MCDFB • June 2009 • Page 7
‘Annie’s Project’ to be offered Lisa Fulkerson, County Extension Director – McDonough County
By Whitney Homer
Even though school is out for the summer, Ag in the Classroom coordinators and teachers are staying busy. Over 580 coordinators and agriculture teachers met at the National Ag in the Classroom Conference held on June 24th through June 27th, in St. Louis, Missouri. This is a large event and specifically exciting for Illinois coordinators because Illinois and Missouri teamed up to host the annual traveling conference this year. I was fortunate this year to attend the conference. While in St. Louis, I met many new faces from all different states and brought home tons of free resources to help our Ag in the Classroom program here in McDonough County. Upon arrival, National Ag in the Classroom Conference participants attended a newcomers meeting. Here, participants discovered everything that would be included in the conference and what to expect. Following, that evening, Ag in the Classroom participants attended an Italian dinner that was created to imitate the popular St. Louis area “The Hills.” The Hills is a predominately Italian neighborhood that holds a lot of culture to the St. Louis area. Traveling workshops were scheduled for Thursday. First on the agenda, our group visited the St. Louis Science Center where we got to tour their new life science lab. After figuring out what type fingerprints each of us have, we were able to solve our own mystery- CSI style. Upon leaving the Science Center, our group traveled to Forest Park, also located in St. Louis. Forest Park was the home of the 1904 World’s Fair. It took two years to construct the World’s Fair, which was open for seven months after. The agriculture palace was said to have a 23 acre roof and house huge exhibits made out of corn and soybeans. Most buildings were made of a pine and plaster-of-paris mixture. Unfortunately, all but two buildings were torn down after the fair that hosted 20 million people. While at Forest Park, we visited the St. Louis Mounted Police. The mounted officers are in charge of patrolling the parks at all hours. The stables currently house 10 horses. Next, we visited Schafly’s Bottling Company, a native micro brewery in St. Louis. They are the 3rd producer of beer in St. Louis behind “those big guys with the Clydesdales.” For the evening we enjoyed a private tour of Grant’s Farm, the 281 acre home of the Busch family. The farm has over 1,000 animals representing more than 100 different species from six continents. Friday it was down to business. We attended several workshops put on by presenters from several of the 50 states. It was interesting to see how their ag in the classroom programs revolved around that specific state’s agriculture commodity and how their lessons differed for Illinois. Some of the most popular workshops attended were the “Amber Waves of Grain,” “Hi Cotton,” and “An Ag Day? Why.” All workshops were beneficial to the participants, whether you were learning several new lesson plans and strategies or listening and learning about issues such as “Bridging Agriculture with Culture.” To begin Saturday morning, conference participants attended a “state breakfast.” States were divided into specific tables, each having a representative, and participants were asked to sit at a table other than their home state and learn about that state’s agriculture. More mini-workshops were attended to close the conference. Child storybook writer, Gail Gibbons spoke at the luncheon. Gail has written several books that are incorporated into the Ag in the Classroom curriculum and kits. The National Ag in the Classroom Conference was a huge success. As a first-year Ag in the Classroom Coordinator, it was very beneficial to meet with other coordinators and see how they do things. The sights of St. Louis were fun and educational as well.
FREE Classifieds! Did you know that classified ads are free to all McDonough County Farm Bureau members? There must be something you’d like to have someone take off your hands! To submit item for this section, call us at 309-837-3350 or email at mcdfb@logonix.net. Also, feel free to cut out this ad and return it to us via the mail at 440 N. Lafayette St., Suite 105 in Macomb. All submissions must be received by MCDFB by the third Monday of each month to appear in the upcoming month.
To assist with serving the needs of area farm families, University of Illinois Extension-McDonough, Henderson, Warren and Mercer are presenting Annie’s Project. What is Annie’s Project? Annie’s Project is a program designed to empower farm women to be better business partners through participation in a series of six educational sessions examining the business of farming. Some of the topics covered during the sessions include time management, business planning, financial recordkeeping, commodity marketing and management, farmland leasing and purchasing, retirement and estate planning, and government farm programs and policies. Time will also be spent working at computers learning to use the internet and various farm analysis tools. The series of classes will be offered at the 4-H Center in Macomb from 1-3:30pm on August 24, 26, 31, September 2 and 9. A sixth class on ag production is being planned for a later date at the Monsanto research farm in Monmouth. As a result of a grant from the USDA Farm Service Agency, we are able to offer the program at a reduced cost of $50 per person. The fee
includes all materials and computer use. Class space is limited. For additional information about the event, or to place your name on a list to reserve a spot for this program, contact University of Illinois Extension—McDonough County at 309-8373939 or lfulkers@illinois.edu Registration is requested by August 7, 2009.
Classifieds Classifieds ads are free to all McDonough County Farm Bureau members. To submit items call us at 309-837-3350 or email at mcdfb@logonix.net. All submissions must be received by the third Monday of the month to appear in the upcoming month.
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