CCFB News» January 2024

Cook County Farm Bureau is coming off of a very successful year that culminated in the Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting held December 2-4 in Chicago. During the meeting, Cook County Farm Bureau leaders were involved in many ways and received several awards and recognitions.

• Cook County Farm Bureau submitted a substantial Policy Resolution on “food waste and resource recovery” that was adopted by the IFB delegates and will be used across the state to strengthen rural-urban partnerships with individuals and groups.
• Cook County Farm Bureau volunteers met with Cook County legislators.
• Cook County Farm Bureau leaders helped elect a new Illinois Farm Bureau President, Vice President, and District 5 IFB Director.
• The Cook County Farm Bureau received two Activity of Excellence awards for Farm Exploration in the Local Affairs category and Membership Value Drip Marketing Campaign under the Membership Value category.
• Cook County Farm Bureau received the Liberty Bell award which goes to the County Farm Bureau with the most outstanding all-around policy development, information, and implementation programming. Our focus was bridging the gap between rural, suburban, and urban communities regarding to local agriculture.
• Cook County Farm Bureau received the Pinnacle Award for the large County Farm Bureau group for the third consecutive year. The Pinnacle award is the highest County Farm Bureau award recognizing complete and well-rounded organizational excellence including goals/objectives, planning, implementation, and results.

Ogle County livestock and grain farmer Brian Duncan has been elected the 16th president of Illinois Farm Bureau.

Duncan's ascension to president came after a majority of the 327 delegates gathered for IFB's 2023 Annual Meeting in Chicago selected him for the position. Delegates also elected Evan Hultine, a sixth-generation grain farmer from Bureau County, as vice president.

A self-described "product of this organization," Duncan's path to the presidency largely started in the 1990s, when Duncan served four years on the IFB Young Leaders Committee (1990-94) and was named the IFB Discussion Meet winner (1990) and the Young Leader Achievement Award winner (1999). 

Duncan served 13 years as president of the Ogle County Farm Bureau (2004-17) and has held positions on the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Swine Advisory Committee, National Pork Producers Council Price Discovery Task Force, and Ogle County Pork Producers board of directors. 

Duncan said he intends to represent all parts of the ag industry and all parts of Illinois. 

"I look forward to serving the entire state and its great diversity," Duncan said.  

Illinois Farm Bureau delegates Monday elected Evan Hultine of Bureau County as Illinois Farm Bureau’s vice president.