CCFB News» October 2021

2022 Farmland Questionnaire/Affidavit for farmland status in Cook County have been sent. The initial filing deadline date is October 29, 2021, and the forms must be notarized.

The Cook County Farm Bureau Board of Directors will be conducting a business only Annual Meeting on November 10, for the Voting Members of the Cook County Farm Bureau. Voting members may attend the Annual Meeting or may “date” and “sign” the proxy printed below and return it by November 5 to the office.

Guided tours, farm fresh produce, eggs, honey, fresh flowers, fall plants, pumpkins, farm animals and feed, freebies, farm specials, and refreshments were enjoyed by Crawlers during our 5th Farm Crawl on a beautiful, sunny Saturday in September! Thank you to our Crawlers for venturing out to see agricuture in action! We also thank our 23 businesses that welcomed Passport Crawlers, and offering them a chance to get to know you a little bit better during the 2021 Farm Crawl.

Illinois Home-Based Food Products Can Be Sold Directly To Customers In 2022 Under New Law – Soon farmers markets won’t be the only place to find home-based food products in Illinois. Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Home-to-Market Act (SB2007) into law, effectively opening the door for small farms and home bakers to sell their products directly to customers through fairs and festivals, home sales, pickup, delivery and shipping. (State Journal-Register)

Interested in adding your message to the Centennial Patio?

Each month we are highlighting a Cook County Farm Bureau Member: This month's "Face of CCFB" is... Rick & Joy Homerding, owner of Puckerville Farms.

Just when the sweet corn is addictive and the tomatoes are bountiful it’s time to say goodbye to the bounty of my garden. A new favorite I planted this summer was the Mexican Midget Tomato and let me tell you, the description stating they are “prolific” was spot on! For the second year in a row my impulse to add just a few more plants to my garden resulted in a dense forest of tomatoes that were difficult to even reach. These midgets were the star of the garden.

For anyone keeping track, the big red dragon and his kid brother have graced another fair, this time in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. In front of a crowd of 4,000, the big red dragon raced around a pen. Rolled back on command. Ran in sweeps. Pinwheeled. Barrel turned. And completed two drills. He still didn’t like the corner between the grandstand and the bucking chute, but he left the funny business at home. He’ll visit his final fair this year, the Central Wisconsin State Fair, before this column goes to print.

Cook County Farm Bureau wins a 2021 Summit Award, ASAE’s highest honor for the association community. Volunteers were presented the award during the Summit Awards on September 30th, at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.  

The legislature met in September to approve Senate Bill 2408, the controversial and sweeping clean energy legislation. Senate Bill 2408 calls for the elimination of Illinois carbon emissions by 2050, while allowing two coal-fired plants to stay open until 2045 with the caveat that they cut emissions by nearly half by 2038.

Pollinators, the busy bees behind the scenes, are essential for sustainability of our ecosystems and natural resources.

Organic producers and handlers have until Nov. 1 to apply for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funds to assist with the cost of receiving or maintaining organic certification.

At nearly 4 years old, our son’s Christmas wish list included grain storage bins and a “wiggle tractor.” (His description for a tractor that articulates in the middle). He found toy versions of both under the tree.

We would like to personally thank you on behalf of the board and staff for renewing your membership in the Cook County Farm Bureau®. The past two years have been difficult for many of our members with the pandemic and members have faced challenging times.

Recipe printed with permission from member, Michael O'Brien

Way back in June, I was sorting and tossing old files of paper and I ran across an American Farm Bureau Federation Foundation for Agriculture document entitled: Pillars of Agricultural Literacy – Understanding the intersection between agriculture and society. Many times, that intersection is at the Cook County Farm Bureau through this Co-Operator publication.