A big thank you to the Women's Committee for their contribution to the 2011 IAA Foundation Silent Auction held during the Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting. Their donation, a baby quilt valued at over $150.00, helped in the successful outcome of the project which raised $40,000 for Illinois Ag in the Classroom. Funds generated will be used to teach Illinois school children about the importance of agriculture. A special thank you to Rheta Schallhorn for piecing together the front of the quilt and to Rita Dabler for putting the final touches on the quilt.

Bureau County Farm Bureau President Bill Naffziger accepts a recognition plaque awarded to the Bureau for its achievements during 2011. The award was presented during the Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting and calls attention to the comprehensive nature of county Farm Bureau programs.

If you are a Voting member of the Bureau County Farm Bureau and are looking for a way to become more involved in your community please consider serving on the board of directors for the Bureau County Farm Bureau. Currently we have positions open in the following districts:

The Bureau County Farm Bureau Young Leaders Committee is sponsoring a farm labor pool listing for Bureau County residents. The committee is compiling a list of people who are looking for agricultural related work. The list will then be available at the Farm Bureau Office in Princeton, and will be accessible to anyone who needs farm help.

The Bureau County Farm Bureau is offering an agriculture student a chance for an Internship for the summer of 2012. Duties for the position would include assistance with summer ag literacy programs, support with public relations efforts and coordination of volunteers for future programming along with other activities as they arise.

The Bureau County Farm Bureau Foundation is pleased to announce that they are offering scholarships to area students majoring in agriculture. Over the last seventeen years, the Foundation has awarded $41,750 to forty two deserving college students. Last year alone the Foundation distributed $6,000 to area students.

Again this year is a general student and graduate student scholarship, which will benefit Bureau County students who wish to further their education in agriculture. Application requirements are the same for both scholarships.

Over 50 students from Bureau, Marshall, Putnam and Stark counties interested in pursuing degrees in agriculture were able to attend the annual College Open House for Agriculture on Wednesday, November 16th at the Marshall-Putnam Farm Bureau Building in Henry.

Still wondering what you could get the hard to buy for family member? Farm Bureau has gift ideas for you!

The 2009 Bureau County Plat Books are on sale now. You can purchase them at the Bureau County Farm Bureau office or the Bureau County Assessors office. These books, published by Rockford Map, will cost Bureau County Farm Bureau members $20 and non-members $30.

Since our earliest days as a nation, farmers have tilled the soil of this great land, feeding their families, other citizens, and people around the world. Over the years, our economy has changed, but the American farm and ranch has remained a vital thread in the fabric of our lives. In fact, an average American farmer feeds 155 people each year.