The Bureau County Farm Bureau donated $1,489.00 to the Bureau County Extension Unit at the April Board meeting, thanks to generous donations received from Farm Bureau members. Jim May, District 4 Representative (right) presented the check to Jill Guynn, Unit Leader of the University of Illinois Extension Unit in Bureau, Marshall-Putnam and LaSalle Counties.

Illinois Farm Bureau® created "Agricultural Leaders of Tomorrow" (ALOT), an agricultural leadership development program designed to give participants a head start on tackling tomorrow's responsibilities.

Twenty-nine IFB members representing 13 counties have successfully completed the 34th ALOT program. Kyle Bickett and Evan Hultine represented Bureau County. The 2013 ALOT sessions were held in northern Illinois. To date, 1045 participants have graduated from the program.

Emergency Responders from Bureau County learn how to use grain bin rescue tubes during the March 9 training in Princeton. State Line Rescue presented several different scenarios throughout the day-long event in order to instruct responders about agricultural related hazards. The Bureau County Farm Bureau donated$700 to help sponsor local emergency responders who had an interest in attending the educational effort which was spearheaded by the Princeton Fire Department. This donation was part of an effort through the Safety Grant assistance program by Illinois Farm Bureau and COUNTRY Financial. Hands on lessons for the day included but was not limited to Grain Bin Extraction and Rescue and other mechanical efforts.

The Nineteenth annual 4th grade Ag Fair was held on March 21st at the Bureau County Fairgrounds. This year the Ag Fair was attended by 22 classes composed of almost 425 students and approximately 25 adults and teachers. The 22 classes were divided between morning and afternoon sessions. The students visited 14 different sessions were they had a nine minute mini lesson on agriculture. 

Once again this year the Bureau County Farm Bureau, Bureau County Pork Producers Association and the Bureau County Cattleman's Association are sponsoring the Agricultural Service Award. The purpose for this award is to provide an opportunity for Bureau County agricultural organizations and businesses to honor individuals who have given exemplary leadership and service to agriculture and farmers in Bureau County and beyond.

The Bureau County Farm Bureau Foundation, a non-profit that supports and enhances educational activities as well as other community programs, has received a donation of $10,000 from Ag View FS and CoBank as part of the bank's "Sharing Success" program.

The donation will be used to fund agricultural scholarships and internships, promote educational programs such as Ag in the Classroom and provide leadership opportunities. This donation will be split between Ag View FS's territory which is Bureau, Lee, Marshall-Putnam and Stark Counties.

Bureau County Ag in the Classroom and Manlius Community Ambulance Service will now be able to better serve the community thanks to the support of local farmer, Alan Dale, and America's Farmers Grow Communities.

The Bureau County Farm Bureau Young Leaders Committee has wrapped up its farm labor pool application period. This listing for Bureau County residents interested in full or part time agricultural related labor is has now been compiled. The list is now available at the Farm Bureau Office in Princeton, and will be accessible to anyone who needs farm help.

The Farm Bureau or the Young Leaders Committee do not intend this listing to be an endorsement of any persons and will not be responsible for any actions of workers.

Illinois Farm Bureau's (IFB) 2013 Strength With Advisory Teams (SWAT) gathered for their first meeting in January to discuss current challenges and issues facing IFB members and lay the groundwork to help guide the future of agriculture.

The Cuba Trip Informational Meeting set for today has been canceled. We have rescheduled it for March 27th at 1:00 p.m