Planting SeedsKeeping Busy in February
February may seem like one of the dreariest, most miserable months. It’s usually cold and snowy, you get a little stir crazy from being inside all of the time, and you daydream of summer’s warm weather and sunny days.
However, there are many reasons to love February. February holidays include Groundhog Day on Feb. 2, Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 9, Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14, and President’s Day on Feb. 17. Often, Lunar New Year and Mardis Gras also fall in February (this year, they are Jan. 29 and March 4, respectively). Leap years occur in February every four years, with the next occurring Feb. 29, 2028.
February is a good month to get out and about. Outdoors, you can go ice skating, snow shoeing, hiking, or birdwatching. Indoors, you can visit Chicago Botanic Garden’s orchid show, visit a museum, or watch a movie (Farm Bureau members can call our office at 708-354-3276 to purchase discount AMC, Marcus Theater, and Regal movie tickets).
Cook County Farm Bureau is also hosting numerous events in February, including a workshop on preparing wills and trusts on Feb. 18, a webinar about solar farm and ag-related applications on Feb. 19, a PDCH workshop for educators about soil science and vermicomposting on Feb. 20, and a presentation about growing giant pumpkins on Feb. 25.
February is also a great time to set and accomplish goals. 2025 has just begun, and it’s not too late to start a resolution! My goal for this year is to read 52 books. At least two of those books will be ag-related: I joined CCFB’s book club, which is reading “Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry” by Austin Frerick, and Illinois Ag in the Classroom’s book club, which is reading “The Labors of Hercules Beal” by Gary D. Schmidt.
However, if you’re not a book reader, I’d recommend reading something shorter and bite-sized, such as Illinois Ag in the Classroom’s Farm Bites. These one-page, two-sided flyers have lots of great information about ag topics, are fun and easy to read, and have colorful photos of agriculture in Illinois. There are currently 22 topics, including honey, microgreens, lavender, popcorn, strawberries, rice, turf grass, and pecans. The mushroom Farm Bite features Windy City Mushroom in Chicago, and the hay Farm Bite features my neighbors, the Wackerlin family of Leland. Visit bit.ly/ IAITCFarmBites to read all of the topics.
As you can tell, February is a busy month! Our Ag in the Classroom Program is visiting Cook County classrooms (teachers can request a presentation by visiting bit.ly/AITCplease), we are accepting Spring Mini Grant applications until Feb. 28, we have an upcoming PDCH workshop, Ag Day North and South field trip events are scheduled for third grade classrooms, and planning is underway for summer programming.
Although February is quite busy, I have to remind myself to stop and smell the roses – or in this case, the flowers at the orchid show! Keep warm and enjoy your February!