labor and in-kind donationssince it started in April 2009.

DATES TO REMEMBER

April 4-5IFB Youth Conf., SpringfieldApril 7Board of Directors, 7:30pmApril 8-10Touch-A-TractorApril 94-H Foundation Pork ChopFundraiser, 4:30-7:30pm,Kane County FairgroundsApril 11AITC Bookmark Entries DueApril 13Women’s Committee, 9:15amApril 22Good Friday, Office ClosedApril 24EasterApril 25SPROUTS Informational Mtg.6:30-7:30pm

HamburgersThe special of the month for April is hamburgers. This special

features 20 quarter-pound burgers per box. Try one fresh off thegrill from noon to 2pm April 9 & 10 at our Touch-A-Tractorevent. Then come inside and buy a boxto take home with you to kick off thegrilling season!

Each box is selling for $14.00 to Plusmembers and $15.00 for A or MMmembers, available only in April orwhile supply lasts.

VOL. 76 NO. 4 APRIL 2011

Kane County FarmerKane County Farmer

APRILSPECIAL

Mayors shop for local food pantries

Find out more ...www.kanecfb.com

Sugar Grove Village President SeanMichels, aided by Between Friends FoodPantry’s Director Melisa Taylor, filledseveral grocery carts with $1,288.80 infood in just 5 minutes during the 10thAnnual Food Check-Out Shopping Spree.

Right: Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner collected and rang up atotal of $1,001.05 in much-needed food items for theAurora Interfaith Food Pantry. KCFB picked up the tab anddonated a combined total of $2,289.85 in food to restockthe food pantry’s shelves.

The Farm Bureau invitesyour family to attend this annualfarm-city event, April 8-10, tocelebrate agriculture and thecoming of spring. In addition toa g r i c u l t u r a lactivities andfree giveawaysfor kids, enjoy ahamburger or hotdog for lunchand visit withlocal farmers, onhand to answerquestions aboutthe farm equip-ment and antiquetractors. Therewill also be popcorn andre f reshments . All concession proceeds willbenefit KCFBF o u n d a t i o nScholarships.

Hours areNoon to 4:00p.m on Fridayand 10:00 a.m. to4:00 p.m.Saturday and Sunday and thereis no cost for admission.

Kids can participate inhands-on Ag-in-the-Classroomactivities, ride pedal tractors,shell corn, visit the farm zoo,play in a kiddy-pool full of corn,and sit in the seat of real tractoror combine. Dave Klussendorfwill display a sampling of hismilk bottle and glass creamercollection including milk bottles

from Batavia, Elgin, Aurora,and St. Charles and a rareBabcock milk tester. KCFB willsponsor a FREE Pedal TractorDrawing for kids 8 and under –

one entry perchild. Visitorswho bring anon-perishablefood item forlocal foodpantries willreceive an addi-tional entry inthat drawing.

The grandfinale of theevent will be onSunday, April 10as the KaneCounty FarmB u r e a uF o u n d a t i o ndraws the win-ning ticket in itsWinner’s ChoiceTractor Raffle.K C F BF o u n d a t i o ns c h o l a r s h i precipients for the

2011-2012 school year will beannounced at 3:00 p.m. onSunday, April 10 just prior to thedrawing of the winning tickets.Last year the Foundation award-ed 21 scholarships to studentswho are seeking agriculturaldegrees. The Foundation alsoadministers the John BuckMemorial Scholarship andChuck Swanson MemorialScholarship.

Touch-A-Tractoris family fun

Relief efforts to be rewarded

Signs like these next to thecornfield of Dan and DennisFollman in Hampshire willappear along roads throughoutKane County again in 2011. TheKCFB Foundation will continuethe Harvest for ALL hungerrelief program and presentHarvest for ALL jackets to allwho donate $250 or more to alocal food pantry.

(continued on page 3)

Every member of the family canenjoy Touch-A-Tractor – a FREEevent at the Kane County FarmBureau. The fun lasts all weekendlong, Friday April 8 throughSunday April 10. There’ll be a liveradio broadcast by Y103 onSaturday and lots of activities forthe kids. KCFB Foundation schol-arship recipients will beannounced at the event on Sunday.

President Joe White calledthe monthly meeting of theBoard of Directors to order andwelcomed representatives fromthe Kane-Dupage Soil & WaterConservation District. ChairmanGerard Fabrizius, Elizabeth

Hagen-Moeller and CandiceJacobs talked about efforts toimprove communicationbetween KCFB and the SWCD,programs like O’Hare soil ero-sion and sediment control,Stearns Bridge wetlands project,

Jelke’s Creek Watershed Plan,and rain gardens.

Directors reviewed theMonthly COUNTRY agentnewsletter, IAA Board execu-tive summary and Farm Bureaucalendars of events for March

and April. In the President’s report, Joe

White announced that DirectorDorothy Milnamow hadresigned her seat on the KCFBBoard and recognized her serv-ice to the organization. KarlKettlekamp of Kaneville hasbeen chosen to fill her seat forthe remainder of the term.White reported that as part ofthe Illinois Farm Bureau’sFarmer Image Campaign, 29

farmers attended a training ses-sion in DeKalb recently and acopy of the Farmers OpeningOur Doors (FOOD) brochurewas circulated. White alsoreported on the IFB ResolutionsCommittee, specifically theNatural Resources subcommit-tee, which meets next in July.

In the Manager’s report,Steve Arnold reported that 33students applied for 2011

1. Farmers at the Governmental AffairsLeadership Conference heard from expertsin topics ranging from livestock to waterquality.2. IFB’s Melissa Rhode talked about the

member discount on satellite internet access.Members also learned about rural broadband andother Farm Bureau benefits.3. Folks like Kane County Farm Bureau membersJoan and Anthony Basile of Elburn signed up for programs to meet their needs and interests. 4. The Legislative Reception helped farmers con-nect with Illinois’ politicians and staffers.5. Snack breaks featured treats from Illinois farms.

The 2011 Illinois Farm Bureau Governmental Affairs LeadershipConference was held in Springfield in February. Seven members ofthe Kane County Farm Bureau attended this year’s conference tolearn more about building rela-tionships that help promotepro-farm issues.

PAGE 2 KANE COUNTY FARMER APRIL 2011

You receive the Kane CountyFarmer because you are a FarmBureau member. If you are afarm operator or owner, you ben-efit 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, encourage wise use ofour limited natural resources andpreserve 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 heritageand history related topics forinclusion in future issues of theFarmer.

Kane County FarmerKANE COUNTY FARM BUREAU

PUBLISHED MONTHLYSteven J. Arnold, Editor

Suzi Myers, Ag Literacy CoordinatorElizabeth Dawson, Membership Secretary

Audre Pack, Training SpecialistRyan Klassy, Information Director

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: Mail form 3579 to2N710 Randall Rd., St. Charles, IL 60174

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

n DISTRICT 1Aurora, Sugar Grove,Big Rock Twnshp.Gene Feldott8S696 Barnes Rd.Aurora, IL 60506630-892-2197Jeff Bornemann4S985 Dugan Rd.Sugar Grove, IL 60554630-466-1626Donna Lehrer7S027 Jericho Rd.Big Rock, IL 60511630-556-3476n DISTRICT 2Kaneville, Blackberry,Gen./Bat. Twnshp.Bill Collins1125 Lewis Rd.Geneva, IL 60134630-232-2043Karl Kettelkamp0S860 Rowe Rd.Elburn, IL 60119630-365-2713

Joe WhitePresident47W727 Main St. Rd.Elburn, IL 60119630-557-2517n DISTRICT 3Virgil, Campton,St. Charles Twnshp.Frank Carlson104 Sumac CourtSt. Charles, IL 60174630-513-9980Chris Collins1143 AndersonElburn, IL 60119630-934-4642Al Lenkaitis, Jr.6N352 Fair Oaks Dr.St. Charles, IL 60174630-561-9514n DISTRICT 4Burlington, PlatoElgin Twnshp.Alan VolppSecretary/Treasurer9N728 Peplow Rd.Hampshire, IL 60140847-683-3681

Mike Kenyon1250 E. Main St.South Elgin, IL 60177847-741-1818Robert Gehrke12N860 Route 20Elgin, IL 60123847-697-2538n DISTRICT 5Hampshire, Rutland,Dundee Twnshp.Beth Engel15N638 Walker RoadHampshire, IL 60140847-683-3482Gerald Gaitsch10613 Brittany Ave.Huntley, IL 60142847-669-2003Wayne SchneiderVice President721 Lindsay LaneWest Dundee, IL 60118847-428-3350

KANE COUNTY FARM BUREAU BOARD ATTENDANCEOCTOBER 2010 THRU SEPTEMBER 2011

OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JLY AUG SEPT

J. BORNEMANN X X X X XF. CARLSON X X X X X XB. COLLINS X X X X X XC. COLLINS X X X X X XB. ENGEL X X X X X XG. FELDOTT X X X X X XG. GAITSCH X X X X XR. GEHRKE X X X XM. KENYON X X X XD. LEHRER X X X XA. LENKAITIS JR. X X X X XD. MILNAMOW X XW. SCHNEIDER X X X X X XA. VOLPP X X X X X XJ. WHITE X X X X X X

Beef store is now open! Sat. 9-4 or by appointment

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

Mark & Linda Schramer, Owners8N840 Lakin Road, Maple Park

815.895.4691 • 1-877-FOR-FDBASample Packs make great gifts!

Volunteers visit legislatorsVolunteers from the Kane

County Farm Bureau werejoined by leaders from theDupage County Farm Bureau onMarch 11 to remind legislatorsof the affordable food providedby America’s farmers. “Lunchesto Legislators” is part of KCFBefforts to mark national FoodCheck-Out Week, devoted tohelping teach Americans how tostretch their grocery dollars withhealthy, nutritious food.

“It was a nice experience,”said first time Lunches toLegislators volunteer FloDangelo, who visited with StateRepresentative Linda Chapa-LaVia in her Aurora office. “Sheis a sweet person and it wasinteresting to see the officewhere she works locally.” The

two discussed issues of impor-tance to farmers and matters atthe forefront of Chapa-LaVia’swork in Springfield.

In addition to U.S. Senatorsand Representatives represent-ing Kane County, volunteersvisited the office of StateRepresentative Sara Feigenholtzof Chicago for the second yearin a row. Feigenholtz was“Adopted” by the county FarmBureau two years ago throughthe Illinois Farm Bureau’sAdopt-A-Legislator program.

A number of Feigenholtz’sstaffers also accompaniedKCFB President Joe White,Governmental Affairs ChairmanWayne Schneider and KCFBManager Steve Arnold to theLakeview Pantry near the

Representative’s office to talk tofood pantry representativesabout their needs and shareinformation on efforts underwayin Kane County on the issue ofhunger awareness, includingKCFB’s Harvest for ALL effort.

Armed with Food Check-OutWeek tote bags, boxed lunches,Farm Bureau policy books andfarm and food facts, volunteersalso visited the offices ofSenators Kirk, Senator Durbin,Congressman Randy Hultgren,State Senator Linda Holmes,and State Representatives KeithFarnham, Mike Fortner, andRandy Ramey.

Other first-time volunteers tothe program were AndreaBornemann of Sugar Grove andJoan Basile of Elburn. Andreaand KCFB Director FrankCarlson visited the YorkvilleOffice of Kay Hatcher and Joanvisited the offices of KaneCounty Board Chair KarenMcConnaughay along withGerry Regan of Elgin andLouise Johnson of St. Charles.

For presenting a positive, pro-fessional and proactive image ofFarm Bureau and the agricultureindustry the Kane County FarmBureau thanks them, and theirfellow volunteers: Chris Gould,Jerry Gaitsch, Mike Kenyon,Dupage CFB President BobBrackman, and Dupage CFBManager Mike Ashby.

KCFB volunteer AndreaBornemann of Sugar Grove andKCFB Director Frank Carlson trav-eled to Yorkville in March to visitthe office of State RepresentativeKay Hatcher to build positive relationships and present a proac-tive image of agriculture and Farm Bureau.

1.2.

3.

4.

5.

March KCFB board meeting minutes

(continued on page 4)

Long-time Farm Bureau mem-ber and volunteer Gerry Reganof Plato Center recently donat-ed to the KCFB Foundation anumber of original paintingsand prints by Wisconsin artistLavern Kammerude. Regancommissioned Kammerude toillustrate early American farmlife in a series of paintings,which Regan marketed atsteam shows throughout theMidwest. Kammerude won aWisconsin Heritage Award forhis work, which was displayedfor a time at the Wisconsin Governor’s office. Regan worked with a museumto publish a 104-page book titled “Threshing Days” with photos and descrip-tions of the artwork. A number of the pieces will be permanently displayedat the Farm Bureau office and on display at Touch-A-Tractor.

APRIL 2011 KANE COUNTY FARMER PAGE 3

Kane County Farm Bureau memberA family name serving the Fox Valley & surrounding area for over 50 years

FREE Pedal Tractor Drawing(for children 8 and under, entrant’s age must appear on the form below)

Please enter me in the Kane County Farm Bureau’sFREE Pedal Tractor Drawing.

Name_____________________________________ Age ______

City, State, Zip ________________________________________

Phone (________) _____________________________________Return by April 10, 2011 to: Kane County Farm Bureau

2N710 Randall Road, St. Charles, IL 60174

To complement the KaneCounty Farm BureauFoundation’s Winner’s ChoiceTractor Raffle fundraiser, aFREE pedal tractor will be givenaway to one lucky kid! Returnthe form below to the KaneCounty Farm Bureau by Sunday,April 10 or sign up at Touch-A-Tractor, April 8-10. The pedaltractor drawing is open only tochildren 8 and under – one entryper child. Entrant’s age mustappear on the form below.

You can also receive oneadditional entry to the FREEPedal Tractor Drawing for yourchild or grandchild for eachnon-perishable food item youbring to Touch-A-Tractor. Fooditems will be donated to a local

food pantry. The winner will bedrawn at the grand finale of theevent on April 10 at approxi-mately 3:00 p.m. Winner neednot be present to win.

Win a pedal tractorat Touch-A-Tractor

Enter your kid(s) (8 & under) towin a pedal tractor FREE from theKane County Farm Bureau. Thewinner will be drawn at 3:00 pm.on Sunday, April 10 at Touch-A-Tractor at the Farm Bureau in St. Charles.

Tractor raffle drawing is April 10There is still time to buy your

chance to win one of three fabu-lous prizes in the Kane CountyFarm Bureau Foundation’sWinner’s Choice Tractor Raffle.The public is invited to watch asthe winning tickets are drawn atthe grand finale of our Touch-A-Tractor event on Sunday April9, 2011 at approximately 3:00pm. All proceeds from the annu-al raffle benefit FoundationCollege Scholarships and FarmBureau Agricultural Literacyprograms.

Tickets are $10 each or 3 for$25 and are available at theKane County Farm Bureauoffice at Randall Road and OakStreet in St. Charles or by call-ing 630-584-8660. VISA andMasterCard are accepted.

The grand prize in this year’sraffle is the choice of a restored1950 Farmall Cub antique trac-

tor, a John Deere Z245 EZtrakzero turn riding lawn mower, or

$2,500 in cash. In keeping witha Farm, Food & Fuel theme,second prize is $1,000 in groceries and third prize is $500in fuel.

In 2010, the Foundationawarded over $22,000 in schol-arships to help 21 local studentsattend college. Your contribu-tions to the Foundation, throughthe annual raffle and otherevents throughout the year, helpstudents attain their degrees,reach their goals, and helpsecure a bright future for the agindustry. For more informationand rules on this year’s raffle,scholarship programs or otherKCFB Foundation programsand services, visit www.kanecfb.com or contact SteveArnold at 630-584-8660.

Get your soil ready for springA great service the Farm

Bureau offers its members is soiltesting. With the upcoming grow-ing season, make sure your soil isready for planting. There arethree different tests available.

Basic Test (1)$15.00 per sample for mem-

bers and $25.00 per sample fornon-members

This test checks for soil pH,phosphorus, and potassium.Lawn/Garden Test (4)

$25.00 per sample for mem-bers and $35.00 per sample fornon-members

This test includes the basictest plus organic matter and rec-ommendations on amount andtiming of fertilizer.

Lawn/Garden Plus (3)$40.00 per sample for mem-

bers and $50.00 per sample fornon-members

This test includes the Lawn& Garden test plus nutrients,iron, zinc, manganese, cop-per, sulfur and boron.This test also includesrecommendations.

To make sure yoursoil has an accurate testreading, there are threesteps to follow:

For one soil test, col-lect 5 soil samples bycutting a one-inch holeabout 6 inches deep (three inch-es deep for existing lawn). Youshould have at least one cup ofsoil. Do not include the layer of

dead or live plant material in thesample.

Complete the Soil Test Form.Please be as detailed as possibleto receive the best recommenda-tions. The Soil Test Forms are

available at the FarmBureau office.

You may bringyour sample directlyto Kane CountyFarm Bureau, 2N710Randall Road, St.Charles. Office hoursare Monday throughFriday, 8:30 a.m. to

5:00 p.m. Please callthe office at 630-584-8660 withany questions. Test results andrecommendations will be sentdirectly to you.

Get your chance to win thisrestored 1950 Farmall Cub in theWinner’s Choice Tractor Raffle.The grand prize winner can alsochoose a riding lawn mower or$2,500 cash.

open up conversations about theneed to support our area foodpantries,” White added.

With more than 60 donorsbenefitting nearly 20 differentfood pantries, Harvest for ALLhas become KCFB’s largesthunger relief effort. Other pro-grams include the annual FoodCheck-Out Day Challenge,which has contributed over$19,000 in the past 10 years, andfood-drives during Farm Bureauevents such as Touch-A-Tractor.

“By donating crop proceeds tothe pantries, farmers are alsohelping remind the public aboutwhere their food comes from,”said Public Relations Chair BethEngel. “But the great thing aboutHarvest for ALL is that anyonecan get involved,” Engel said,noting that in 2010 nearly 50 per-cent of donors were new to theprogram. “We hope that trendcontinues and that new donorswill join the effort this year.”

Members can learn moreabout the 2011 Harvest for ALLeffort and get donation forms atwww.kanecfb.com, at the FarmBureau office at Randall Roadand Oak Street in St. Charles,and by calling 630-584-8660.

Harvest for ALL(continued from page 1)

Save the date!

Dairy Breakfast& Farm Tour

Saturday, June 18Dale & Linda Drendel

Farm, Hampshire(more details next month...)

“Never doubt that a smallgroup of committed peo-

ple can change the world.Indeed, it is the only thing thatever has.” —Margaret Mead

Recently, I was able to seethis quote in action. Along thewestern coast of Baja peninsulain Mexico, in an area calledMagdalena Bay, there is a groupof locals that are trying to pro-

tect the habitat of their area.They realized that the green seaturtles, the grey whales, manybirds and fishes of the area needto be saved from pollution, overfishing, and over building. Theyhave banded together to makethis happen. I spent a week withthem on a pristine island, wherewe practiced the “leave no trace”etiquette. Basically, that means

that when we left, there wasnothing left behind to show thatwe had been there. Yes, this wasa very primitive and basic wayto live, but a small price to payto enjoy the beauty of the area.

We set up nets, checked themevery two hours for turtles andthen documented their body sta-tistics, banded them, and setthem free. This work is to helpbetter understand the green seaturtle. It has been discoveredthrough the work that theseturtles actually swim to Japanonce they have grown oldenough to mate.

The rest of my trip was cen-tered on the grey whale. In thatarea, there were over 350 grey

Since April is a time for mak-ing plans for your garden, thebook of the month is a how-tobook on gardening. Whetheryou are an experienced gardeneror just starting out, The MidwestFruit and Vegetable Book offersplenty of advice on planningyour garden, how plants grow,and how to get started.

The book includes charts ofvarieties and their characteris-tics, full-color photographs, anda short descriptive paragraphconcerning each of the plants.Each entry also has when,where, and how to plant, as wellas the care, maintenance, and anadditional information area foreach plant.

Garlic is one of the highlight-ed plants, so after reading our

Farm Fun Facts, you can checkout the book and read how toplant your own garlic.

PAGE 4 KANE COUNTY FARMER APRIL 2011

AG LITERACY CORNERBy Suzi Myers

Book of the Month

The Midwest Fruit and Vegetable Book

James A. Fizzell

whales swimming through ontheir migration path fromAlaska. We were able to seethem exhibit many of their natu-ral behaviors from spy hopping(head coming straight up abovethe water) to breaching (jump-ing completely out of the water)to mating and playing together.What a wonderful experience,one never to be forgotten.

At the end of my trip, I was

lucky enough to see some BlueWhales, the largest mammal onearth. They are amazing crea-tures, although much more elu-sive than the grey whale.

So often, throughout this trip,I thought of the MargaretMead’s quote. A small group ofpeople working toward a com-mon goal...that is something Iwill remember along with thebeauty of the area and its people.

SPROUTS info meeting April 25thIn May, Farm Bureau volun-

teers will be welcomed into areathird grade classroom to teachstudents about life onthe farm through theSpring Program ofReading & Outreach toTeachers and Students(SPROUTS). Volunteersare still needed and noexperience is required.

If you’re interested in reading

a book to a classroom during theweek of May 9-13, please planon attending the informational

meeting at the FarmBureau on April 25from 6:30-7:30pm. Call the Farm Bureauat 630-584-8660 tosign up.

This year,SPROUTS volunteers will readthe book Heartland. We’ll give

you a book to read, some activi-ties to leave behind for the class,and all the information you’llneed to make it an educationalexperience – for you and the kids!

A memorial fund establishedin memory of long-time FarmBureau volunteer and formerKCFB Director Bob Konen, andfunded by family and friends,has been designated to fundSPROUTS.

KCFB Foundation scholarshipsand that Katie Dahlstrom, apublic policy major at NorthCentral College will be theKCFB Foundation Intern duringher spring break.

Alan Volpp delivered theTreasurer’s report, followed bythe Farmland ProtectionCommission report by Whiteand Mike Kenyon. In theRegional Planning Commissionreport, directors reviewed theKane County 2040 Energy Planexecutive summary from theCenter for NeighborhoodTechnology and learned about apublic forum set for March 8 atthe Kane County GovernmentCenter.

Kenyon and White reportedon the IFB GovernmentalAffairs Conference held inSpringfield in February. Otherattendees included Chris Gouldof Maple Park, Louise Johnsonof St. Charles, Janice Hill fromthe Kane County DevelopmentDept. and Joan and AnthonyBasile of Maple Park. At thelegislative reception, that groupvisited with local legislatorsincluding State RepresentativesRandy Ramey, Mike Fortner,Mike Schmitz, Keith Farnham,and Linda Chapa-LaVia.

In IFB news, Kenyonannounced plans for a District 1Presidents and Managers break-fast in late March in Genoa.

Arnold reported on the IFBFarm Policy Task ForceFebruary meeting and circulated

a survey on provisions for the2012 Farm Bill. In other policydiscussions, directors revieweda list of bills under considera-tion in the Illinois legislaturethat will affect agriculture. JoeWhite reiterated his plans toattend the IFB Leaders toWashington trip in March tohelp implement Farm Bureaupolicy at the national level.

Wayne Schneider reportedon Food Check-Out Week activ-ities. KCFB donated $2,289.85in food to the Aurora InterfaithFood Pantry and the BetweenFriends Food Pantry, SugarGrove through the 10th AnnualFood Check-Out Day ShoppingSpree at the Batavia Jewel-Osco. Schneider shared plansfor FB volunteers from Kaneand DuPage counties and mem-bers of the Kane County CornGrowers to visit the offices oflegislators in their local officeson March 11 during the Lunchesto Legislators program.

Directors discussed plans tokick off the 2011 Harvest forALL hunger relief effort andapproved the Public Relationsand Membership Committee’srecommendation to awardembroidered jackets to Harvestfor ALL donors who contribute$250 or more. Other items sub-mitted by the PR/membershipCommittee included ideas for avolunteer appreciation outing toa Kane County Cougars game inJune and a volunteer member-ship drive. Details for theTouch-A-Tractor events April 8-10 were discussed, including

Board meeting(continued from page 2)

FFA members fromKaneland, Hinckley-Big Rock, and thesestudents from CentralHigh School pitchedin at the FarmBureau’s Ag Day Expoat Mooseheart inMarch. Their involve-ment in Farm Bureauevents in 2011will berewarded with up to$500 in FFA ChapterGrants from the KCFBFoundation. See page7 for story.

(continued on page 7)

APRIL 2011 KANE COUNTY FARMER PAGE 5

Name ______________________________________________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip ___________________________________ Telephone (_____) _____________________

Email ______________________________________________________________________________

Please complete and return to the Farm Bureau, 2N710 Randall Road, St. Charles, IL 60174 by April 15, 2011 for your chance to win a garlic keeper and press.

A O S R C P L L K S L N K S G

X L W T O O L E T S O C C M V

I P L W O A O I E I W A E E K

T B D I C L N K N K H L N L L

L E X I U K L O I E S I T L D

R I D C Y M U A R N N F F N E

R E O R I S P B H J G O O B C

M R O N L L R H I S V R S R N

C S T L A S R G O D A N Q A I

E K C E N D R A H B K I Y I M

L O K N Y I E D G O I A O D Y

W L R K M B W A I U F A Q S S

G C G J W S G J E I B R E A D

V A M P I R E S M V L T S X X

M P I V R N R E T T U B K J W

Garlic

Compiled by Beth Dawson and Suzi Myers

ALLIUMPHOBIABRAIDSBREADBUTTERCALIFORNIACOOKINGGARLICHARDNECKHERBLEEKSMEDICALMINCEDOILONIONPOWDERSALTSOFTNECKSHALLOTSSTINKY ROSESMELLVAMPIRES

Congratulations!Jill Sullivan of St. Charles.

Jill’s name was chosen fromthe entries received for cor-rectly completing lastmonth’s Word Search Puzzle.For her participation, shereceives a basket of peanutfavorites from the FischerNuts Outlet Store in Elgin.Thank you Jill, for reading theKane County Farmer, andcontinue to watch each monthfor more great opportunitiesfrom the Kane County FarmBureau.

April is ...National

Food MonthPecan MonthSoft Pretzel MonthGarlic Month

April 5 – Caramel DayApril 7 – Coffee Cake DayApril 12 – Grilled Cheese

Sandwich DayApril 16 – Mushroom DayApril 19 – Garlic Day

Growing garlic• Garlic is a close relative to the

onion, shallot, leek, chive andrakkyo.

• Garlic has been used through-out history for both culinaryand medical purposes.

• Consumer garlic comes inmany varieties including freshfrozen, dried, fermented, andin tubes and jars.

• Garlic is easy to grow and canbe grown all year in mild cli-mates. In cold climates,cloves are planted in theground about six weeksbefore the soil freezes andharvested in late spring.

• Plants are usually hardy andare not attacked by manypests or diseases.

• Garlic plans are said to repelrabbits and moles.

• There are two types of garlic:hardneck (grown in cooler cli-mates) and softneck (growncloser to the equator).

• China is the largest producerof garlic.

Garlic facts• Garlic is available all year• Grows underground much like

onions• Store in a cool dark well-

ventilated place• Eating garlic can help keep

mosquitoes away• Member of the lily family often

called the “pungent rose”• Garlic is a good source of vita-

min C• Rubbing your hands on stain-

less steel will get rid of thegarlic smell on your hands

• 90% of the garlic grown in theU.S. is grown in California

• Garlic is said to fight off evilspirits and keep vampiresaway

• When picking out garlic at thegrocery store, choose firm,tight, heavy dry bulbs

• The psychological term forfear of garlic is alliumphobia

• Braided garlic was hung up todrive away evil spirits. Brides-to-be were beaten with garlicstalks to protect them fromfuture illness and ensure thatthey bore healthy children

• Has been used since theEgyptian pyramids were built

Garlic as a remedy?• Garlic is believed to ward off

heart disease, cancer, colds,and flu.

• The consumption of garliclowers blood cholesterol lev-els and reduces the build upof plaque in the arteries

• used to treat acne, warts, andtoothaches

• will cure a cold• cures warts• stops fainting spells• improves circulation• grows hair• referred to as the herbal

medical drug• helps manage high choles-

terol levels

N ational Garlic Month promotes the many uses of Garlic. And, there certainly are many uses. It’s a vegetable. It’s an herb. It is used in recipes around the world. Garlic has been used

medicinally for thousands of years. Garlic is even believed to ward off evil spirits.

Garlic?That

stinks!

Makes 1 quart Prep Time: 20 minutesCook Time: 20 minutesTotal Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:2 cups whole milk1 clove garlic, minced1 vanilla bean, split in half, andthe seeds scraped out andreserved1 cup heavy cream11/2 cups granulated sugar8 egg yolks

Preparation:Put milk, garlic, vanilla pod and seeds in a

saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat andremove immediately.

In mixing bowl, whisk the cream, sugar and eggyolks until combined. Whisking constantly, slowlystrain the hot milk mixture into the egg and sugarmixture.

Return the mixture to the pan and stir continu-ously over low heat until it thickens slightly, andcoats the back of a spoon, about 10-12 minutes. Donot boil!

Pour in a bowl and chill over an ice bath. Pourinto ice cream machine and churn until done.Freeze until ready to serve.

GilroyGarlic

Ice Cream

Onion or garlic braids for kidsGet your kids out to the gar-

den to harvest onion and garlicbulbs and then make them intoonion or garlic braids. This beau-tiful nature garden craft forkids is a great decoration forthe kitchen or gift for yourfavorite cook!

What You’ll Need: Onions or garlic with tops

intactNewspaperString

How to Make Onion orGarlic Braids:

Step 1: Begin with whole,undamaged onions or garlic.If you dig them from your gardenbe sure to clean off as much dirtas you can. Do not cut off thetops because you will need theseto braid.

Step 2: Lay the onions or gar-lic out on newspapers in a cool,dry, sheltered place until the topsare dry.

Step 3: When they are ready,take three of your onions and

braid the tops together for a fewinches.

Step 4: Lay two more onionsalongside right where the braidstops, separate their tops into

the three strands you arebraiding, and braid foranother few inches.

Step 5: Add two moreonions, and keep going.When you have about twofeet of onions in your braid,

stop adding onions. Step 6: Braid the remain-

der of the tops together andtie the braid off with string.

Loop the braid over onto itselfand tie the loop with more

string. Step 7: Hang the braid in the

kitchen, preferably from a hookon the ceiling, where air will cir-culate around the onions.

Make a garlic braid the sameway, but leave only an inch ortwo between the bulbs. Garlicbulbs are much smaller thanonions so they can be laid closertogether.

St. Charles/Elgin Agency, Bob Effner, Agency Manager

Congratulations to JoshAustin! Josh has been namedRepresentative of the Month forFebruary 2011 in the St.Charles/Elgin Agency, asannounced by Agency Manager,Robert J. Effner, Sr. Josh haspositively impacted his clientsthrough auto, farm, home, life,business and investments. Joshhas been with COUNTRY®

Financial since July 2010. Heservices his clients from hisoffice located at 40W099 Rt. 64,Unit C in Campton Square inWasco, St. Charles, 60175. Youmay reach Josh at his office at630-587-7440.Aurora Agency, Kevin Gomes,Agency Manager

Zach Fox, FinancialRepresentative with the AuroraAgency, is our FinancialRepresentative of the Month forFebruary, 2011. Zach began hiscareer with COUNTRYFinancial May 2007 and servic-es clients out of his office locat-ed at 1161 Oak Street, Unit 4,North Aurora, 60542, phone

630-907-0796.BOB KEARNS – 2010 CAREERFINANCIAL REPRESENTATIVEOF THE YEAR

Congratulations to BOBKEARNS, who earned the St.Charles/Elgin Agency 2010Career Financial Representative

of the YearAward for2010, asannounced byA g e n c yM a n a g e r ,Robert J.Effner, Sr. Bobcelebrated 30

Years with COUNTRY®

Financial in January 2011. Hewas inducted into the Hall ofFame in 2001, has earned 28 AllAmericans, has been on theHonor Roll 29 years, and haswon numerous District contestand life awards throughout hisCOUNTRY career. He alsoholds a Life UnderwritingTraining Council Fellow(LUTCF) designation. Bobservices his clients from hisoffice located at 40 S. McLeanBlvd., South Elgin, 60177. You

may reach him at 847-888-3200.ORAZIO DIFRUSCOLO – 2010EMPLOYEE FINANCIAL REPRE-SENTATIVE OF THE YEAR

C o n g r a t -ulations toO R A Z I OD I F RU S C O -LO, who earnedthe St. Charles/Elgin Agency2010 EmployeeF i n a n c i a l

Representative of the Year awardfor 2010, as announced byAgency Manager, Robert J.Effner, Sr. Orazio began hisCOUNTRY® Financial career inJanuary 2007 and has earned AllAmerican for 2010. Orazio serv-ices his clients from his officelocated at 2172 Blackberry Dr.,Unit 100, Geneva, 60134. Youmay reach him at 630-262-1059.

The Kane CountyFarm BureauYoung Farmerscommittee held aeuchre tournamentof March 11. Thisannual gathering isa great way forcommittee mem-bers to catch upand socializebefore they getbusy with springplanting. This year,members of theKendall County

Farm Bureau joined in on the fun. Here, Chairman Dale Pitstick deals tothe eventual tournament winners John Biddle of Elburn (left) and BrianRieke of Maple Park. The Young Farmers Committee is open to FarmBureau, members age 18-35. Their next activity will be to assist with set-up for Touch-A-Tractor, on Thursday April 7 at 4:00 pm.

Happy Easter! Yippee,Spring is here and no more

snow (I hope!)Remember to come to Touch-

A-Tractor the second weekendin April. See elsewhere in thispaper for times. This is a chanceto get “up close and personal”with some of the equipment thatyou might see in rural KaneCounty. Come see the realequipment behind the interactivefarm exhibit in the Museum ofScience and Industry.

Thunderstorm season iscoming. You may want tounplug your electronic devicesbefore the storm reaches yourhouse. Computers and otherelectronics can be “killed” byelectrical surges. Do you have a$100 surge protector? This oneshould protect your equipment.

Have you checked the batter-ies in your smoke detectorsrecently? You should do thismonthly. Usually carbonmonoxide (CO) detectors run onelectricity, so you should nothave to check them. Justremember that if your electrici-ty goes off, you have no protec-tion from deadly CO whenusing your fireplace or yourhibachi or any other burning-fuel device.

Continuing with the safetytheme, do you know where toturn off electricity, gas, andwater in case of emergency?

This may be the month tostart your garden. If the groundis dry, you can clean up the areaand work the soil. If the groundis wet, do not even walk acrossthe garden or you will compact

the soil. This year the IllinoisState Water Survey, on theirwebsite, shows that the averagelast date for a 32° frost in KaneCounty is April 28. However,“cold weather vegetables,” suchas carrots, cabbage, kale, beets,broccoli, and others, can toleratefrost and actually do better inearly Spring than in hot summer.

April is the month we getfresh asparagus. Enjoy thisrecipe from Clarice Nepermann.It was in the Women’sCommittee’s 2001 edition of“Favorite Fruit & VegetableRecipes.” It is okay to halve theamounts.

Herbed Asparagus4 lbs fresh asparagus3 tsp. salt1/4 c. butter2 T. lemon juice1/2 tsp. basil leaves

Clean asparagus. Spreadstalks in a large skillet. Add 2inches boiling water and salt.Boil uncovered for 5 minutes.Cover and cook until tender-crisp. Drain well. Melt butter.Stir in lemon juice and basil.Pour over asparagus.

PAGE 6 KANE COUNTY FARMER APRIL 2011

Women’s CornerBy Louise Johnson

Women’s Committee Chair

IFB expands memberbenefits with Ford $500 bonus cash

Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB)has partnered with Ford MotorCompany to offer IFB members$500 bonus cash to be puttoward the purchase or lease ofany new eligible Ford orLincoln vehicles.

“We’re excited to offer mem-bers another opportunity tosave,” said MelissaRhode, IFBMembership andProgram Director.With the Fordbonus cash offer,Illinois Farm Bureau memberscan enjoy savings on an eligiblevehicle of their choice fromFord’s exciting new lineup ofhard-working and technologi-cally advanced cars and trucks,including the Ford F-150 whichboasts impressive power, fuelefficiency and best-in-classtrailer towing capacity.

The Ford bonus cash offer isgood on the purchase or lease ofany eligible 2010, 2011 or 2012model year Ford or Lincolnvehicle. (The Mustang ShelbyGT/GT500, Edge SE AWD,

F-150 Raptor and Taurus SE are excluded.)

“As an organization commit-ted to locally-grown energy,such as ethanol, we’re alsothrilled to start a new relation-ship with the Ford MotorCompany,” added Rhode. “In1925, Henry Ford called ethyl

alcohol the “fuel ofthe future.” It’sgreat to partnerwith a companythat has that kind

of history with greenfuels grown from Illinois crops.”

To take advantage of the sav-ings, you must be an IFB mem-ber at least 60 days before thevehicle purchase or lease. Then,simply show your Illinois FarmBureau membership card andFord bonus cash certificate toyour local dealer. You can get acertificate online at www.fordspecia loffer.com/farmbureau/il or with your dealer’shelp. For complete details aboutthis offer, contact Kane CountyFarm Bureau at 630-584-8660or visit www.ilfb.org/member.

What’s new in the COUNTRY® agencies?

BobKearns

OrazioDiFruscolo

Recruiter of the monthEach month, Kane County

Farm Bureau honors the personor persons who sign the mostmembers into our organization.This month wewould like toc o n g r a t u l a t eBobbi Bostonand EddieJackson. Bothhave signedeight new mem-bers to benamed top recruiter.

Bobbi has been an agent withCOUNTRY’s St. CharlesAgency since November 2004.Bobbi’s office is located at2N710 Randall Rd St. Charles,60174. You may reach Bobbi at

630-584-0001.Eddie has been an agent with

COUNTRY’s Aurora Agencysince August 2009. Eddie’s

office is located1363 WindEnergy Pass,Batavia, 60510.You may reachEddie at 630-406-8558.

As a token ofour apprecia-

tion, Bobbi and Eddie willreceive two tickets to theCharlestowne Movie Theater.Thank you, Bobbi and Eddie foryour continued support of theKane County Farm Bureau andcongratulations on your success.

BobbiBoston

EddieJackson

Your Farm Bureau membership means

Value

Applications are now avail-able for nurse practitionerscholarships through the IllinoisFarm Bureau® Rural NursePractitioner ScholarshipProgram. There will be fivescholarships, worth $4,000each, granted this year.

The scholarship program,now in its nineteenth year, helpsencourage and develop the pool

of rural health practitioners tohelp meet primary health careneeds in rural Illinois. Studentswho receive scholarships agreeto practice for two years in anapproved rural area in Illinois.

To be eligible for the scholar-ship, students must be Illinoisresidents and be a RegisteredNurse accepted or enrolled in anaccredited Nurse Practitioner

Program. Funding is providedby the Rural Illinois MedicalStudent Assistance Program.

Applications are available atthe Kane County Farm Bureau,on IFB’s website (www.ilfb.org), or by contactingMariah Dale-Anderson, IFBSpecial Services Manager at309-557-2350 or via e-mail atmdale-anderson@ilfb.org .Applications are due May 1.

For additional information,contact Mariah Dale-Andersonat 309-557-2350 or via e-mail atmdale-anderson@ilfb.org.

FOR SALELarge hay and straw 3x3x8 bales,and feed oats. Call: 847-436-2538HAY FOR SALE – Buy direct andsave – horse – cattle – sheep –goat – you pick up at our farm –bring your truck or trailer – smallsquares – no rain – all kinds – 3miles east of Sycamore – Clip &Save this Ad. Call: 815-895-5390or 815-739-6963Antique quarter sawed oak sofa &matching rocker. Excellent condi-tion. Early 1900’s furniture madeby Pullman Coach Corp. Mustsee. Call: 847 741 2137134 acres farm land on Plank Rd,Kane County, Illinois. Call GeorgeBean for information & additionalland – 815 899 4440German Shorthair Pointer – 6month old female, good mark-ings, parents excellent hunters,great disposition, all shots up todate, good family dog. Asking$400 – will negotiate Call: 630482 2085SERVICESNew horse barns with under-ground utilities and earthwork(grading, electric & water),drainage tiles, pasture clipping,mowing, spraying, new seeding,renovation seeding & fenceinstallation. We follow UofIExtension best management rec-ommendations. 5% discount forFarm Bureau members. GalushaFarms: Tom Berning 630-330-9970, BerningEarthWorks@comcast.net; Steve Berning, 630-878-6350, steve@GalushaFarm.com. Call: 630-330-9970

Aurora Sportsman Club, 7858Preserve Rd., Waterman. OPENHOUSE dates April 9, May 14,June 11, and August 13. Safetymeeting required 10 a.m. and 12noon. FOID card required for freeuse of Rifle and Pistol Range.Small fee for Trap Range. Call formore information or www.auro-rasc.org – 815-264-9000FOR RENTHay Storage – Barn loft available.Lily Lake Area. Call Mark: 630417 7173WANTEDSeeking land to farm hay thisyear. Call: 630-514-2155 or 630-514-2153Chains for 16.9-34 Tractor Tires.Call: 847 464 4037Custom Work Chisel Plowingrequired on 10 acre parcel in eastGeneva. Call: 630 578 3313I am looking to RENT/LEASEfarmhouse or apartment withroom for horses with pasture,hopefully barn too, and will allowwell housebroken dog/cats.Prefer close to Aurora or within 30minute drive. Also willing to becaretaker for property/horses/animals for room & board forsame. Call: 815 724 07691-2 acres land for long-term leaseto establish field trials for grapes.Within 30 miles of St. Charles.Call Sam 630-513-6609.HELP WANTEDIntern and/or part-time/full-timeworker on community farm eastside of Geneva. Call: 630 5783313

“Geeeeee!” My 15-monthold exclaimed with glee,

running toward our back door topeer out the window. Her warn-ing for geese is often precipitat-ed by their honking as they wingtheir way past our house.Occasionally they’ll make asplash landing in the pond nextdoor, giving her a close up viewand eliciting shrieks and squealsnormally reserved only for mywife after extended absences.

I go to the window and scanthe sky for the v-shaped flocksnow migrating their way northand point out any that she does-n’t notice, which rarely hap-pens. As the weather getswarmer, and feathered friendsincrease in numbers, her inter-ests have broadened to includered robins and tiny sparrows,

which so far she identifies with“pio, pio” the sound birds makein Spanish, my wife’s nativelanguage. By the way, Spanishspeakers have a different way ofdescribing many animal sounds.Roosters for example, say “kee-keer-a-keeeeee” instead of“cock-a-doodle-doooo”.

Children pick up an awful lotthrough observation, but theytake their cues from us on whatto pay attention to. Of course,birds and animals garner a kid’scuriosity partly because they’reliving, breathing things. But, Ithink that my daughter’s interestis increased by the fact that Irarely miss an opportunity topoint out a bird, or a dog, or adeer munching clover in a field.

It was easy to notice fascina-tion in the eyes of many of the

APRIL 2011 KANE COUNTY FARMER PAGE 7

ANIMAL ATTRACTIONBy Ryan Klassy, Information Director

CLASSIFIED AD RATESClassified advertising rates: 20cents per word/$10 minimum (50word max). DISCOUNTS for mem-bers: 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.

Mail to: Kane County Farm Bureau,or fax to (630) 584-0023. Non-member ad rate: payable with ad,$10.00 – 20 word maximum per ad.

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CCLLAASSSSIIFFIIEEDD AADDSS

fourth graders who passedthrough Mooseheart during ourAg Days Expo when they sawthe farm animals. Several callsfrom their teachers were oftenneeded to pry them away fromthe horse, sheep or calf, whichsome of the kids had never beenso close to before. They asked usgood questions too, as theyleaned over the gates, pettingand talking to the animals.

I read these statistics in aReader’s Digest recently: 1 in 16kids under age 5 has a Facebookpage, 78% of kids have stayed uppast their bedtime becausethey’re online, and 9 out of 10toddlers have an “online pres-ence”. No doubt, the digitalworld has a strong pull.

And of course there’s nothinginherently wrong with technolo-gy, but that doesn’t have to betheir number one interest if wechoose not to let it be. The natu-ral world has a lot to offer. Justlet them see you get excitedabout a hummingbird at a feeder,a hawk perched on a high-wire,or a goose flying overhead.

The Kane County FarmBureau Women’s Committee hasscheduled a 55 Alive MatureDriving Program for Wednesdayand Thursday, May 11 and 12.The class runs from Noon to 4:00p.m. each day at the KaneCounty Farm Bureau building,2N710 Randall Road, St.Charles. To complete the course,both sessions must be completed.

This eight hour course coversdriving in various road andweather conditions, passingtechniques, the effects of alco-hol and drugs on driving andother defensive driving meth-

ods. Many insurance companiesoffer a discount on auto insur-ance to insured’s age 55 andolder who qualify and attend alleight hours of the course.Contact your insurance agentfor more details.

A fee of $12 per person forAARP members and $14 fornon-members (payable the firstday) will be charged to cover thecost of materials. For moreinformation or to register, con-tact the Kane County FarmBureau at 630-584-8660.Attendees must be licensed driv-ers. Pre-registration is required.

Defensive driving class

To recognize and encouragethe continued contributions ofstudents from Kane County FFAChapters in the success of KaneCounty Farm Bureau programs,the KCFB Foundation hasannounced that it will onceagain make grants available tolocal FFA Chapters.

For many years, FFAChapters have assisted the FarmBureau annually with its largesteducational undertaking, AgDays, where we welcome over1,500 fourth graders toMooseheart for farm-themedlessons. FFA members have alsobeen crucial to the success of theFarm Bureau’s Touch-A-Tractorand County Fair promotions.

For 2011, the Farm BureauFoundation has selected thesethree programs to help promote

leadership development skills inFFA members. Participation intwo or more of these programswill earn FFA Chapters a mini-mum $250 Chapter Grant.Participation in all three willearn the Chapter $400. Up to anadditional $100 will be offeredto FFA Chapters that completeand report a community serviceactivity by July 31, 2011, bring-ing the potential award up to$500 per FFA Chapter.

The KCFB Foundation pro-vides funding to support agri-cultural, educational, and lead-ership development for the ben-efit of agriculture and local farmfamilies. There are three FFAchapters in Kane County at highschools in Burlington,Hinckley-Big Rock, andKaneland.

Foundation offers FFAchapter grants

IFB Nurse Practitioner scholarship

(R to L) KCFB President Joe White, Batavia Jewel-Osco Store ManagerJim Pincsak, and Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner with his wife and ExecutiveDirector of the Aurora Interfaith Food Pantry, Marilyn Weisner. The shop-ping spree helps remind consumers about the affordability of food in ourcountry, and how to stretch their grocery dollar. KCFB has donated over$19,000 to area food pantries through this annual event. (See story andadditional photos on page 1)

KCFB Volunteer Appreciation NightJune 17

Spring is just here, but at the Kane County Farm Bureauwe’re already thinking about summer fun! On Friday, June17, the Kane County Farm Bureau will host an invitationonly night of entertainment and food at Elfstrom Stadium atKane County Farm Bureau’s Volunteer Appreciation Night.Save the date and call the KCFB at 630-584-8660 to askabout upcoming volunteer opportunities.

Find out more ...www.kanecfb.com

a live radio remote on SaturdayApril 9. Set-up for the event willbe April 7 at 4:00pm.

After a review of otherupcoming volunteer opportuni-ties and dates, the meeting wasadjourned at 10:02pm, with thenext regular meeting scheduledfor April 7 at 7:30pm.

Board meeting(continued from page 4)

You never know whatyou’ll find in the

Farmer classified ads

Thanks!

Top row, left to right:Ruth Poradyla hands off afully assembled Ag Daysbag to fellow first timeFarm Bureau volunteerBarb Hansen. A steady stream of busesdropped fourth graders atthe Mooseheart stadiumdoor. Over 1,500 kids vis-ited Ag Days during thethree-day event.Second row, left to right:The first stop at the AgDays Expo is a fourthgrader favorite –farm animals. 4Hand FFA membersfielded questionsfrom the kids aboutthe rabbits, chickens,sheep, goats, aminiature horse, anda 3-week-oldHolstein calf.Peg Feltes Dortaldemonstrated aloom, carding, andother techniquesinvolved with thefiber arts found atEsther’s Place in Big Rock. Far right: Members of the area FFA Chapters answeredquestions about the farm machinery supplied by localfarmer Bruce Nagel.Right: Volunteer Beth Gehrke of Elgin shows a rabbit to partof a group of 16 professors and administrators from BeijingUniversity who made Ag Days one of their stops on a 2-week tour of Kane and DeKalb counties organized byNorthern Illinois University.The group’s main goal whilein the states is to study newways to deliver information,specifically through distanceeducation. The group saidthey liked the unique andintimate way Ag Days pres-ents information to the stu-dents, especially at an earlyage. They were alsoimpressed with the technolo-gy used by Illinois farmers intheir farm equipment.

PAGE 8 KANE COUNTY FARMER APRIL 2011

27th Annual Ag DaysFourth graders from all over

Kane County converged onMooseheart stadium March 15-17 for Kane County FarmBureau’s annual Ag Days Expo.Out of yellow buses they poured,and guided by Farm Bureau vol-unteers, filed into MooseheartStadium to learn about agricul-ture at 15 learning stations.

This marked the 27th yearthat kids from area schools haveattended Ag Days. They learnedabout topics from beef cattle tovegetables, and GPS-guidedfarming techniques to poultry,during short presentations bylocal farmers, representativesfrom ag businesses and organi-zations, and local FFA and 4-Hmembers.

Teacher Diane Duncanbrought a group of 29 fourthgraders from Ferson CreekElementary in St. Charles. “Thisis a great program that teacheskids that in one way or another,everything comes from farms,”said Duncan who has beenbringing classes to Ag Days foryears. “Many of them live soclose to corn fields, but reallydon’t know that much aboutagriculture,” added Duncan.

After completing the circuitof ag lessons inside Mooseheartstadium, Duncan’s classreceived a few reminders beforeventuring outside to see some

farm machinery. She pointed outthat the students would see trac-tors from their parents’ andgrandparents’ generations, andthen some big modern machin-ery too. “Remember though thatit’s the same process now as itwas then – plant, grow, harvest –but you’ll see that the equipmenthas changed a lot.” said Duncan.

She also reminded her stu-dents that farming is a tough,365 day a year job that requiresyou to wear many hats, includ-ing mechanic, veterinarian,accountant, and more.

Ag Days is the FarmBureau’s single largest annualundertaking. Planning for andproviding lessons and materialsto such a large number of chil-dren over a three-day periodtakes hundreds of volunteerhours. Ag Days is only possiblethrough a generous outpouringof time, talents and energy bydozens and dozens of volun-teers. Due to publication dead-lines, names of volunteers frompre-Ag Days activities are listedbelow and more will come nextmonth. For all your assistanceduring Ag Days and the energyyou bring to teaching KaneCounty youth about agriculture,the Kane County Farm Bureausays ...

Ag Days would not be possible without the support ofdozens and dozens of volunteers. The Kane County FarmBureau extends our sincere Thanks to the volunteers listedbelow, who contributed several hours to agricultural educationby helping the Kane County Farm Bureau create over 1,500agricultural information packets for 4th graders and theirteachers attending the 27th Annual Ag Days.

KANE COUNTY

FOUNDATIONFOUNDATIONFOUNDATION

Grand Prize: 1950 FarmallCub or John Deere Z245EZ trak riding lawn moweror $2,500 cashSecond Prize: $1,000 ingroceriesThird Prize: $500 in fuel

Ag Days2011

Thank you!

Marlene BartelNick CarterJayne CernyFlo DangeloPaul DiehlMary DiehlKurt FitzgeraldBarb HansenBill HayesDan HoldaRosemary Holland Bob Holland Allie IsabelliFrank IsabelliEvelyn Lootens

Jared Metz Eric Metz Charlotte Metz William Metz Tim Metz Nancy MeyerKen MeyerClarice NepermannJim O’ConnellDeloris O’ConnellRuth PoradylaGerry ReganAnna Sanford Deb StobKaren Stojan

___C•c ___

Thanks Mooseheart!In addition to the hundreds of hours logged by Farm Bureau vol-

unteers to make Ag Days possible, a small but dedicated core ofMooseheart staff members makes things happen behind the scenesto help this educational program run smoothly. Kane County FarmBureau salutes Mooseheart’s Brad Kriegel, Keith Strutz, BobTrentt, Dave Spoden and Janine Silverman for making our 2011AgDays run smoothly.

More Ag Days volunteers will be recognized in next month’s Farmer.

Y103.9live radioremote SaturdayApril 9th!