Warren Henderson Farm Bureau® has worked with Rockford Map Publishers on new 2021 plat books. The plat books are available for purchase at W-HFB Monmouth and Stronghurst offices. Plat Books are $28.00 (this includes tax) for members and $40.00 (this includes tax) for non-members. Shipping options are available, visit whfarmbureau.org or call W-HFB for information. A plat book can be found by clicking here.

Area educators note: On Wednesday, June 8th (Quad Cities) and Thursday, June 9th (Peoria), “Ag in a Day” teacher workshops will be held, hosted by Bureau, Henry, Knox, Mercer, Stark, and Warren-Henderson county farm bureaus. These workshops and tours are intended to help teachers learn about ag topics and local agricultural products in surrounding counties. Professional development credits will be available to attendees. The workshops are $10/teacher per day, teachers are invited to attend one or both days; workshops are open to all teachers & educators.

Registration opens April 18th: registration numbers will be capped, be sure to register early!

Click here for more information and to register.

Saturday, June 4, 2022 has been set as the date for a Maple City Antique Tractor Association Tractor Drive. The Maple City Antique Tractor Club is generously sponsoring this June Tractor Drive as a fundraiser for the Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau Foundation Scholarship and Ag Education Partnership’s Ag in the Classroom programs. All makes and models of tractors are welcomed (your tractor must be able to maintain a speed of 12MPH). The 60-mile tractor cruise will begin at 907 N. Monroe St., Abingdon at 8:30am and cruise through the scenic hills and farms of Knox County.

Tractor Drive Rules
Tractor Drive Article

Applications Available for Veterinary Student Loans

llinois Farm Bureau® (IFB) is accepting applications for its Illinois Veterinary Education and Training (IVET) loan program. Loans are available to second-year veterinary students attending any accredited college of veterinary medicine in the U.S. and who are focusing on Illinois food animal medicine. The program loans up to $40,000 to as many as three veterinary students each year. Loans are made over a period of two to three years. IVET awards recipients a $1,500 stipend during their fourth year in school to help pay expenses associated with clinical rotations. Loans are repaid over five years, during which graduates must commit to working in a food animal practice that services Illinois livestock producers. IFB established IVET in 2005. Since then, the organization has awarded more than $550,000 to 27 veterinary students who focus on caring for food animals in Illinois.
Applications are due May 15, 2022 and can be found online at www.ilfb.org/IVET. The selection committee will interview eligible applicants in spring 2022. For more information about the program, contact Tasha Bunting at 309-557-2993 or tbunting@ilfb.org

The Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau® will be hosting a Defensive Driving Course taught by Doug Sommer on June 15th and 16th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Farm Bureau® auditorium in Monmouth, 1000 N Main St. The registration fee is $10.00 for Farm Bureau® members and $20.00 for non-members.
The course is open to anyone with a valid driver’s license. Those 55 and over could be eligible for a discount on their auto insurance after completion of this course: contact your auto insurance carrier to find out. Participants are required to attend both days in order to qualify for the discount.
Pre-registration is required and class size is limited. Contact W-HFB at 309-734-9401 or email whfb@whfarmbureau.org for more information or to register. To read a full write-up, click here.

Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau® is hosting a Dueling Pianos event on Friday, June 17th, at the American Legion in Monmouth (1110 N 11th St.). Doors will open at 6:00pm, heavy appetizers will be served. After an announcement of the W-HFB Foundation Scholarship recipients and the W-HFB Ag Service Award Winner, Felix & Fingers will take the stage. Foundation auction items will be on display!

Tickets for the event will be $50 (checks made out to W-HFB), with all proceeds going toward Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau Foundation Scholarship and Ag Education Partnership Ag in the Classroom programs. We hope you will join us for an evening of entertainment, food, and fun as we hope to socialize and get summer started off together. To reserve a ticket, contact Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau at 309-734-9401 or email whfb@whfarmbureau.org. Be sure to check back in the coming weeks for more details!

“What herbicide trait are your beans this year?” That is a question we should be asking of our neighbors and communicating our seed plans to them and to local custom applicators. Let's review the terminology....click here to read more.

Rules for the Road Recording Booklet Available

In February-March, Illinois Farm Bureau hosted a series of two-hour trucking seminars focusing on transportation laws and regulations as they pertain to the agricultural industry. The Rules for the Road Seminar covered recent changes and some of the more established but still misunderstood rules, such as the USDOT Number, UCR registrations and driver’s license classifications, to name a few. Members can find a recording of a seminar by logging into myIFB.org and contact the W-HFB office for a copy of the latest IFB Rules for the Road Transportation Booklet.

The Western Illinois Beekeepers Association cordially invites you to attend their monthly meetings. They are held on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:00pm at the Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau building, 1000 N. Main St., Monmouth, Illinois. Meetings are free and open to the public. Contact Jan Arteaga at 309-313-3648 or arteaga618@gmail.com with questions.

Dr. Temple Grandin was the keynote speaker for the 2022 IFB Young Leader Conference, held January 21-22 in East Peoria. Dr. Grandin is a Colorado State University professor of animal sciences and renowned animal behaviorist and autism activist. In addition to giving the key address (FarmWeek article:Temple Grandin: Innovation needs 'different thinkers' | General | farmweeknow.com ), Grandin also stayed at the conference site all day, visiting with attendees and signing copies of her catalog of books.

The 2022 Illinois Farm Bureau Governmental Affairs Leadership Conference was held February 15th in Springfield. FarmWeek recap: 2022 Governmental Affairs Leadership Conference | | farmweeknow.com. At the end of the conference, a Statewide Legislative Reception was held, giving members the opportunity to speak one-on-one with legislators.

Illinois growers and grower farm operators who transport or apply anhydrous ammonia, or otherwise maintain anhydrous ammonia equipment, are now required by state regulation (8 IAC 215) to complete certified grower training. Illinois Farm Bureau was heavily involved in discussions leading up to this regulatory change and throughout the rulemaking process. Who needs to be certified (by April 1, 2022)?
GROWER: Any individual who produces an agricultural commodity on property he or she owns or controls
GROWER FARM OPERATOR: An individual employed by or otherwise authorized by a grower to transport or apply anhydrous ammonia, or to otherwise maintain anhydrous ammonia equipment. These individuals include grower family members, full-time and part-time hired help, and others providing anhydrous ammonia services at no fee.
Growers and grower farm operators have until April 1, 2022 to be initially certified and must participate in refresher training every three years. As a reminder, Anhydrous Ammonia Certified Grower Training can be fulfilled online or at an in-person training.
Click here to register for online training
Contact the Illinois Department of Agriculture at 217-782-3817 with questions for online training.
Click here to register & view in-person training dates
Contact Jenny Eisenbeis (Illinois Farm Bureau) at 309-557-3207 with questions about in-person training.

Attention farmers:
Dr. Andrew Margenot, a soil science professor at the University of Illinois, has recently been awarded a grant to do on-farm research on nutrient management. To help him with his research, Illinois Farm Bureau is trying to connect Dr. Margenot with farmers throughout the state to participate in a nutrient management project on a regional level across Illinois: a goal is to help create a nutrient management community. Participating farmers will choose a field and researchers will collect deep (36 inches) soil samples this spring. At a future date, in-person regional discussion focus groups would be held on nutrient management to discuss with Andrew. Click here to read more.

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Over 4,000 farmers across the country registered for the 103rd Annual Convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), held Jan. 7-12 in Atlanta, Georgia. The event brought together 345 voting delegates, including 20 delegates from Illinois. Delegates addressed Illinois Farm Bureau’s (IFB) policy submittals on issues of urban agriculture and labor, 2023 Farm Bill priorities, renewable energy, dairy and livestock price transparency and climate change. Also at the national convention, Tyler & Cassie Schleich participated in the Young Farmers & Ranchers Excellence in Agriculture competition.

Click here to read more about their national level experience, and here to read more about their state level experience.
A background video of their story can be viewed here.

The Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau Women’s Committee packed 100 lunches for farmers on October 20th. The lunches, consisting of chips, granola bars, raisins, mints, cookies, and a sandwich or beef sticks and cheese, were packed and delivered to area elevators. Lunches were taken to Big River Resources, Berwick Grain, Cameron Grain, Consolidated Grain and Barge of Gladstone, Farmers Grain of Roseville, and Stronghurst Grain. Many thanks to Sue Campbell, Jill Cook, Janelle Duckwiler, Anna & Sophia Sharp, and Lori Schrock for their efforts to feed hungry workers!

In mid-September, Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau® hosted its Progressive Agriculture Farm Safety Day for area 5th grade students. The purpose of holding this annual all-day event is to teach students safety tips regarding various topics that do and could potentially pertain to them.
Click here to read about the event.

The Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau Women’s/Ag-in-the-Classroom committee and the Prime Beef Festival sponsored their annual Agricultural Education Day for kids on Friday, September 10th at Fairview Center United Methodist Church outside of Monmouth. Approximately 90 fourth grade students from ICS and United school districts attended this annual event. During this morning program students rotated through seven different stations where they learned about the various agriculture topics: Machinery; Soils & Fertilizer; Soybeans; Corn; Beef; Pork; and Sheep. Click here to read more about the event.