education

3rd Grade Ag Day for Kids

An annual event we try to host is our Ag Day for Kids for third graders from Henderson and Warren Counties. The purpose of the event is to get young students familiar with different agriculture topics and products. Students spend a morning or afternoon rotating through stations. Stations we’ve had in the past include: beef and its by-products; poultry and its by-products; pork and its by-products; dairy and its by-products; corn and its by-products; soybeans and its by-products; bees and conservation. This annual event is held late during the winter/early at the First United Methodist Church in Monmouth.

4th Grade Ag Education Day with the Prime Beef Festival

An annual event we try to host with the Prime Beef Festival is Ag Day for kids for fourth graders from Henderson and Warren Counties. Students rotate through different learning stations learning about different agricultural topics. Stations in past years have included: the life cycle of poultry; how to care for and raise swine; how to care for and raise cattle; how to care for and raise sheep; the different breeds of dairy cattle; the importance of soils and fertilizer; soybean plant and growth; corn plant and growth; and farm machinery and agriculture facts. This annual event is held in early September at Fairview Center United Methodist Church outside Monmouth.

Trees for Earth Day

We help the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District bag trees for 4th graders in Warren County. We wrap the roots in wet newspaper and then put if plastic bags to keep the roots moist until they are delivered to the schools. Instructions for planting the trees are given with each tree.

Farm Safety Day

One of our biggest programs of the year is our Progressive Agriculture Farm Safety Day. We host this Safety Day for fifth graders in Warren & Henderson Counties at the Henderson County Fairgrounds. This all-day event is focused around safety and how kids can stay safe in different situations. Students rotate through stations and the day typically concludes with an electrical Live-Live Demonstration. Stations we’ve had in the past for Farm Safety Day include: Animal Safety; Fire Safety; Internet & Cyberbullying Safety: First Aid; Meth Awareness; Railroad Safety; Water Safety; Grain Safety; Stranger Danger/Home Alone Safety; ATV Safety and Seatbelt/ Rollover Safety.

FFA/4-H Events

We work with the 4-H groups and the FFA groups in Henderson and Warren Counties to promote their organizations and their activities.

The Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau provides marketing, health, safety, financial and other educational programs, information, services and activities to our members in order to enhance their farming operation as well as their everyday lives.

• Marketing Seminars
• Health & Safety Programs
• Miscellaneous Informational Programs

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Marketing Seminars

Bi-annually in November and June, the Knox County Farm Bureau and the Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau host a Marketing Seminar, presented by Dr. Steve Johnson. Dr. Johnson, Ph.D., is a retired Farm & Ag Business Management Specialist in Central Iowa for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

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Rules for the Road Trucking Seminars

Annually, Illinois Farm Bureau hosts a series of two-hour programs focusing on transportation laws and regulations as they pertain to the agricultural industry. Topics typically include USDOT Number, UCR registration, Entry Level Driver Training, and Driver's License classifications. Online Rules for the Road booklet: Link

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Various Meetings

Educational meetings over the past several years have covered topics such as succession planning, cover crops, and nitrogen management (as part of a Nutrient Stewardship Grant W-HFB) received from Illinois Farm Bureau from 2019-2023.

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Farmer and Rural Resources

Click the link below to learn more about rural resources offered through Illinois Farm Bureau, including information on IVET (veterinarian) and RIMSAP/Rural Nurse Practitioner (physicians and nurse practitioner) annual scholarships and loan assistance programs: Link

The Warren-Henderson Agricultural Education Partnership was formed to provide Agricultural Education programs to the teachers and students in Henderson and Warren Counties.  The Partnership board consists of individuals representing organizations who want to teach children about the importance to agriculture.  The Partnership employs an Ag Education Coordinator to go into the classroom present lessons and activities on agriculture.  The partnership coordinates with the Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau Ag-in-the-Classroom Committee to assist in their efforts whenever possible. This program is funded strictly by grants and donations.

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board of directors

Lisa Torrance, U of I Extension
Deb Moore, Warren County resident
Shawnee Sheehan, Warren County Soil & Water Conservation District
Shannon Pence, Henderson County Soil & Water Conservation District
John Heiser, Facilitating Coordination in Ag Education (FCAE)
Kathy Wight, ROE
Ashlyn Quinn, Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau Manager

ag education coordinator

Anna Sharp is employed as the Ag Education Coordinator for the Warren-Henderson Ag Education Partnership.  Anna visits classrooms and gives presentations and conducts activities with the students to help them learn about the importance of agriculture.  She works closely with the Illinois Ag in the Classroom program to provide teachers with quick and easy access to all of the materials the Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom has available.  Anna can help you with Ag Mags, classroom presentations and other resources available to her.  She will also give presentations to organizations and civic groups who want to learn more about agriculture.

Anna Sharp, Ag Education Coordinator
PO Box 227  |  Monmouth, IL 61462
Phone: 309-734-5161  |  Fax: 309-734-5532
Email: [email protected]
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