Kane County Farm Bureauinvited State RepresentativeStephanie Kifowit and BataviaMayor Jeff Schielke to partici-pate in the 13th annual FoodCheck-Out Challenge ShoppingSpree to benefit local foodpantries. During their 5-plusminute dash through the aislesof the Jewel-Osco in Batavia the

pair collected $2,501.43 in gro-ceries, purchased by the FarmBureau and donated to MarieWilkinson Food Pantry inAurora and Batavia InterfaithFood Pantry. Kifowit gathered $1,273.87

worth of groceries, with thehelp of Bonnie Wegman ofMarie Wilkinson Food Pantry.Schielke collected $1,227.56 innon-perishable items, assistedby Linda Dahms, Director ofBatavia Interfaith Food Pantry.

“It’s great to be able to helpout the food pantry with thehealthy, nutritious food theyneed for their patrons,” saidKifowit. Her strategy was tograb two stacked cans in themiddle to make the most of hergrabs. “I did have to change intomy tennis shoes,” addedKifowit, who kept moving rightup until the final whistle.Mayor Schielke said the fact

that he shops the Batavia storemay have helped him navigatethe aisles during the event. “Infact I helped break ground onthis store,” Shielke said. “I washere to help cut the ribbon backin 1990.”During the pre-event cere-

mony, KCFB Manager SteveArnold stressed the importanceof hunger relief efforts to theFarm Bureau. “These ShoppingSprees have, in the past 12years, contributed well over$25,000 dollars in groceries tolocal food pantries,” Arnold

said. “A companion activity, ourHarvest for ALL campaign –where local farmers, some ofwhom are here today, pledge aportion of their harvest for local

hunger relief, has contributednearly $150,000 – and thou-sands of pounds of food, in thepast 5 years.”Arnold added, “In fact, those

combined Farm Bureau hungerrelief have already contributedthe equivalent of over 1.1 mil-lion meals to local foodpantries.” The Million MealChallenge goal set by KCFBvolunteers was achieved lastSeptember.In addition to the food that

was packed off to the two foodpantry beneficiaries, the eventallowed the Farm Bureau to add6,600 meals to that grand totalby presenting checks to

Northern Illinois Food Bankand Food for Greater Elgin onbehalf of the Kane CountyCougars, a KCFB CentennialSponsor, and Harvest for ALLdonors Craig and Angie Bradleyof Elgin. The event is traditionally

held during Food Check-OutWeek, devoted to teachingAmericans how to stretch theirgrocery dollars with healthy,nutritious food. Because U.S.farmers are the most productive

and efficient food producers inthe world, food is a real bargainin the U.S. when compared tothe rest of the world. The shop-ping spree recognizes the factthat for many people, theirresources are stretched to thelimit. Each year, the“Challenge” allows two foodpantries to stock their shelveswith much needed items.Special thanks to JEWEL-

Osco and the Northern IllinoisFood Bank for their partnershipin this Food Check-Out Weekactivity, sponsored by the KCFBGovernment Affairs and PRCommittees.

Kane

County Farm Bureau

Since 1912

VOL. 79 NO. 3 MARCH 2014

MeatballsThe special of the month for

March is Meatballs. Each boxcontains five 1-lb. packages fora total of approximately 160meatballs. They are traditional,un-sauced meatballs using highquality beef. Perfect to add toyour favorite dish. $15.25 perbox for plus members and$17.00 for members. Availablefor the month of March orwhile supply lasts at the KaneCounty Farm Bureau, RandallRd and Oak Street in St.Charles.

MARCHSPECIAL

DATES TO REMEMBERMarchMarch 3-5IFB Leaders to WashingtonMarch 4Frozen Food Orders Due March 6Board of Directors, 7pmMarch 7Young Farmers EuchreTournament, 7pmMarch 12Women’s Committee, 9:15amMarch 13Ag Days “Night”, 5:30pmMarch 17Ag Days Set-upMarch 17-21National Agriculture WeekMarch 18Frozen Food pick up, 4-6pmMarch 18-20Ag Days at Mooseheart

Shopping spree helps restock local pantries

FROZEN FOODORDERS DUE

MARCH 4KCFB frozen food order

deadline is Tuesday, March 4.Pick up your order at KaneCounty Farm Bureau onRandall Road & Oak Street inSt. Charles Monday, March 17from 4-6 pm. Payment due atpick up. Find an order form inthe February Kane CountyFarmer or at kanecfb.com.Order by phone at 630-584-8660. We can fax or email youa form, or pick one up at theFarm Bureau office.

Thaw out at Touch-A-TractorJoin your neighbors for a

weekend full of farming fun,April 4-6 at Kane County FarmBureau’s annual salute to spring.Touch-A-Tractor, our free com-munity service open house haslots of antique tractors and mod-ern farm equipment, plus activi-ties for kids. Have lunch andvisit with local farmers on handto answer questions. All conces-sion proceeds benefit KCFBFoundation Scholarships.Kids can ride pedal tractors,

shell corn, visit the farm zoo,and sit in the seat of tractors andother farm equipment. KCFB

will sponsor a FREE PedalTractor Drawing for kids 8 andunder – one entry per child.Visitors who bring a non-perish-able food item for local foodpantries will receive an addi-tional entry in that drawing. Tickets will be available for

the Kane County Farm BureauFoundation’s Winner’s ChoiceTractor Raffle. The grand prize,a 1954 Farmall Super MTA,will be on display. See a full listof prizes on page 8 along with aticket order form. Purchase tick-ets with VISA or MasterCard at630-584-8660.

KCFB Foundationscholarship recipients forthe 2013-2014 schoolyear will be announcedat 3:00 p.m. on Sunday,April 6. Hours are Noonto 4:00 p.m. on Friday and10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.Saturday and Sunday and thereis no cost for admission.

Volunteer at Ag DaysAg Days, sponsored by

KCFB’s Ag Literacy Programand the Women’s Committee, isthree days of non-stop learningfor area 4th graders atMooseheart Fieldhouse. Pleaseconsider being a part of this greattradition. Approximately 1,500students will visit Mooseheartfrom March 18-20 to see presen-tations on a wide array of agri-cultural topics. The kids get to

ask questions about livestock andfarm equipment. Farm Bureaumembers interested in seeingand/or volunteering for Ag Daysare welcome to attend. Volunteers, like you, can

help guide groups or lead afarm-themed game. You mayeven learn a thing or two aboutagriculture to pass on to the kidsin your life. Contact the FarmBureau at 630-584-8660 for

more information or attend AgDays Night, a prep meeting at

the Farm Bureau, March 13 at5:30pm.

Every member of the family canenjoy Touch-A-Tractor – a FREEevent at the Kane County FarmBureau. The fun lasts all weekendlong with children’s activities,food, farm equipment, farm ani-mals and more!

The forecast

calls for fun,

at the first

outdoor event

of spring!

Ag Days

Kane County Farm Bureau volunteerswill put on the 30th Annual Ag Days,March 18-20 at Mooseheart. Fourthgraders will learn about agriculture,natural resources, nutrition and farm-ing through a series of presentationsby farmers, commodity groups and Ag businesses.

KCFB President Joe White, Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke, Linda Dahmsof Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry, State Representative StephanieKifowit, Bonnie Wegman of Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry, and GusEliopolous, Manager of the Batavia Jewel-Osco. Schielke and Kifowitgathered over $2,500 during the 5-minute Food Check-Out ChallengeShopping Spree. See additional photo on page 8.

State Representative StephanieKifowit used a “grab two stackedcans in the middle” technique togather $1,273.87 in groceries,edging out Batavia Mayor JeffSchielke by less than $50, in thisyear’s “Challenge”. All food is pur-chased by Kane County FarmBureau and donated to two areafood pantries.

tions to intervene, joining Cityof Elgin and the Elgin SchoolDistrict. A deadline to file tointervene was changed to Feb.14. Upon request, KCFB canprovide its members with a listof attorneys who practice beforethe ICC in right-of-way matters. In statewide issues and activ-

ities, White, Kenyon and Arnoldwill attend the GovernmentalAffairs Leadership Conferencein Springfield, Feb. 26 and 27.Regarding the Vision for agri-culture Food and Ag Summit,Arnold said there is interestfrom Chicago Community Trustand discussions are ongoingwith the Governor’s office,Illinois Department of Ag andDepartment of Commerce andEconomic Opportunity.On the national front, White,

Kenyon and Arnold and Vicepresident Wayne Schneiderreported on their experiences atthe AFBF annual meeting.Participation by volunteers inrecent legislative action requestswas reviewed. Appreciation wasexpressed for following contactswhich helped support issuesimportant to all Kane Countyfarmers: regarding theRenewable Fuel Standard, callsto President Barack Obama:Beth Engel, Alan Volpp, MikeKenyon, Craig Bradley, KristinDeSutter, Eldon Gould; andcomments submitted by: CraigBradley, Chris Gould, WayneSchneider, and Eldon Gould.Regarding the Farm Bill, MikeKenyon, Jeff Bornemann, BethEngel, Louise Johnson, CraigBradley, Chris Gould, SteveArnold, Alan Volpp, RyanKlassy, and Bill Collins.

Upcoming events werereviewed including the FoodCheck-Out Challenge ShoppingSpree for local food pantries on Feb. 17 and Ag in theClassroom activities includingAg Days, March 18-20 andTouch-A-Tractor, April 4-6.P.R. and Membership ChairBeth Engel announced renewedHarvest for ALL commitmentsincluding Karl & JulieKettelkamp, Griz Stover,Matthew McKee and Jim &Delores O’Connell.Finally, directors approved a

sponsorship for the 2014 KaneCounty 4-H Foundation Fund -raiser scheduled for April 12 atthe Kane County Fairgrounds.Correspondence circulated at

the meeting included: NorthernIllinois Food Bank, thanks forKenyon, Horton & Stewart con-tributions; Northern IllinoisFood Bank, thanks for McKeecontribution; Illinois CornGrowers Assn., encouraginglegislative & administrationcontact on Renewable FuelStandards; Batavia InterfaithFood Pantry, thanks to KCFBFoundation for Harvest for ALLdonations for 2013; Illinois AgLeadership Foundation, seekingcandidates for its Class of 2016;St. Peter Community FoodPantry, thanks for support,Centennial Picnic contribution& Cent. Celebration invite; St.Peter Community Food Pantry,copy of letter to Chris & HopeCollins in appreciation forHarvest for ALL; IFB President Richard

Guebbert, copy of congratula-tions to Cathy Britts-Axen,AITC Teacher of the Year.

February 7Farm Bureau volunteers were

invited to a legislative briefingjust prior to the February KCFBBoard meeting, in preparationfor the Lunches to Legislatorsprogram held on Friday, Feb. 7.Kevin Semlow, Illinois FarmBureau Director of StateLegislation, provided an over -view of legislative priorities andtips for visits with lawmakers.Guests included several can-

didates for local offices, includ-ing Beth Goncher for 50thDistrict State Representative,D.J. Tegler for Judge of theCircuit Court, and MarkDavoust for Kane County Clerk.Each provided details on theirqualifications and asked for theboard’s support.Ken Anderson, Kane County

Director of Environmental andWater Resources, presenteddetails on a proposed referen-dum on electrical aggregation.(See details on page 3).Next, several members of the

KCFB Young FarmersCommittee addressed the boardto express their appreciation forsending them to the IFB YoungLeader Conference, Jan. 31-Feb. 1 and share news aboutrecent activities.

Joe White provided a briefrecap of the recent District 1CFB Presidents’ meeting.Topics included the Farm Bill,Farm Service Agency closingsand immigration reform. Whitealso provided details on the Jan.30 Com Ed Grand PrairieGateway information meetingheld at the DeKalb CFB, where

95 attendees received informa-tion on the project. Dates wereset for a KCFB board retreat onMarch 26 and March 29, withtopics to include board gover-nance, agricultural advocacyand media training, andfundraising. White announcedthat Doug Arends is the newDistrict 6 COUNTRY FinancialAgency Field Executive.In the manager’s report,

Steve Arnold discussed China’srefusal of shipments of grainand reviewed upcoming eventdates including a Feb. 18 Meet

the Buyers program at theOrland Civic Center.Mike Kenyon reported on

KCFB’s investment portfolio inhis Treasurer’s report, andmoved on to update directors onthe latest Kane County Boardnews. He and Joe White report-ed on the Farmland ProtectionCommission. White also shared

information about the ZoningBoard of Appeals. In KaneCounty Board Ag Committeenews, Steve Arnold said theCounty of Kane, in cooperationwith KCFB and NorthernIllinois Food Bank, has beenselected for an IllinoisDepartment of Agriculture sus-tainability grant of $7,500 tostudy the feasibility of a FoodHub at the Food Bank. Arnoldprovided details on the Com EdGrand Prairie Gateway project.The County of Kane and ForestPreserve District have filed peti-

PAGE 2 KANE COUNTY FARMER MARCH 2014

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

Perry Hazelwood, Building & Grounds

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.

Jeff Bornemann4S985 Dugan Rd.Sugar Grove, IL 60554630-466-1626

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

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

Bill Collins1125 Lewis Rd.Geneva, IL 60134630-232-2043

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

Al Lenkaitis, Jr.6N352 Fair Oaks Dr.St. Charles, IL 60174630-561-9514

■ DISTRICT 4Burlington, PlatoElgin Twnshp.

Alan Volpp9N728 Peplow Rd.Hampshire, IL 60140847-683-3681

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 60118847-428-3350

KCFB Board Meeting review

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 FARM BUREAU BOARD ATTENDANCEOCTOBER 2013 THRU SEPTEMBER 2014

OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JLY AUG. SEP.J. BORNEMANN X X X C. BRADLEY X X X X X F. CARLSON X X X X B. COLLINS X X X X C. COLLINS X X X X B. ENGEL X X X X X G. GAITSCH X X X X X M. KENYON X X X X X K. KETTLEKAMP X X X X D. LEHRER X X X A. LENKAITIS JR. X X X W. SCHNEIDER X X X X A. VOLPP X X X X J. WHITE X X X X X

In response to an IFB legislative action request, KCFB volunteersmade more than 30 contacts to local legislators by phone and emailto help support passage of a new five-year farm bill. PresidentBarack Obama signed the Agriculture Act of 2014 into law on Feb. 7.

Lunches to Legislators 2014In February, Kane County

Farm Bureau organized its annu-al Lunches to Legislators pro-gram. Farm Bureau volunteerswere joined by members of theKane County Corn GrowersAssociation, taking boxedlunches to the offices of 15 local

legislators. All of the visits wentwell, with everyone reportingpleasant and productive conver-sations. The program allowedthese Ag indus-try leaders toget acquaintedwith legislators

and their staff and pass alongsome information about FarmBureau issues and activities.

Photos, clockwise from upper left:(l to r) KCFB Gov ern mental Affairs Chairman WayneSchneider, Congressman Bill Foster, and Nick Nagele,Kane County Corn Growers.Frank Carlson, Senator Michael Noland, and CraigBradleyAlan Volpp, Beth Engel and State Representative BobPritchard.

facebook.com/kanecountyfarmbureau

MARCH 2014 KANE COUNTY FARMER PAGE 3

Serving our community over 20 years–thank you for your loyalty!

YOU are invited

Ag DaysNightThurs., March 13th

5:30pm-7pmKane County Farm Bureau

There’s a lot kids don’t know about farming.

Fill teacher resource bagsFree pizza & refreshmentsNetwork with farmers

Turn your farming knowledge into a short lesson for 4th graders atAg Days, March 18-20RSVP to 630-584-8660

Antique tractors wantedThe Kane County Farm

Bureau welcomes all those withantique tractors and farm equip-ment to display their col-lectibles at the 9th AnnualTouch-A-Tractor, April 4-6. Wealso need volunteers to explain

the farm equipment’s capabili-ties and functions. Or pitch inwherever help is needed toassist the Foundation in advanc-

ing its Scholarship andAgricultural Literacy programs.Due to space limitations and

the size of modern farmmachines, the Farm Bureau hasagain asked Sugar Grove areafarmer Bruce Nagel, a long-time

supporter of Touch-A-Tractor and Ag Days, toprovide the necessarymodern tractors, com-bine, tillage equipment,sprayer and planter todisplay for our urbanand suburban neighbors.But antique tractors areneeded – and the morethe merrier!All proceeds will

benefit the Foundationin the expansion of col-lege scholarship andagricultural literacy pro-grams. Individuals,

families and groups are wel-come to assist at the event. Formore information, contact SteveArnold at 630-584-8660.

Watershed ag outreach meetingThe Union/Virgil Ditches

and the East Branch of theKishwaukee River WatershedOutreach Committee will behost a meeting on March 20 toupdate stakeholders on thewatershed study currentlyunderway in eastern Kane andwestern DeKalb County. Themeeting will be held at theDeKalb County Farm Bureau’sCenter for Agriculture. This 78,000 acre watershed

includes the area fromSycamore easterly to the southside of Burlington then east toRt.47 south to Elburn and thenwest to the Town of Cortland. Project consultant Hey and

Associates will update the par-ticipants on the assessmentprocess and modeling tech-niques that have been used inthe watershed study. The pre-senters will look at potentialproject areas and the “Best

Management Practices”(BMPs) that could be used toaddress resource concerns. AreaEngineer Lori Younker with theNatural Resources ConservationService (NRCS) will discuss thetechnical features of some of thepotential practices that may beproposed. Mike Richolson withNRCS and Dean Johnson withthe DeKalb County Soil andWater Conservation Districtwill provide information forfunding resources through FarmBill programs and the IllinoisDepartment of Agriculture thatwill help assist landowners inimplementing some of theseAgriculture BMP’s. Although landowner partici-

pation in implementing BMP’sis voluntary, the WatershedSteering Committee is veryinterested in what it would taketo encourage participation inimplementing practices on their

land. The Committee would alsolike feedback on the identifiedconcerns and potential projectsto make sure that stakeholderinput has been addressed.” It isimportant to remember thatcommunity participation isessential in improving andimplementing watershed plan-ning. Now is the time to partici-pate, our goal is to address spe-cific storm water managementand water quality issues that arespecific to this area,” statedDean Johnson, StormwaterSteering Com mittee Chairman.

A light breakfast will beserved starting at 8:30 a.m. andthe meeting will begin at 9:00a.m. Please contact DeanJohnson at the DeKalb CountySoil and Water ConservationDistrict at 815-756-3237 ext. 3or send an email to Dean.Johnson@il.nacdnet.net toRSVP.

‘Energy savings choice’ referendumoffered on March ballot

At the February meeting ofthe KCFB Board of Directors,Ken Anderson, Director of theKane County Environmental andWater Resources Division gave ashort presentation on the upcom-ing March 18, 2014, ElectricAggregation Referendum. Mr.Anderson stated “this is anopportunity for residents of unin-corporated Kane County to savemoney on their electrical bills”.Residents will weigh in on a bal-lot question of whether or not toallow the County Board the abil-ity to negotiate a completely vol-untary energy savings programfor those residents in unincorpo-rated portions of theCounty. This initiative is com-pletely voluntary, with those res-idents who oppose the programable to opt out if it were to passagainst their wishes.Presently, residential electric

rates are either set byCommonwealth Edison(ComEd) or an alternative elec-tric supplier secured by you.The electrical rates can be “set”(for a 12 month period) or “vari-able” depending on the contractterms. If permission is grantedby voters, through referendum,

the County could take the nec-essary steps so multiple electricsuppliers can provide competi-tive rate quotes.

Before the County can pro-vide this choice for you, the resi-dents of unincorporated KaneCounty have to approve a resolu-tion on the March 18, 2014 bal-lot. If the “energy savingschoice” referendum is authorizedby the voters, under state statute,counties will be able to receivebids from suppliers on behalf ofthe unincorporated portions ofthe County. If the rates are lowerthan ComEd’s, the County canmove all residential (and smallcommercial) accounts in theunincorporated portions of KaneCounty to the new supplier. Anyindividual household could optout if they prefer.

However, the County is notobligated to switch suppliers.The referendum simply gives theCounty the right to solicit com-petitive bids. Once the bids arereceived, then the County Boardwill decide if it is in the bestinterest of the residents in unin-corporated Kane County to moveto the lower cost supplier. If not,all County unincorporated resi-

dents will remain with ComEdfor the following 12 months.There will be no change to

your billing. ComEd will con-tinue to send your monthly bill.They will still deliver the elec-tricity and you will still callComEd for service and outages.You will not be required to par-ticipate in the new program.Every unincorporated residentwho does not already have analternate supplier will receive aletter with the opportunity to“opt out” of the new program atno cost to you. …If ComEd’srate is less expensive than thelowest quoted electric supplier,ComEd will remain your elec-tric supplier.We encourage our members

to participate in the upcomingprimary election (March 18,2014) and make sure yourdesires are heard.If you have any questions

regarding electric aggregation,please contact Kenneth N.Anderson, Jr. at 630-208-5118or email him at andersonken@co.kane.il.us.

Bring your antique tractor out of storage for afew days in April. Many kids love tractors, butjust never get the chance to see one close upand sit in the seat – this is their chance!Touch-A-Tractor is April 4-6.

Help make Touch-A-Tractor a success.___ I would like to bring the following farm equipment to display.

___ Contact me about volunteer opportunities on■ Fri., April 4 ■ Sat., April 5 ■ Sun., April 6

Please provide a brief description of the equipment. Include year,make, model and horsepower.

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Name _______________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________

City _________________________ St_____ Zip _____________

Phone (________) _____________________________________

Email _______________________________________________Clip and return to Kane County Farm Bureau,2N710 Randall Road, St. Charles, IL 60174

loaded with mums, and bonsaitrees floating down the MekongRiver. What a beautiful sight. The land and river markets

were overflowing with othertypes of agriculture: fresh veg-etables, meat, especially porkand chicken, fish, and fruits. Myfavorite fruits available at thetime were the lychees, dragoneyes (which I thought were real-ly just small lychees), water-melon, dragon fruit, jack fruitand pineapple. Almost everymeal ended with an array offresh fruits. However, there wasone fruit that did not come any-where near my favorite list, thatbeing durian. The local peoplereally like this fruit, however itis banned from any hotel orpublic restaurant as it smellsawful. The fruit is a consistencyof pudding, which combinedwith the smell made it hard toswallow, let alone enjoy. We were lucky enough to

witness a very different type ofagriculture, that being fishfarms. On the Mekong River, wevisited some floating homes thatwere built on top of fish tanks.Thousands of fish were bred andsold from these tanks. Many ofthese fish were eaten locally,while others were exported toother countries. The Mekong River Delta is

so rich in soil that agricultureabounds in the area. Vast fieldsof corn were seen. We even sawa large grain elevator in thisarea. Since the rains and floods

bring renewed soil to the regioneach year, the plants thrive.Only problem seems to be thatof soil erosion, which did notseem to be addressed in anymanner. We also witnessed the pro-

cessing end of agriculture on our trip. At one site, we saw rice popped, then added to

caramelized sugars and nuts tomake candy. Another tookcoconut juice and sugars tomake candy. One site madesugar candy from the palm trees;much like we tap maple trees tomake maple sugar candy. In fact,it tasted much like maple sugarcandy, although a bit more

Our book this month is writ-ten by a local St. Charles resi-dent. Her book is the outcomeof the many stories she has toldthe children in her family.“The author invites the

young and the young-at-heart toexplore an imaginary worldcomplete with articulate ani-

mals, valiant voyagers, wildwhereabouts, and even a ghastlyghost – all sewn into colorfulQuilt-Stories. This inauguralcollection of children’s stories isa tapestry of words, pictures andquilts, bound by the commonthread: the love of family andchildren.” We are happy to announce

that Linda will be at Touch-a-Tractor for storytelling andsigning of her book you maywish to purchase for those spe-cial children in your family.Thanks to a request years ago

by Bob Konen and Dean Dunnthat Kane County Farm Bureaustart a library of agriculturallythemed books for public use, wehave an ever growing selectionof titles. Feel free to come in tobrowse in our library and tocheck out books of interest.

“You can’t see Canadaacross Lake Erie, but

you know it’s there. It’s thesame with spring. You have tohave faith, especially inCleveland.” – Paul Fleischman.

Snow is coming down atblizzard like speed AGAIN, as Iwrite this article. I have mental-ly changed “especially inCleveland” to “especially inSaint Charles”. I know spring isjust around the corner, plantingwill begin in earnest, and seedswill begin to sprout. Thisknowledge makes me think ofthe all-encompassing word:agriculture.Last month, I witnessed agri-

culture in Vietnam andCambodia. I saw few tractors,some rotor tiller-type machines,

water buffalo, and much manuallabor. The rice was a beautifulshade of green arising from thewater. The cabbage and othervegetables, watercress and otherherbs, dotted the landscape. Thestacks of “hay” as we’d think ofthem were huge piles of ricestalks mounded onto a raisedplatform to keep it dry and aired.

Not only did we see agricul-ture pertaining to food produc-tion, but also horticulture. It hap-pened to be just before ChineseNew Year in Cambodia or Tet inVietnam. Part of the festivities isto purchase either peach blos-soms, kumquat trees, or apricotblossoms to bloom in your homewith the promise of a prosperousNew Year. Flowers were every-where. We saw many boats

PAGE 4 KANE COUNTY FARMER MARCH 2014

Auto | Home | Life | Retirement

AG LITERACY CORNERBy Suzi Myers

Gramma, Please Tell Us A Story!by Linda Brodine

Book of the Month

Win a pedal tractor at Touch-A-TractorTo complement the Kane

County Farm BureauFoundation’s Winner’s ChoiceTractor Raffle, a FREE pedal

tractor will be given away toone lucky child. Return theform below to the KCFB byApril 6 or sign up at Touch-A-

Tractor, April 4-6. The pedaltractor drawing is open onlyto children 8 and under.Entrant’s age must appearon the form.You can also receive one

additional entry to the FREEPedal Tractor Drawing foryour child or grandchild foreach non-perishable fooditem you bring to Touch-A-Tractor. Food items will bedonated to a local foodpantry. The winner’s namewill be drawn at the event’sgrand finale at 3:00pm onSunday, April 6. Winnerneed not be present to win.

Enter your kid(s) (8 & under) to win apedal tractor FREE from the Kane CountyFarm Bureau. The winner will be drawnat 3p.m. on April 6 at Touch-A-Tractor.

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’s FREE PedalTractor Drawing.

Name_____________________________________ Age ______

City, State, Zip ________________________________________

Phone (________) _____________________________________

Return By April 6 to: Kane County Farm Bureau,2N710 Randall Road, St. Charles, IL

(continued on page 7)

• The word cereal is derivedfrom “Cerialia,” an ancientRoman festival that celebratedthe goddess of agriculture andgrains – Ceres.

• Cereal is the most popularbreakfast food in America, butthat wasn’t always the case.Up until the 1860s, most peo-ple ate eggs, bacon, andsausage every morning.Cereal emerged as an alterna-tive at the end of the 19th century.

• Wholegrain cereals are anexcellent source of fiber, iron,and B vitamins.

• Colonial housewives servedup popcorn with sugar and

cream for breakfast. * Of the more than 294 millionpeople in the U.S, 49% starttheir day with a bowl of cereal.

Crispy Fudge Sandwicheshave a soft, fudgy chocolate cen-ter surrounded by layers of but-terscotch and peanut butter-fla-vored rice crispy treats. Theseare a fun variation on traditionalrice crispy treats, and becauseall of the cooking is done in themicrowave, it’s a great recipe tomake with kids.Ingredients:6 oz (1 cup) butterscotch chipsor peanut butter chips

1/4 cup peanut butter4 cups crispy rice cereal6 oz (1 cup) semi-sweet choco-late chips

1 tbsp cream1 tbsp powdered sugarPreparation:Prepare an 8x8 pan by lining

it with aluminum foil and spray-ing the foil with nonstick cookingspray.Combine the butterscotch

chips (or peanut butter chips, ifthat’s what you’re using) and the

peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave it untilthe chips are melted andsmooth. Stir after every 30 sec-onds to prevent the chips fromoverheating. When the chips are melted,

pour them over the 4 cups ofcrispy rice cereal in a big bowl.Stir until the cereal is completelycoated with the peanut buttermixture. Scrape half of the cereal into

the prepared pan, and press itinto an even layer in the bottom.Spray your hands with nonstickcooking spray or wet them witha little bit of water if they get toosticky. Place the chocolate chips in a

small bowl and melt those aswell, stirring frequently. Whenthey are completely melted andsmooth, add the powderedsugar and cream. Adding thecream will cause the chocolateto seize, so from this point onyou will need to work quickly.Stir until the chocolate clumpstogether – it should have the tex-ture of thick fudge. Scrape it out onto the layer of

crispy rice in the pan, trying tospread it fairly evenly as youscrape. Use a knife or a spatulato press it into an even layer. Pour the rest of the cereal

mixture on top of the fudge layer,and press it into an even layer. Refrigerate the candy until it

is chilled, about 45 minutes. Once chilled, remove the

candy from the pan using the foilas handles. Cut into squares toserve.

MARCH 2014 KANE COUNTY FARMER PAGE 5

Congratulations!Linda McDonald of Spring Grove! Linda’s name was chosen fromthe entries received for correctly completing last month’s WordSearch Puzzle. For her participation, Linda receives an oatmeal-themed prize compliments of Kane County Farm Bureau. Thankyou Linda, for reading the Kane County Farmer, and continue towatch each month for more great opportunities to win.

Compiled by Beth Dawson and Suzi Myers

Name ______________________________________________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip ________________________________________________________________________

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

by March 15, 2014 for your chance to win a prize with a cereal theme.

E C D C E L P H S C J C H B D N J F A X

F D C V W K D L Y G N A N U A X R F S I

I F H C X N R J F M G B J R W O T B E P

L L T A P U B I C D N O B B S P Y C K S

S L A T O T H L C A G T L T Z G W G A I

E M A X T N U Q R G A R E L U M E T L R

Q C R S H S T B A O N D A P E E Y J F C

C U O A T J N A C B M H X P B K V E N U

E P A E H I S L L I M L A R E N E G R C

R S R K S C B C N V W X M A K N R C O H

E S E I E Q Y I G R A N O L A A U T C E

A E A R W R W K S A L K G G I V P T B E

L R W Y E H N T C T Q U G N T M S L S R

Q T N K E C T N A U O L S C K F M Q H I

F P A A D E S Z Q O L W P U J W U W Q O

Y H T S C H U M A C H E R Q S O U D M S

W S I I Z W I A R I O S L N O G R T O O

A G X D H O A T E D A S P I I L L P E W

N P S B K L A I C E P S V K H P W R V B

F N W R P W H F Y E S I A B V P J H P K

• • • • • • • • • • • • • Cereal • • • • • • • • • • • • •

CEREALCERESCHEERIOSCLUSTERSCORN FLAKES

CRISPIXFROSTED MINIWHEATSGENERAL MILLS

GRAINSGRANOLAGRAPE NUTSKELLOGGS

LIFELUCKY CHARMSOAT BRANPOST

QUAKERRAISIN BRANSCHUMACHERSPECIAL KTOTAL

National Cereal Day Get your bowl and your spoon ready – March 7th isNational Cereal Day. Since the end of the 19th century, cereal has become America’s mostpopular breakfast food. Do you remember mornings eating a bowl of cereal, reading the backof the box and trying to find the toy inside of the box? Today, not only is cereal eaten forbreakfast, it has become a popular “before bed” snack and some people even have a bowlas an evening meal. Cereal is also used in many cake, cookie and bar recipes, the most pop-ular being Rice Krispies Bar Treats.

1. Honey Nut Cheerios2. Frosted Flakes3. Honey Bunches of Oats4. Cheerios5. Cinnamon Toast Crunch

6, Special K7, Frosted Mini Wheats

8, Lucky Charms9, Froot Loops10, Raisin Bran

Ferdinand Schumacher, aGerman immigrant, began thecereals revolution in 1854with a hand oats grinder in theback room of a small store inAkron, Ohio. His German MillsAmerican Oatmeal Companywas the nation’s first commer-cial oatmeal manufacturer. In1877, Schumacher adoptedthe Quaker symbol, the firstregistered trademark for abreakfast cereal. Granula, the first breakfastcereal, was invented in theUnited States in 1863 byJames Caleb Jackson, opera-tor of Our Home on theHillside, which was later

replaced by the JacksonSanatorium in Dansville, NewYork. The cereal neverbecame popular since itwas inconvenient as the heavybran nuggets needed soakingovernight before they weretender enough to eat. The cereal industry rose froma combination of sincere reli-gious belief and commercialinterest in health foods. Dr.John Harvey Kellogg experi-mented with granola. Heboiled some wheat, rolled itinto thin films, and baked theresulting flakes in the oven: heacquired a patent in 1891. In1895 he launched Cornflakes,

which overnight captured anational market. In 1906, Dr. John HarveyKellogg’s brother, William K.Kellogg, after working forJohn, broke away, bought thecorn flakes rights from hisbrother and set up the KelloggToasted Corn Flake Company.His signature on every packagebecame the company trade-mark and insurance of quality. Charles W. Post introducedGrape-nuts in 1898 and soonfollowed with Post Toasties. Because of Kellogg and Post,the city of Battle Creek,Michigan is nicknamed the“Cereal Capital of the World.”

Cereal history

March is…NationalNutrition Month Noodle MonthPeanut MonthIrish American Month

March 1 – Peanut ButterLovers’ DayMarch 7 – National Cereal DayMarch 14 – National PotatoChip Day March 24 – NationalChocolate Covered Raisin Day

Crispy fudge sandwiches

This craft is great for using upcereal that may have gotten a lit-tle stale and it’s also a goodlearning experience for children,who love to watch the birdsenjoy their treat.Materials NeededOne box of Cheerios (or othernon-sugared donut-shapedCereal)

YarnPencil

InstructionsCut a two foot piece strand ofyarn. Lightly tie one end of yarnaround pencil to keep cerealfrom slipping off.String cereal onto the yarn as ifthey were string a necklace withbeads. When yarn is nearly full,remove the pencil and tie bothends of the yarn together.Hang the strand off a tree branchor bird feeder outside and watchthe birds enjoy their treat.

Cereal bird feeder

Yum–I’ll tweet my friends about this!

Cereal Facts:

The Illinois NutrientResearch & Education Council(NREC) is taking significantsteps in 2014 to ensure thatIllinois farmers have the scien-tific research and educationalprograms they need to maxi-mize harvest yields through theefficient use of nutrients while

protecting the environment.The NREC, which is funded

by a 75-cent per ton fee on allfertilizer sold in Illinois, hasawarded grants to fund projectsthat will, among other things:1. Determine how nitrogen

management systems utilizedby farmers may reduce losses of

nitrogen through tile drainageand increase crop yields.2. Update crop removal

numbers for phosphorus andpotassium to ensure sound agro-nomic recommendations forreplacing these nutrients in thesoil after harvest.3. Evaluate the agronomic

and environmental benefits ofcover crops and measure theimpact that cover crops mayhave on reducing nitrogen loss-es in tile-drained fields.4. Support the “Keep it for

the Crop” and “DiscoveryFarms” outreach programs. “Through NREC, Illinois

farmers and the fertilizer indus-try are strategically positionedto find solutions that balance theneed for crop production gainsto feed a growing populationwith water quality goals,”Illinois Agriculture DirectorBob Flider said. “The researchand education programs under-way in Illinois are innovativeand demonstrate this public-pri-vate partnership is working.”For more information about

NREC funded projects andactivities, go to www.illinoisnrec.org.

Ten members of the KCFBYoung Farmers committeeattended the IFB Young LeadersConference last month includingthe four members of KaneCounty’s Championship Agri-Quiz Bowl team who attendedfor free as part of their prize.Chairman Andy Lenkaitis, alongwith John Biddle, Wayne Gehrkeand Kristen DeSutter, attendedthe February KCFB Board meet-ing to report on their accomplish-ments and future plans. After having just won the

Penny wars contest at the IFBAnnual Meeting in December,the Young Farmers contributedto District 1 winning a similarcontest at the YL Conferencetoo, and pitched in support tosilent and live auctions, all ofwhich support the statewideHarvest for ALL hunger reliefeffort. Last year they added atenth consecutive Harvest forALL award to the trophy case,raising the most funds of anycounty in the state. Thesefundraising efforts helped FarmBureau set a national record of$810,000 in Harvest for ALLfunds last year. Illinois raised80% of that total. Lenkaitis said recent activi-

ties also included a bowlingnight and acquaintance programwith area FFA chapters. Theevent helps bridge the transitionfrom high school to involvementin Young Farmers activities.

The Young FarmersCommittee is experiencingimpressive growth and success.If you’re 18-35 years old, setyour calendar for the next meet-ing on March 7 at 7pm. TheYoung Farmers Annual EuchreTournament is a great way todeal yourself into this activegroup of Ag industry leaders.

Memories are still fresh asthe goose bumps you get

when you see a kid from Akron,or Dallas, or Chicago, on themedal stand, belting out thenational anthem with a tear

threatening to spill over his eyelid. Imagine all the time, effort

and expense invested to get thatathlete there. What if we sentthem off to the games, but told

them we’re not really interestedin medals. Just go out there andgive it your…average?The Environmental Protec -

tion Agency’s proposed changesto the Renewable Fuel Standard(RFS) could do just that, strand-ing billions of dollars of invest-ment in an industry with noroom for growth and advance-ment. The RFS sets the nationalgoal for renewable fuels pro-duced and blended into our gas.Our gas contains at least 10

percent ethanol, made from

PAGE 6 KANE COUNTY FARMER MARCH 2014

FOR SALE

Hay For Sale – Large 3 x 3 x 8Bales – first, second, & third cut-ting Call: 847 436 2538First cutting alfalfa grass hay forsale. Rained on, no mold. $2.50per bale, cash. Call: 630 244 5241Kane County Farm Land – 166+acres with possible 21+ more.Fertile, flat, good access $12,500per acre. United Country NorthernIllinois Realty & Auction. Call: 815 756 4444SERVICESJim Verhaeghe & Sons, Inc. – Treeremoval, tree trimming, & stumpgrinding. Backhoe work & TileLines. Fully insured – FreeEstimates – Jim Verhaeghe Sr.Call: 847 334 5730Farm site demolition & clean up.New horse barns with under-ground utilities and earthwork.Drainage tiles, pasture mowing,spraying, new seeding, inter seed-ing & fence installation. We followSIU Plant & Soil SciencePractices. 10% discount for FarmBureau members, 5% if you men-tion this ad! Berning EarthworkInc., Tom Berning 630-330-9970,BerningEarthWorks@comcast.net;Galusha Farms, Steve Berning,630-878-6350, steve@GalushaFarm.com Call: 630-330-9970WANTEDWill pick up for free unwanted orold snowmobiles. Also buyingolder Polaris snowmobiles 1977 &1978 TXL & 1979 TX’s Call Jon. –630-254-9446Want to buy vintage & used toolsCall Chris – 630 550 7182

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. Call 630-584-8660.

CLASSIFIED ADS

RENEWABLE FUELS AREGOLD MEDAL MATERIAL

By Ryan Klassy, Information Director

corn. It’s called E10. There’salso E15, E20 and all the wayup to E85. What is the differ-ence to you? Whether your gashas ten or twenty percent of fuelmade from corn, or soybeans, orcornstalks – who cares. Justmake sure the pump runs fastbecause it’s cold out here, right?Well, hopefully we can limitthat kind of thinking.We hear the term renewable

fuels so often we may lose sightof what that means. Ethanol issomething we can make, everyyear, renewing our supply.There’s no one making crudeoil. Yes, we’re finding newplaces to drill for it, but wedon’t make it. According to the EPA’s web-

site, RFS2 as it’s called lays thefoundation for achieving signif-icant reductions of greenhousegas emissions from the use ofrenewable fuels, for reducingimported petroleum, andencouraging the developmentand expansion of our nation’s

renewable fuels sector.The RFS as passed by

Congress in the EnergyIndependence and Security Actcalls for 18.15 billion gallons ofrenewable fuels next year. TheEPA’s proposal lowers that to15.2.So how would reducing the

number of gallons of biofuelsproduced next year achievethese goals? It wouldn’t. Making fuel from crops and

crop residue is not new technol-ogy, but you might think that thefact that we can power cars onsomething we plant in theground, harvest and then plantagain year after year wouldamaze people, and its growthwould be a no brainer. Our goal should be to reduce

greenhouse gases, keep fuelprices as low as possible, andcreate incentives for biofuelsresearch. To do so with anAmerican-made product is anidea worthy of those medalstand-induced goose bumps.

“Helping to keep America Picked up for 45 years”

Young Farmers

EuchreTournamentFriday, March 7

7:00 pm

Kane CountyFarm Bureau

Randall Rd. & Oak St.in St. CharlesOpen to all 18-35

years old with interestin agriculture

$5 entry feePrizes for winners

Snacks &Refreshments

Young Farmers continuewinning ways

NREC addressing water quality, crops

Illinois Farm BureauStrength With Advisory Teams(SWAT) began meeting lastmonth. KCFB director MikeKenyon of South Elgin is on theLocal and State Governmentteam which held its first meet-ing in February.The team elected a chairman,

Mark Tuttle of DeKalb County,and vice-chairman, Carl Millerof Cumberland County.One of the major topics dis-

cussed during the first meetingwas funding of Soil and WaterConservation Districts. MichaelRay of the Illinois Departmentof Transportation talked to the

group to help determine howSWCD offices can acquire fund-ing and provide a high level ofservice. Education funding wasalso discussed, along with thedifficulties that can be encoun-tered when trying toconsolidate high schooland elementary schoolsinto one district. “We also talked

about long-rangefreight transportationpolicy,” Kenyon said.“The fact that yourtruck consumes muchless fuel than your dad’s didyears ago is a good thing, but it

also means less fuel tax is col-lected.” Kenyon explained thatthose funds are needed to main-tain highways, so the fundingmechanism needs to be exam-ined, possibly including how to

capture revenue fromcharging stations forelectric vehicles.Other issues dis-

cussed included 911emergency fundingand how to prepare forpossible proposedchanges to use of farmvehicles on public

roads.The team will meet again in

March, June and August. Theywill develop recommendationsfor the Illinois Farm BureauBoard which could result in pol-icy resolutions, much the sameway County Farm BureauBoards develop grassroots poli-cy for the association.

Happy St. Pats Day! Andmay your home always be

too small to hold all of yourfriends.

Ag Days are coming! Thereare 1,500 Kane County fourthgrade students scheduled toattend this year on Tuesday,Wednesday, or Thursday, March18-20. Any help you can givewould be appreciated. Pleaseconsider volunteering. Call theFarm Bureau to sign up for times.

In March your Women’sCommittee is joining theFermilab Women’s Committeefor a free tour of Orchids ByHausermann Inc. in Villa Park.We are looking forward to thistour, which we have consideredin the past. After reading a num-ber of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfemystery series books, which havemany references to the cultivationof orchids, I am curious to knowif orchids can be easy to grow.We would love for other

Farm Bureau women to join our

committee. We meet mostmonths at 9:15 a.m. in the KaneCounty Farm Bureau office.The most frequently used

password is “password”!Previously it was 12345678, oranother length of sequentialnumbers! It is important thatyou use a stronger passwordthan these examples; andremember to not use the samepassword for everything. Alsonever write down your pass-word and store it under the desklight or some other close place!This has been your computerhint-of-the-day.May you have the “Luck of

the Irish” – but don’t forget toback up your computer!Here is a jelled fruit salad for

St. Pat’s Day that was a recipe acousin gave me many years ago.

Sea Foam Salad1 #21/2 can Pears2 pkg. Lime Gelatin1 small pkg. Cream Cheese2 T. Cream

MARCH 2014 KANE COUNTY FARMER PAGE 7

Women’s CornerBy Louise Johnson

Women’s Committee Chair

St. Charles Agency, Bob Effner,Agency ManagerChuck Quick has been

named the Financial Represen -tative of the Month for January2014 in the St. Charles/ElginAgency, as announced byAgency Manager, Robert J.Effner, Sr., CLF®, LUTCF. Chuck has positively impact-

ed his clients through auto,farm, home, life, business andinvestments. Congratulations toChuck! Chuck has been with COUN-

TRY Financial® since Septem -ber 1974. He may be reached athis office located at 822Centennial Dr., Hampshire, byphone at 847-683-2100. Youmay also email Chuck atcharles.quick@countryfinan-cial.com or via his website:c o u n t r y f i n a n c i a l . c o m /charles.quick. Aurora Agency, Kevin Gomes,Agency ManagerBret Brizzolara, Financial

Representative with the AuroraAgency, is our Financial

Representative of the Month forJanuary, 2014. Bret began hiscareer with COUNTRYFinancial in August of 2011 andservices clients out of his officelocated at 1161 Oak Street,North Aurora, 60542, (630)907-0796.Bret’s professionalism and

vast knowledge of auto, home,life, commercial and financialproducts make him a great per-son to do business with.Congratulations, Bret!

Kane CountyFarm Bureau

What’s new in the COUNTRY agencies?

For the third year, Illinoisfamily farmers are welcomingChicago-area moms to theirfarms to answer the moms’questions about how food isgrown. The Illinois FarmFamilies “Field Moms”, includ-ing Michelle Follman ofCarpentersville, will tour fourIllinois farms and a northernIllinois grocery store betweenFebruary and October this yearto see how farmers care for theiranimals and the environment. On why she wanted to take

part in the year long programFollman said, “Farming is amajor part of Illinois’ economy,but you don’t really stop tothink about this when you livein the city. I want to learn moreabout how farms work and howthey’re evolving. Gaining first-hand experience will help meseparate fact from fiction when

it comes to agriculture.”The Field Moms will tour a

pig farm, corn and soybeanfarm, dairy farm and beef farm.

They will ride along as cropsare planted and harvested. Theirfirst tour will be of Ultra Foodsin Wheaton, Ill., February 22.While there, the Field Momswill have a chance to speak withUltra Foods managers and staffand registered dietician Jodie

Shield will answer the moms’questions about healthy foodand nutrition.

“I am very interested inlearning the facts around farm-ing,” said 2014 Field MomLynn Prehm, Naperville.“There is so much conflictinginformation about what foodswe should buy and why, and Ijust want to know the facts.I’m looking forward to gettingthe facts from the source, notsecondhand from people whodon’t live it.”Illinois Farm Families will

be opening their doorsthroughout the year, welcomingthe Field Moms and answeringany questions they have aboutanimal care, pesticides, biotech-nology and more. Meet the restof the Field Moms, and partici-pating farmers, at watchusgrow.org.

‘Field Moms’ to get answers about farming and food

Recruiter of the MonthKane County Farm Bureau

honors the person or personswho sign the most mem-bers into our organiza-tion. This month, thehonor goes to AshrafGerges, who signed12 new members.Ashraf has been anagent with COUNTRYFinancial since May 2011.Ashraf services clients from the

office located at 2172Blackberry Dr. in Geneva and

may be reached at 630-262-1059. As a token ofour appreciation, hereceives two tickets tothe Charlestowne MovieTheater. Thank youAshraf for your contin-ued support of the Kane

County Farm Bureau and con-gratulations on your success!

Ashraf Gerges

1 c. Whipping Cream, whippedTake juice from pears, add

water to make 2 cups of liquid,and heat to boiling. Pour over

gelatin and stir until dissolved.Mix cream cheese and creamuntil smooth. Add gelatin mix-ture and beat with an electric

mixer until blended. Chill untilpartly thickened. Fold in well-drained, mashed pears. Fold inwhipped cream.

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!

Michelle Follman of Carpentersvillewas recently named an Illinois FarmFamilies “Field Mom.”

SWAT meetings convene

Mike Kenyon

smoke infused. Agriculture will be the focus

of Ag Days this month. We willbe introducing approximately2,000 4th graders to the vastworld of agriculture here in KaneCounty. The students will see ourlocal agriculture and how itaffects their lives. The arrival of Ag Days and

the fast approaching Touch-a-Tractor, mean that spring isactually coming…”you justhave to have faith.”

Ag Literacy(continued from page 4)

Winter woes melt intopromise of spring

Our five-year-old stated hiswisdom with such wide-

eyed excitement and innocence:“Mom, the groundhog saw hisshadow and now there are 16more weeks of winter!”“What?!” I replied.His older sister quickly cor-

rected his statistics.“Oh yeah, six weeks,” he

remembered.That sounded better. But not

much. While the kids may notfully embrace the harshness ofthis winter, the adults do. And Idon’t know an adult who wouldwish for even six more days ofthis winter. We tire of tales ofhigh heating bills, frozen pipesand livestock waterers, and can-cellations. Before Valentine’sDay, the kids counted sevenweather-related days off ofschool. They had yet to attend afull five-day week of schoolsince 2013. The teachers repeat-edly rescheduled the 100th DayCelebration.Top that with weekends of

ruined plans. Adult frustrationof consuming propane heatingfuel like calories at Christmas.And sparkling, deep snow thatproved lousy for snowman con-struction most of the time. Soonenough, the anticipation of sub-zero air temperatures and windchills became less thrilling.

There were days our familyrefused attempts to heat thefarm shop where we preparedequipment for spring. Rather,we were pent up, forced to facebookwork, housework andboard games or bake a long-time family cake recipe withthose oranges from the FFAfundraiser. Snap from it. Stop complain-

ing. The snow was beautiful inearly February — photo-wor-thy, in fact. And we’re safe. Thepromise of spring will arrive. Inevery conversation, the talk is ofhow soon. As much as tomor-row’s forecast, I want to knowthe one for next week. Nextmonth would be great, too. Teachers, barbers, farmers,

fellow church-goers and momsin the school pick-up zone talkless about the weather at thetime and more about how wewant it to be. Sunny. Warmer.Greener. With moderate precip-

itation. Even normal wouldseem fantastic.On the farm, we wonder:

When will fieldwork begin?Will winter’s cold, wet patternlinger? Will rain fall on snowand make a “floody “mess?How timely will soils warm andplanting begin? Will the cruelwinter reduce this year’s crop-destroying bugs and nastyweeds? Will winter’s furyimpact the spring calf crop?

Time will tell, as it alwaysdoes. We have faith that the sunwill shine, grass will green andsoils mellow in preparation foranother growing and grazing sea-son. In the meantime, I’m readyfor the day I take little rubberboots to the school bus for thatsloppy stroll down the lane.About the Author: Joanie

Stiers, a wife and mother of two,farms with her husband and fam-ily on a multi-generational grainfarm in West-Central Illinois.

PAGE 8 KANE COUNTY FARMER MARCH 2014

Touch-A-Tractor

Touch-A-Tractor is a farm community “Open House” The Kane County Farm Bureau Foundation welcomes our urban and suburban neighbors to learn more about food and fiber production by “bringing the farm to the city”.

Bring the whole family!

- Visit with local farmers.- Explore modern farm machines & antique tractors.- Climb the steps to the cab of a giant combine.- Play on the seat of real farm tractors.- Enter children & grandchildren 8 & under in a free drawing

for a pedal tractor. (*1 entry per child)- Bring non-perishable food items for an additional ticket for

the free pedal- tractor drawing - See technology that makes America’s farmers the most

productive and efficient in the world, side by side with machines of days gone by.

- Learn about America’s most essential industry...Agriculture.

Touch-A-Tractor Fri., April 4, Noon - 4pm Sat., April 5, 10am - 4pm Sun., April 6, 10am - 4pm

Friday - Sunday April 4–6

Kane County Farm Bureau FOUNDATIONRandall Road at Oak Street, St. Charles

630-584-8660

Kane County Farm Bureau FOUNDATION

9th Annual

FREE!

Kane County Farm Bureauneeds updated information foryour farm market for updates tothe Bounty of Kane website for2014. Prerequisites are thatfarms listed qualify for and becurrent voting members of theKane County Farm Bureau, thatproducts be raised on the farmlisted and that the farm selldirectly to the public through afarm stand or farmer’s market. Bountyofkane.org features a

map of local farms and farmer’smarkets to allow consumers tomore easily access and purchasefruits, vegetables, and a long listof specialty products. It lists 36

local farms and a dozenfarmer’s markets, along withwebsites and contact informa-tion. It’s a great resource forKane County shoppers to findquality locally grown farmproducts. Please email yourfarm market information toinfo@kanecfb.com or call 630-584-8660.

KCFB Foundation Winner’s Choice Tractor RafflePlease send me ______ tickets ($10 each or 3 for $25)

Name_________________________________________________________________

Address_______________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip__________________________________________________________

Phone (_______) _______________________________________________________

Return with check made payable toKane County Farm Bureau Foundation, 2N710 Randall Rd., St. Charles, IL 60174 or charge my:

■ Visa ■ MC #_____ _____ _____ _____ Exp ____ / ____

Signature ________________________________Date ____ / ____ / ____

Grand prize: 1954 Farmall SuperMTA or a JD X30 riding mower or$2,500 cash.2nd prize: $1,000 in groceries3rd prize: $500 in fuel4th prize: $250 in KCFB Bucks.

Help shoppers findyour farm stand

Landowners interested inconservation plantings forwindbreaks, shade, erosion con-trol, wildlife or groundwaterrecharge should contact theKane-DuPage Soil and WaterConservation District for a copyof the 2014 ConservationCatalog. The catalog is an annu-al service of the District thatallows landowners to purchasedeciduous trees and shrubs, and

plant packages for prairies,ponds, stream banks and butter-fly gardens. SWCD also offersrain barrels, prairie plants, andfish. Order deadlines and pick-up dates vary, but the earliestdeadline is fast approaching, onMarch 15, and supplies are lim-ited. For more information call630-584-7961 ext. 3 or visitKaneDuPageSWCD.org.

SWCD offers trees,plants and fish

To recognize the contribu-tions of students from KaneCounty FFA Chapters in thesuccess of Kane County FarmBureau programs, the KCFBFoundation will once againmake grants available to localFFA Chapters in 2014.For many years, FFA

Chapters have assisted the FarmBureau annually with its largesteducational undertaking, AgDays, and have added to thesuccess of the Farm Bureau’sTouch-A-Tractor and CountyFair promotions. For 2012, theFarm Bureau Foundation hasselected these three programs tohelp promote leadership devel-opment skills in FFA members. Participation in two or more

of these programs will earn FFAChapters a minimum $250grant. Participation in all threewill earn the Chapter $400. Upto an additional $100 will beoffered to FFA Chapters thatcomplete and report a commu-nity service activity by July 31,2014, bringing the potentialaward up to $500 per FFAChapter. The KCFB Foundation pro-

vides funding to support agri-cultural, educational, and lead-ership development for the ben-efit of agriculture and local farmfamilies.

KCFBFoundationoffers FFAchaptergrants

Kane

County Farm Bureau

Since 1912

During the Shop -ping Spree intro-ductions, Craig andAngie Bradley ofElgin presented acheck for $500 toSue Erickson (left)of Food for GreaterElgin as part of the Harvest for ALLhunger relief pro-gram. See story on page 1.