CCFB News» January 2023

All community-based urban gardens in Cook County are encouraged to apply. Grant details and applications are available from January 9 through February 28, 2023. Application available now…why wait!

It seems reasonable to assume a property tax increase is due to a rise in the assessed value of your property, but is this true? Assessed value is only one component in the total equation used to calculate your property tax bill. If you assume the assessed value is the driving factor behind higher taxes, you are missing the full picture and, in many cases, the truth behind a higher tax bill.

With suicide on the rise within the agriculture community, the Farm Family Resource Initiative is launching an open support group for farmers and farm family members 18 years and older who have lost a loved one.

The year 2022 featured plenty of ups and downs for members and the organization. Coming off the 2020 and 2021 pandemic shutdowns and related issues, as an organization, the Cook County Farm Bureau is proud to have provided another year full of service in 2022 to members. Here’s a brief recap of some highlights…

We are coming off of a very successful year. Last weekend at the Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting, Cook County Farm Bureau was recognized in a number of ways…

Engaged with Cook County legislators and staff to advocate for the expansion of Urban farming opportunities within Cook County.

The USDA is creating 11 urban Farm Service Agency offices (pilot programs) in the United States with a focus on serving urban agriculture and the underserved populace. One of those FSA offices is slated to be located in Cook County.

Cook County Farm Bureau® members submitted numerous policies to the Farm Bureau delegates during the 2022 Annual Meeting in Chicago. Approved policy items include.

I didn’t make resolutions this New Year. I didn’t follow through with them in 2022.

I haven’t reduced my Dr Pepper consumption. Probably actually increased it now that I think about it. Oops.

I was recently asked, “Why the 4th grade?” for our Ag in the Classroom (AITC) program.The question came from Mike Orso, of Illinois Farm Bureau’s “Partners” podcast. The podcast – my first ever audio-recorded interview – can be heard online at www.ilfb.org/PartnersPodcast. Most AITC programs focus on fourth grade because agriculture matches a lot of the Common Core Standards for the grade, including science, geography, social science, math, English language arts, and more.

Ag in the Classroom program is offering a summer internship to a college student majoring in Agriculture Education or Ag Communications. The individual selected for this paid internship will assist with all live and virtual programming including content development and delivery to teachers, youth, and community members.

Farm Bureau is proud to highlight the work our members are doing to improve soil health and water quality through a documentary titled “Sustaining Our Future: A Farm Family Story,” which debuted in December at the Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in Chicago.

One of my favorite holiday cards routinely arrives at the turn of the New Year. My friend mails photo cards that capture her cattle, sometimes in the romantic calm of winter. One year it was a snow-capped hay bale. Another, it was the steaming breaths of her cows with frost-covered backs. Just looking at that photo, you can feel the frigid air of that winter morning, but the cows appear at peace, content with the cold Illinois landscape.

Recipe printed with permission from member, Ray's Quality Greenhouse, Donna Nykaza-Jones

There is something special about having a legacy with farm history and connections. When I meet someone, invariably, the person tells me about their grandparents or uncle or cousins that farmed at one time. The conversation usually connects with the individual’s childhood and his or her memories gained through visits and moments on that farm. I am so glad that farm experiences are a special connection we all commonly seem to share.