CCFB News» April 2022

An evening of dining, drinks, live music, games, and fun’raising opportunities!

Cook County Farm Bureau® is a volunteer driven organization.  Members and volunteers are at the heart of the organization and at the heart of every decision made by the Board of Directors.  We want to take a moment to thank and honor the tremendous volunteers who serve our organization.

The American Farm Bureau Federation, in partnership with Farm Credit, is seeking entrepreneurs to apply online for the 2023 Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge. Now in its ninth year, this national business competition showcases U.S. startup companies developing innovative solutions to challenges faced by America’s farmers, ranchers and rural communities.

Cook County Farm Bureau® Ag Literacy Coordinator Diane Merrion discusses the breadth of ag literacy resources available at the Farm Bureau including in-school student field trips, Ag Mags, Ag Days, and teacher resources.

Design a bookmark showing what agriculture means to you. Maybe its eating food pollinated by a bee, enjoying dairy milk from a cow, eating locally grown popcorn, planting a seed, coloring with a soy-based crayon, wearing clothes made from cotton, eating bagels made from wheat or taking a bus fueled with biodiesel, we want YOU to show us how farmers impact our lives.

It was all over the news. How could ‘another feather in your cap’ become the talk of the internet? As the challenging puzzle stumped the contestants, it made me think back to my family’s Christmas Eve game, Millennials vs. Boomers. The object of the game was the Baby Boomers had to answer Millennial questions and vice versa.

The Cook County Farm Bureau Board of Directors, during their March board meeting, approved actions from the February board strategic planning day including the activation of a new Volunteer Management System.

This year's Cookfresh Community Urban Garden Grant Recipients include 50 Acre Farm, St. James Community Farm, Oak Forest Pollinator Garden, St Irenaeus Pantry Garden, Rainbow Beach Victory Garden, and Roots Community Garden.

Understanding the different types of government might help frame the question, “how much is too much?” In Illinois we have general-purpose and special-purpose units of government. Our general-purpose units are counties, townships and municipalities. As a general-purpose unit, they are responsible for providing multiple services, including transportation, protection, entertainment, and public health and welfare services.

My blue-eyed girl is in civics this semester. Along with half of her seventh-grade class, she’ll learn about American government. Explore Illinois government. And take a peek at local government. I’m ecstatic. She’s unimpressed.

I loved civics. Memorizing the Constitutional amendments. Differentiating between the powers of the Executive, Judicial, and Legislative branches. Explaining the concept of checks and balances. The elastic clause. Interstate commerce.

Recipe printed with permission from member, Jodie Shields, Partners Spring 2022

The Board of Directors of the Cook County Farm Bureau Foundation have selected six individuals as recipients of the 2022-2023 Scholarship Program.

A West Coast cousin is guaranteed to call out “rush hour,” when more than one car passes the farmyard during our annual game of wiffle ball. Since childhood, we have played a ball game every year that our city cousins visit the farm. Now adults, they still poke fun at the traffic pattern of primarily the mailman and some neighbors who wave as they pass.

Engaged with 10 Cook County legislators including Illinois Senate President Don Harmon and Illinois Lt. Governor Julianna Stratton.

Awarded six $350 grants to Cook County urban gardens and farmers for the purchase of materials and supplies from area agri-businesses.

We truly appreciate our members and during our Member Appreciation Week, we want to provide some extra love to say thank you for your membership, your involvement, your interest, and your support. We know that it has been a long and difficult year for many… Thank you for partnering with us to get through it!

Throughout the year, there are many National “Months” and National “Days” designed to bring special focus on something or some group. Just recently, March included National Women’s History Month, Irish-American History Month, National Celery Month, National Pig Day, National Snack Day, and many more.