CCFB News» May 2020

For Young Leader Group member Asher Horcher, agriculture is not for the faint of heart. The entire world depends on agriculture. If you wear clothing, eat food, use cash, drive a car, have the privilege of living in a stationary home, then you depend on agriculture along with billions of other people world-wide. Agriculture is what makes society possible. Agriculture is the most consistent U.S. export and is the foundation of what keeps this country relevant in the global economy.

Cook County Farm Bureau Young Leader Thomas Poole may have grown up on the southside of Chicago, but his education and career choices were shaped early by the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, and the Young Leaders Group.

Cook County Farm Bureau® Young Leaders Group Chair builds on her experiences in agriculture and horticulture while expanding students’ and individuals’ awareness of the opportunities presented in agriculture.

FFA formerly called “Future Farmers of America” is a dynamic youth organization that develops members leadership, personal growth and career success through hands-on experiences in agriculture. FFA members are future food scientists, veterinarians, small business owners, bankers, teachers, doctors, chemists, government officials, and nurses. They’re leaders in their chosen career fields. FFA is a portion of students’ agricultural education.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people are paying more attention to what they touch, how they breathe and their distance from other people. There’s no need for the coronavirus to impact what people eat, though, says a University of Illinois Extension educator.

The Cook County Farm Bureau® Young Leader Group offers younger agricultural and agriculture related professionals the opportunity for involvement in activities, programs, committees, and leadership. Through service to agriculture, leadership development, fellowship, and team building activities these individuals bring fresh ideas and vitality to the organization.

America has a lot of food. Moving it is tricky. (Wall Street Journal) – You wouldn’t know it from the bare grocery store shelves across the country, but America has plenty of food. The challenge is getting it from the farm to your table. Restaurant closures and shoppers’ rushing to stock their pantries are forcing the agriculture industry to boost production, hire new employees, and set up “war rooms” to keep grocery stores stocked.

Join Cook County Farm Bureau in supporting agriculture and small businesses. Featured local businesses Flowers, Vegetables, Landscape, Farm Stands and much more.

The food challenges we are facing today as part of COVID- 19 were not even a thought back in April 2015 when our Ag Lit Bit topic was planting a Victory Garden.

Stuck inside? Join Cook County Farm Bureau for online ag trivia. Daily questions will be posted on Farm Bureau’s Facebook page. Participants who respond with the correct answer will be entered to win a $25 gift card.

Is zoning the “four letter” word it is often perceived to be? The answer to that question often depends on who’s asking.

Cookfresh® is an assistance program designed for Community Gardens in Cook County to beautify their “places and palates”. The Cookfresh Community Urban Garden Grant program offered six $300.00 grants to support urban agriculturists seeking assistance with a community garden. The community gardens will receive $350 in the form of Cook County Farm Bureau “Cookfresh Funds."

COUNTRY Financial® will provide every client with a personal auto insurance policy as of April 1 with a 15% refund for two months of auto premium in anticipation of a decrease in driving activity in April and May. The refund is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to assist clients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each month we are highlighting a Cook County Farm Bureau Member: This month's "Face of CCFB" is... Don Rietveld, owner of Crete Garden Center & Nursery.

We have been asked to do a lot this past month and have also been asked to not do a lot. While every individual has had to make their own choices, parents didn’t have a choice in taking on the role of teacher.

Join us for a fireside webinar to discuss Hemp 1 year of legalization in IL. Jarret Burke, KifCure and Phil Alberti, Extension will discuss updates to legislation, processing & markets, seed and more.

Cook County Farm Bureau's statement on the Chicago horse carriage ban.

Three years ago, my blue-eyed girl who quietly entered the world one hot Father’s Day joined 4H.

Illinois Farm Bureau® (IFB) is accepting applications for its Illinois Veterinary Education and Training (IVET) loan program. Loans are available to students attending any accredited college of veterinary medicine in the U.S. and who are focused on Illinois food animal medicine.

The 2020 Cookfresh Recipe Collection is a special “throwback” edition for our 100th year. Recipes selected from decades of submissions to commemorate our Centennial. Recipe booklets are available now.

If you enjoy gardening and would like to learn to share your gardening knowledge, the Illinois Extension Master Gardener Program may be for you. Master Gardeners (MG) are a vital link in getting horticulture information to the public through Illinois Extension offices.

When the wall calendar changed in January, we looked to the 2020 planting season with anxious optimism. Our family, farm friends, and even fields needed a fresh start after 2019. Last year’s growing season was brutal, from its unprecedented widespread planting delays and trade wars to a muddy harvest that crept into the month of December.

It only took a matter of a few days for a new reality to set in. The realization that there is a new normal. We are in the midst of life-changing events