CCFB News» November 2022

Country Music Star Teamed up with NPB to Support Pig Farmers. The National Pork Board (NPB) teamed up with country music star and five-time Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan as part of an ongoing effort to dispel common misconceptions about modern pig farming.

This year’s Giant Pumpkin contest was filled with creativity, great pumpkin desserts & honey and pumpkins. Thank you to Puckerville Farms in Lemont for hosting the event!

Purchase from a Farm Bureau Member Business, this holiday season with fresh trees, garland, wreaths, poinsettias, greens and decor!

This fall, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is sending the 2022 Census of Agriculture to nearly three million ag producers across the country, including all of the farms and producers in Cook County. NASS is trying to get as many internet responses as possible, so survey codes for responding securely online will be sent this November, with paper questionnaires mailed out in December. Online responses will save taxpayer dollars by eliminating the need for data entry and saving postage and paper.

On Oct. 17, the Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (IAITC) program received funding to continue classroom lessons thanks to IAA Foundation grants to local county coalitions. Eighty coalitions serving 89 Illinois counties were awarded $647,000 in grant dollars which can be used for materials, trainings, educational lessons and activities taking place during the 2022-2023 school year. 

Over the past few years, the topic of mental health has become more prevalent in our daily lives. Constant change and stress, compounded by the pandemic, has left many people feeling depressed or anxious – to the point it affects their health. Farmers and those involved in agriculture are not immune to these challenges.

Cook County Farm Bureau® supports Ordinance 22-5345 to create a Class 7d property tax incentive to spur and support the establishment or expansion of grocery stores in food deserts.

We understand the importance of pollinators to our food system and ecosystem. We also realize that conversations about pollinators are easy and fun to have with urban consumers. Thirteen Farm Bureau leaders designed this project to communicate farmers’ efforts to preserve and increase pollinator habitat as well as to illustrate the connection between pollinators and our food system to urban consumers. This project included four sub-projects: creation of a community pollinator garden; community presentations; pollinator garden community event; and large-scale community education event.

Kevin and Molly Gorman, Owners Gorman Farm Fresh Produce

Engaged with members, community and local pumpkin and honey growers by hosting an annual Giant Pumpkin & Local Honey Contest at Puckerville Farms. Members were able to compete in 5 different categories for cash prizes.

On Sept. 29, the Cook County Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom program held a free PDCH workshop for educators. The workshop featured ILAITC book and project grants and accompanying activities.

One of my favorite memories of school was when we had the Star Lab visit. The large inflatable gray dome looked like an out-of-place igloo as it took up half of our elementary school gymnasium. Every class was given a one-hour presentation inside the Star Lab. The students crawled inside the small tunnel to sit inside the dome, where a projection of the night sky was cast overhead. We learned about constellations and our solar system during the middle of the day, without having to step foot outside. I loved the mythological stories of the constellations: Queen Cassiopeia hanging upside down in her chair, the belt of the hunter Orion, Cancer the crab that attacked Hercules, and the big bear Ursa Major and small bear Ursa Minor.

Effective June 30, 2023, Cook County’s wheel tax will no longer be in effect. Citing suburban repeals of similar vehicle taxes and the lackluster contributions of the vehicle tax to the county’s budget ($3.6 million annually or 0.045% of the county’s $8 billion budget), commissioners approved the repeal of the wheel tax.

Article Seven of the Illinois Constitution provides for the creation of local governments. County boards. Municipalities. Townships. Special districts. Units of local government. These units have the authority to exercise limited governmental power. Some can levy taxes. Some have separate governing boards.

Pollinators are important to the food system and ecosystem – and fun to talk about! Cook County Farm Bureau recognized urban consumers enjoy conversations about pollinators and designed a project to share farmers’ efforts to preserve and increase pollinator habitats as well as to illustrate the connection between pollinators and the food system.

Throughout 2022, Cook County Farm Bureau® has remained engaged with and committed to partnering with and supporting local farmers, students, and local non-profits.

Support for farmers
Cook County Farm Bureau continues to support farmers through marketing enhancement programs like Live Local, Shop Local, Discover Local guides, and Local Farm Products website search function all resources designed to connect consumers to farmers and local produce. These resources are available at cookcfb.org.

Families can expect to pay record high prices at the grocery store for turkey this upcoming holiday season thanks to the impacts of the bird flu and inflation. American Farm Bureau Federation economists analyzed turkey and egg costs in their latest Market Intel.

Like humans, crops have dietary needs. And just as food prices have soared, fertilizers that provide nutrients for crops have nearly tripled since 2020.

We would like to personally thank you on behalf of the board and staff for renewing your membership in the Cook County Farm Bureau®. Recent years have been difficult for many of our members and now inflation is hitting hard for many of you.

Recipe printed with permission from member, Gibby's Gourmet Mushrooms, LLC.

Cold, snow, wind, and weather discomfort season are approaching. For me, this also means biscuits and gravy season. The season is best survived from the comfort of a country café or one’s own kitchen.