Oct-Nov 2009 Booster by Tom Fricke

VERMILION COUNTY FARM BUREAU

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2009

DANVILLE, ILLINOIS

IN THIS ISSUE ... Discount Spotlight....................page 3 Silent Auction...........................page 4 New FB Website......................page 6

Omnivore’s Delusion................page 4 Defensive Driving....................page 5 Kids’ AGtivities.......................page 13

Citrus Order Form & Annual Meeting..........................................back cover

FROM THE BACK PORCH by David Sadler, President Vermilion County Farm Bureau

I don’t know about you but I find myself worrying about things more than I used to. Although I don’t consider myself a worrywart by nature, I have noticed that over the years my pattern of worrying has increased steadily. That’s human nature, I suppose; the older you get the greater your collection of responsibilities gets. Back in the day, the things I had to worry about were far and few between. Mundane things such as would the kids grow

ANNUAL MEETING NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the regular meeting of the members of the Vermilion County Farm Bureau will be held at the Beef House Banquet Center, corner of Indiana 63 and Interstate 74, Covington, IN on Monday, November 23, 2009 beginning with dinner at 6:30 p.m. CST for the purpose of considering and acting upon reports of the Board of Directors and Officers for the preceding year; for the election of directors to serve a term of three years from District I (elect 1), District II (elect 2) and District III (elect 2); and for the transaction of such other business as may come before the meeting. Dated: October 14, 2009 Vermilion County Farm Bureau By: Jon Fourez, Secretary 2

up reasonably well adjusted, do well in school, be able to go to college? Would we have enough income to live on, be relatively healthy and be responsible citizens in our community? These were your basic every day variety of worries. As the kids reached adulthood, the worry level rose substantially as both sets of parents fell into ill health. Her father, my mother and my favorite uncle all passed in the span of six months but left their three spouses to linger on as much as ten years. As each elder’s scenario played itself out, the next one’s required level of attention intensified.

What was the best type of health care the person could afford, when would it be necessary to force a lifestyle change, how is all this managed whether the patient lives a few steps, a few miles or a few hours away? These worries weren’t unique but, given the family dynamic and personalities involved, they certainly raised my frustration levels. Somewhere in all this both kids graduated college and began to find their way in the world. I can’t say it was a smooth and peaceful transition but let’s just say that, to their credit, they both figured it out and found a way to make it work for them. I let their mother carry the ball on most of these escapades. She worried a lot anyway so it seemed the logical extension of her duties. I, meanwhile, looked after the nursing issues and kept the farm going.

The end of 2006 saw the dawn of a whole other chapter in our lives. No, it wasn’t my retirement or election to the Farm Bureau board but the marriage of our

youngest, my little girl. Whoa Nelly, if that doesn’t sneak up behind you and whap you upside the head, nothing will. And we all know that right behind marriage comes the baby carriage, sooner or later. So with my daughter’s little girl almost four months old and our son’s first child due in the spring, things are looking up, right?

Well, yes, I think so. I hope so. But here’s the thing. Becoming involved in Farm Bureau has really opened my eyes to what’s happening around the corner, across the state and around the world.

So now I worry about a different batch of things than before. Instead of whether they will be able to afford certain things, will they actually have jobs when so many people are being laid off? How will they financially support children and get them through college? How can they afford transportation, health care or housing? And what about the little ones? Cute as she is, my granddaughter and others of the newest generation can’t begin to support the massive debt this country has created (I doubt very seriously if our debt-holders will

forgive any of it). I understand that my fellow boomers and I are responsible for the huge increases in health care and social security benefits but it’s also not like no one saw this coming.

How can we continue to “bail out” those who got themselves in such disarray by their own greed, ineptitude or mismanagement while leaving nothing in the system for those businesses trying to meet expenses to provide valuable goods and services?

What about the seemingly millions of people around the world who want to do us harm any chance they get? With a conceivably unlimited supply of volunteers, the possibilities to inflict damage seem endless, the scenarios are always changing and the level of hatred is ever increasing. And now, suddenly, we’re sitting on our thumbs fretting about our methods of combating all this? Unbelievable! I always steadfastly held two beliefs: 1) my mother’s beloved Cubs would one day win the World Series and 2) a change of leadership in Washington would not have a drastic, damaging and long-term impact on life as I knew it. I still hold on to the former; the latter, not so much.

Last month’s cover photo generated a lot of phone calls helping us identify nearly everyone in the front row of the picture. We even got a copy of the original Commercial-News article that listed the names (l to r): Mel Stevens, Catlin; Sam Jumps; Bob Hench; Agnes Layden; Bob Kepling (deceased); Myrna (Spesard) Elgin, Fairmount; Joe Reed, Potomac; Margaret (Reed) Gernand, Potomac; Burgess Stormer, Jr.; Jim Ross; Don Chrisman and Mrs. H.A. Linville. Stevens recalled the photo, saying it was from a Farm Bureau Sports Festival event at the Farm Bureau softball field in Catlin. The Sports Festival restarted on August 2, 1946 after a five-year lapse. These winners went on to represent Vermilion County at the 7th annual Illinois Farm Sports Festival on the University of Illinois campus the end of August. BOOSTER

Former President Passes Away

The Vermilion County Farm Bureau extends our sympathies to the family and friends of Don Baldwin. He passed away in Danville on August 16, 2009 at the age of 92. Baldwin served as the 11th president of Vermilion County Farm Bureau from 1973 to 1977. He represented Carroll Township on the Farm Bureau Board of Directors from 1954 to 1978, also serving as Vice President from 1971-72. Don was a 1935 graduate of IndiDon Baldwin anola High School and farmed in the Indianola area for 40-plus years. In addition to Farm Bureau, he served on the Jamaica and Indianola school boards. He was a member of the Indianola Methodist Church for a number of years. Don is survived by his wife, Florence and daughter Sandra (Wayne) Scarlett. He was preceded in death by a son, Alan.

Local Members to Serve at State Level Three Vermilion County Farm Bureau members have been selected to serve on the Illinois Farm Bureau Grassroots Issue BOOSTER Published Bi-monthly by the VERMILION COUNTY FARM BUREAU Kerry Wienke, Editor 1905-C U.S. Route 150 Danville, Illinois 61832 Phone (217) 442-8713 OFFICE HOURS Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. OFFICERS President..............................David Sadler Vice-President.......................Mark Willard Secretary.................................Jon Fourez Treasurer............................. Dennis Smith STAFF Executive Director................ Kerry Wienke Director of Information............. Tom Fricke Office Secretary.................Nancy Duncan Ag Literacy Coordinator.........Staci Walker DIRECTORS District 1 Garrett Douglass David Heckerson Mark Willard

Jon Fourez Rick James

District 2 Doug Cunningham Kevin Kemna Greg Cunningham Steve Lane Jarrod Dice District 3 Alan Chesnut Bryan Darr Dennis Smith

Bruce Darr Stewart Sheets

Periodical postage paid at Danville, IL Publication No. 061080 Subscription Price, $2.00 per year Display advertising - Apply for rates

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Teams (GRITs) program. They will join over 100 Farm Bureau members on these issue-oriented policy teams. Those selected include: Kevin Green, Fithian, serving on the Conservation and Natural Resources team; Mike Marron, Fithian, Crop Production and Trade team; and David Sadler, Fithian, Equine team. Green has served on the GRITs teams in the past, with Marron and Sadler being selected for the first time. The GRITs program provides members opportunities to address emerging policy issues as well as identify new educational programs. The goal is to increase farm income for members. A new team, renewable resources and energy, has been added this year. Additional teams include livestock and dairy; risk management and farm programs; rural life; and special crops and labor. Other Vermilion County members that have served in the past include Brian Andrews, Jill Cunningham, Jeremy Fourez, Steve Fourez, Mike Gibson, Bill Markel and Kerry Wienke. GRITs teams meet twice a year. The first meeting is scheduled for December after the IAA Annual Meeting with the second meeting in March.

New to the discount program, O’Leary’s is a Danville mainstay since 1980. They have a full menu of sandwiches and dinners. Don’t forget about their Thursday night pizza special or their weekend breakfast buffet. And nothing’s better than a cup of their signature beer cheese soup. They also have a banquet facility available in the Sunset Business Building (old Lakeside-Barrick). Stop by O’Leary’s at 3540 N. Vermilion in Danville and receive a 10% discount off all food and beverages. Just show your Farm Bureau membership card to receive your discount.

On The Cover ... Volunteers have always been the lifeblood of Vermilion County Farm Bureau. Shown on this issue’s cover is Willis Bird from Hoopeston. Bird served on the Farm Bureau Board of Directors from 1957-1970, then again from 1980-83 and was president from 1984-87.

Calendar of Events

October 15.....................................................Board of Directors November 1...................................Daylight Savings Time Ends November 19.................................................Board of Directors Deadline for Annual Meeting Tickets November 23..............FARM BUREAU ANNUAL MEETING & SILENT AUCTION November 24......................... Illinois Commodities Conference November 25.............................. Citrus & Nuts Order Deadline November 26-27................ OFFICE CLOSED – Thanksgiving November 30............................. IAA District 12 Delegates Mtg December 1-2................................. Defensive Driving Program December 5-8............................................IAA Annual Meeting December 14............................................. Citrus Fruit Delivery December 17.................................................Board of Directors December 24-25............ OFFICE CLOSED – Merry Christmas January 1.......................OFFICE CLOSED – Happy New Year January 8-10............................................. Illini Farm Toy Show January 10-13.........................................AFBF Annual Meeting For further information on any of these activities, contact the Vermilion County Farm Bureau office at (217) 442-8713.

The Omnivore’s Delusion: Against the Agri-Intellectuals By Blake Hurst, farmer Missouri Farm Bureau Federation Vice President

I’m dozing, as I often do on airplanes, but the guy behind me has been broadcasting nonstop for nearly three hours. I finally admit defeat and start some serious eavesdropping. He’s talking about food, damning farming, particularly livestock farming, compensating for his lack of knowledge with volume. I’m so tired of people who wouldn’t visit a doctor who used a stethoscope instead of an MRI demanding that farmers like me use 1930s technology to raise food. Farming has always been messy and painful, and bloody and dirty. It still is. But now we have to listen to self-appointed experts on airplanes frightening their seatmates about the profession I have practiced for more than 30 years. I’d had enough. I turned around and politely told the lecturer that he ought not to believe everything he reads. He quieted and asked me what kind of farming I do. I told him, and when he asked if I used organic farming, I said no. He was a businessman, and I’m sure spends his days with spreadsheets, projections and marketing studies. He hasn’t used a slide rule in his career. He does not blame witchcraft for a bad quarter, or expect the factory that makes his product to use steam power instead of electricity, or horses and wagons to deliver his products instead of trucks and trains. But he expects me to farm like my grandfather, and not incidentally, I suppose, to live like him as well. He thinks farmers are too stupid to farm sustainably, too cruel to treat their animals well and too careless to worry about their communities, their health and their families. I would not presume to criticize his car, or the size of his house, or the way he runs his business. But he is an expert about me, on the strength of one book, and is sharing that expertise with captive audiences every time he gets the chance. Enough, enough, enough. Industrial farming and its critics Critics of “industrial farming” spend most of their time con-

Silent Auction Part of Annual Meeting The Vermilion County Farm Bureau Foundation will again hold its annual Silent Auction during the county Annual Meeting. This year’s meeting will be held Monday, November 23 at the Beef House Banquet Center. Registration and bidding begins at 6:00 pm. This photo shows one of this year’s auction items – a Bruce Weber-autographed basketball. In addition to the Silent Auction at the Annual Meeting, online bids will be accepted for this basketball. Go to our web – www.vcfb.info – for information on submitting your bid. Online bids will be added to the bid sheet at the Annual Meeting. Other auction items to date include an Americanathemed comforter and 1925 toy John Deere truck bank. A list of auction items will also be posted on our website. Just click on the Silent Auction box on the home page to see the up-to-date list. 4

cerned with the processes by which food is raised. This is because the results of organic production are so, well, troublesome. With the subtraction of every “unnatural” additive, molds, fungus and bugs increase. Since it is difficult to sell a religion with so many readily quantifiable bad results, the trusty family farmer has to be thrown into the breach, saving the whole organic movement by his saintly presence, chewing on his straw, plodding along, at one with his environment, his community, his neighborhood. Except that some of the largest farms in the country are organic – and are giant organizations dependent upon lots of hired stoop labor doing the most backbreaking of tasks in order to save the sensitive conscience of my fellow passenger the merest whiff of pesticide contamination. They do not By using spend much time talking about that at “industrial” tools the Whole Foods store. sensibly, we can The most delicious irony is this: accomplish our the parts of farming that are the most task and leave my “industrial” are the most likely to be grandchildren a owned by the kind of family farmers that elicit such a positive response prosperous and from the consumer. Corn farms are productive farm almost all owned and managed by while protecting small family farmers. Most livestock the land, water is produced by family farms, and and air around us. even the poultry industry, with its contracts and vertical integration, relies on family farms to contract for the production of the birds. Despite the obvious change in scale over time, family farms, like ours, still meet around the kitchen table, send their kids to the same small schools, sit in the same church pew and belong to the same civic organizations our parents and grandparents did. We may be industrial by some definition, but not our own. Reality is messier than it appears in the book my tormentor was reading, and farming more complicated than a simple morality play. On the desk in front of me are a dozen books, all hugely critical of present-day farming. Farmers are often given a pass in these books, painted as either naïve tools of corporate greed, or economic nullities forced into their present circumstances by the unrelenting forces of the twin grindstones of corporate greed and unfeeling markets. To the farmer on the ground, though – a farmer blessed with free choice and hard-won experience – the moral choices aren’t quite so easy. Biotech crops actually cut the use of chemicals and increase food safety. Are people who refuse to use them my moral superiors? Herbicides cut the need for tillage, which decreases soil erosion by millions of tons. The biggest environmental harm I have done as a farmer is the topsoil (and nutrients) I used to send down the Missouri River to the Gulf of Mexico before we began to practice no-till farming, made possible only by the use of herbicides. The combination of herbicides and genetically modified seed has made my farm more sustainable, not less, and actually reduces the pollution I send down the river. Finally, consumers benefit from cheap food. If you think they don’t, just remember the headlines after food prices began increasing in 2007 and 2008. Only “industrial farming” can possibly meet the demands of an increasing population and increased demand for food as a result of growing incomes. So the stakes in this argument are even higher. Farmers can raise food in different ways if that is what the market wants. It is important, though, that even people in airplanes know that there are environmental and food safety costs to whatever kind of farming we choose. BOOSTER

Pigs in a pen use to its fullest extent, just as they have since agriculture began. In his book Dominion, author Matthew Scully calls “factory farming” an “obvious moral evil so sickening and horrendous it We can’t change nature The largest producer of pigs in the United States has promised would leave us ashen.” Scully, a speechwriter for the second Presito gradually end the use of hog crates. The Humane Society of the dent Bush, can hardly be called a man of the left. United States promises to take their initiative drive to outlaw farArizona and Florida have outlawed pig gestation crates, and Calirowing crates and poultry cages to more states. Many of the counfornia recently passed, overwhelmingly, a ballot initiative doing the ties in my own state of Missouri have chosen to outlaw the building same. Confinement raising of livestock may well be outlawed everywhere. But if we assume, at least for the present, that most of us will of confinement facilities. President Barack Obama has been harshly critical of animal agriculture. We are clearly in the process of decidcontinue to eat meat, let me dive in where most fear to tread. Lynn Niemann was a neighbor of my family’s, a farmer with a ing that we will not continue to raise animals the way we do now. vision. He began raising turkeys on a field near his house around Because other countries may not share our sensibilities, we’ll have 1956. They were, I suppose, what we would now call “free range” to withdraw or amend free trade agreements to keep any semblance turkeys. Turkeys raised in a natural manner, with no roof over their of a livestock industry. We can do that, and we may be a better society for it, but we can’t heads, just gamboling around in the pasture, as change nature. Pigs will be allowed to “return to God surely intended. Free to eat grasshoppers, Despite the obvious the mire,” as Kipling had it, but they’ll also be and grass, and scratch for grubs and worms. And change in scale over crushed and eaten by their mothers. Chickens also free to serve as prey for weasels, who kill will provide lunch to any number of predators, time, family farms — like turkeys by slitting their necks and practicing exand some number of chickens will die as flocks sanguination. Weasels were a problem, but not ours — still meet around establish their pecking order. as much a threat as one of our typically violent the kitchen table. Free-range chickens and pigs will increase early summer thunderstorms. It seems that turthe price of food, using more energy and water keys, at least young ones, are not smart enough to produce the extra grain required for the same amount of meat, to come in out of the rain, and will stand outside in a downpour with and some people will go hungry. Changing the way we raise animals beaks open and eyes skyward until they drown. One night Niemann will not necessarily change the scale of the companies involved lost 4,000 turkeys to drowning, along with his dream and his farm. Now, turkeys are raised in large open sheds. Chickens and tur- in the industry. If we are about to require more expensive ways of keys raised for meat are not grown in cages. As the critics of “indus- producing food, the largest and most well-capitalized farms will trial farming” like to point out, the sheds get quite crowded by the have the least trouble adapting. time Thanksgiving rolls around and the turkeys are full grown. And yes, the birds are bedded in sawdust, so the turkeys do walk around The omnivore’s delusions Michael Pollan, in an 8,000-word essay in The New York Times in their own waste. Although the turkeys don’t seem to mind, this quite clearly disgusts the various authors I’ve read who have actu- Magazine, took the expected swipes at animal agriculture. But his (Continued on page 11) ally visited a turkey farm. But none of those authors – whose descriptions of the horrors of modern poultry production have a certain sameness – were there when Niemann picked up those 4,000 dead turkeys. Sheds are expensive, and it was easier to raise turkeys in open, inexpensive pastures. But that type of production really was hard on the turkeys. Protected from the weather and predators, today’s turkeys may not be aware that they are a part of a morally reprehensible system. Like most young people in my part of the world, I was a 4-H member. We raised hogs in a shed, or farrowing (birthing) house. On one side were eight crates of the kind that the good citizens of California have outlawed. On the other were the kind of wooden pens that our critics would have us use, where the sow could turn around, lie down and presumably act in a natural way – which included lying down on my 4-H project, killing several piglets and forcing me to clean up the mess when I did my chores before school. The crates protect the piglets from their mothers. Farmers do not cage their hogs because of sadism, but because dead pigs are a drag on the profit margin, and because being crushed by your mother really is an awful way to go. As is being eaten by your mother, which I’ve seen sows do to newborn pigs as well. I warned you that farming is still dirty and bloody, and I wasn’t kidding. So let’s talk about manure. It is an article of faith among the agri-intellectuals that we no longer use manure as fertilizer. Our farm’s neighbor, who raises thousands of hogs in close proximity to our farm, will spread manure on our fields this fall, manure that will replace dozens of tons of commercial fertilizer. The manure is captured underneath the hog houses in cement pits and is knifed into the soil after the crops are harvested. At no time is it exposed to erosion, and it is an extremely valuable resource, one which farmers BOOSTER

Farm Bureau Launches Website

The Vermilion County Farm Bureau has recently launched a website that members and the community are urged to view on a regular basis. The website – www.vcfb.info – has a variety of news and information items on the site. The home page features local news, upcoming events, ag news and weather information. It will also feature a member discount on a rotating basis, and will have links to current issues and upcoming events.

Other tabs on the website will highlight our Membership Discount program, links to recent

“On the Farm” radio segments, and past issues of the Booster.

The Ag in the Classroom tab will highlight classroom presentations and kits available, as well as a link to Staci’s blog – agtaar.blog-spot.com. The Vermilion County Farm Bureau Foundation page has a tab for the Barn Door Open, the Silent Auction, and general information about foundation activities.

Check out what Vermilion County Farm Bureau is offering to you. Visit our website at www.vcfb. info.

Get Your Fresh Citrus! Order Form on Back Cover

The Ag in the Classroom Open House drew a large crowd of teachers anxious to utilize the program’s resources. Above, some of the 60-plus teachers that attended are signing up for presentations in their classrooms as Staci Walker, Ag Literacy Coordinator (standing on right) looks on and answers questions. The teachers reserved over 160 ag-themed kits for this school year, and requested more than 225 classroom presentations.

Vermilion County Achieves Membership Quota Vermilion County Farm Bureau had a very successful membership year, achieving both the Voting and Total Quotas.

Vermilion was one of only 24 Illinois counties to attain both quotas. This is the fourth consecutive year making Voting Quota, and six of the last eight years achieving Total Quota.

Shown in the photo is Alan Chesnut, Vermilion County’s top recruiter for this year, who signed five new members. He received a Case-IH toy combine prize from Illinois Farm Bureau at the Farm Progress Show.

Alan Chesnut shows off the commemorative toy combine he picked up in the IFB tent at the Farm Progress Show for signing five new members this year. 6

Special thanks also go to others signing members: Mark Willard and Donna Garwood (two each), and Greg Cunningham, Steve Fourez, Steve Lane, Sheila Lane, Rodney Maddox and Dave Sadler (one each). Thanks also to the many volunteers who made delinquent and recruitment contacts throughout the year. Thanks to everyone for their membership efforts, and to all our members for their continued support.

IFB Discussion Meet includes Vermilion County participants – Mike Marron (left) and Doug Kirk take a break between rounds of the IFB Young Leaders District 11 & 12 Discussion Meet held in August. The contest is an opportunity for young leaders to discuss a variety of farm topics, from crop production to generational farming challenges to legislative and regulatory issues. Kirk finished first in the contest and will compete with other district finalists at the IFB Annual Meeting in Chicago. Marron was named a runner-up and selected as an alternate for the state meet. BOOSTER

Farm Bureau Discount Program

PROCEDURE TO OBTAIN DISCOUNT: Simply show your paid up Vermilion County Farm Bureau Membership card at each visit at the time payment is required. Vermilion County Farm Bureau does not intend this as an endorsement of any of the professionals, businesses or products on which discounts have been obtained for our members and the Vermilion County Farm Bureau does not assume any liability for services rendered under this service. VERMILION COUNTY FARM BUREAU WILL CONSIDER REQUESTS FROM OTHER PROFESSIONALS AND BUSINESSES WHO MIGHT WISH TO PROVIDE DISCOUNTS TO OUR MEMBERS. FOR DETAILS PLEASE CALL 442-8713.

10% off total order (not good with other offers) Made Fresh Daily

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Weddings ◆ Portraiture 10% off Finished Print Orders Call H 217.443.0297 W 217.442.1872

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10 - 20% Hotel Discounts Days Inn ♦ Ramada ♦ Howard Johnson ♦ Travelodge ♦ Knights Inn Wingate ♦ Clarion ♦ Comfort ♦ Sleep ♦ Econo Lodge Stop by the Farm Bureau for your discount cards and for more details.

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• 1220 E. Main, Danville – 431-2700 • 2807 N. Vermilion, Danville – 442-7827 • 100 S. Gilbert, Danville – 442-7072 • 115 E. Main, Hoopeston – 283-7300 • 502 N. Oakwood, Oakwood – 354-4644

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Tom & Carol Coe

23182 N 1450 East Rd. Danville, IL 61832 5% MEMBER (217) 443-6901 DISCOUNT

10% off Quilting 1106 N. Logan Danville, IL 61832 (217) 446-7756

Carpet Ceramic Tile

Marie’s Carpet Manor

LIST YOUR BUSINESS HERE!!!

JODI’S SEALCOATING & STRIPING 5% Discount

Excluding Sale Items.

SOUTH SECOND AVENUE HOOPESTON, ILLINOIS 60942

JOIN THE FARM BUREAU DISCOUNT PROGRAM

122 N. Gilbert Danville, IL 61832 Phone 446-9067

10% Discount Cash and Carry

Home Grown Flowers

10% On All Parts

HEIDRICK EARTHMOVING

(217) 283-6990

We have a solid tax background.

Must show Farm Bureau Membe BOOSTER

Ron’s Heating — Air Conditioning Refrigeration

710 N. Vermilion Street • Danville, IL 61832 Phone 1-217-443-0682 20% discount on hearing aids --- FREE HEARING TESTS

10% Discount on Service Keith Snyder

Phone: (217) 662-8572

$300 Discount DX / DXE $500 Discount on JX & Maxxum

$39.95 in-shop windshield chip repairs and $15 gift certificate to a local retailer Danville: 801 N. Vermilion St. – 446-4163 Hoopeston: 310 E. Penn St. – 283-9587

New Discounts on DX/ DXE/JX Series Farmall tractors. Visit Birkey’s in Hoopeston - Urbana - Rantoul - Oakland

KESLER, Garman, BROUGHER & Townsley, P.C. LAW OFFICES 220 N. Vermilion, Danville, IL – 446-0880

WELDING SUPPLIES, Inc.

628 E. Williams • Danville, IL 61832 Phone 446-8814 5% DISCOUNT OFF LIST PRICE EXCEPT SALE ITEMS.

ORDER AN EXTRA VALUE MEAL AND RECEIVE A FREE BAKED PIE! Danville – both locations Oakwood ◆ Hoopeston ◆ Georgetown

Keith Construction “Grading & Excavating”

Drainage Repair • Hedge Row Removal Ditch Cleaning • Demolition Call Josh at 217-304-5703

10% Discount

21 Murray Dr. Westville, IL 61883

Machine Quilting — Pantograph or Custom 217-267-3805 • Email: glk729@yahoo.com

10% off quilting 14 Towne Centre, Danville IL 217-431-0931 10% off on all merchandise

Hours Mon. - Fri. 9am – 6pm Saturday 9am – 5pm

5% Discount on Auctioneering Services

(may not be combined with other offers)

Full line of shoes—work boots to Sunday shoes Men’s & Women’s plus much more

KLABER AUCTION SERVICES INC. Your Professional Auction Team

887 E. Honeywell Hoopeston, IL 60942

217-283-5130

AU19400097

James Klaber Auctioneer

Goodwin Welding & Fabrication 401 S. State St., Ridge Farm (217) 247-2880 mobile (217) 260-2880 10% Discount to Farm Bureau Members

Wisconsin Dells, WI

Save at our Wisconsin Dells Waterpark Resort

ership Card to receive discounts BOOSTER

James L. Brougher

Scott E. Perkins

5% Discount on Hourly Rates (217) 443-3091

HANKS TRANSMISSION SERVICE

TRANSMISSIONS OUR ONLY BUSINESS HENRY F. JUDD, Owner 50 S. COLLEGE HANK JUDD, JR. Manager DANVILLE, IL 61832 Shop Foreman

5% DISCOUNT

MHydraulic aster Hydraulics, Inc. Hose & Supplies 2427 Batestown Rd. Danville, IL 61832

Phone (217) 443-1444 10% Discount on Cash Sales

CHITTICK FAMILY EYE CARE Danville: 1104 N. Vermilion - 217-442-2631 Hoopeston: 851 E. Orange - 217-283-7611

Save 15% on your next purchase of frames & lenses Ask about our Exclusive 2 year warranty Must present card at time of service.

RED WING SHOE STORE ®

10% DISCOUNT

GENERAL TIRE

WATSON GENERAL TIRE

AUTO • TRUCK • TIRE SPECIALIST PHONE 443-4900 JERRY WATSON 705 E. MAIN ST. PRESIDENT DANVILLE, IL 68132

Wheel Alignment Balancing General Auto Repairs Labor

Go High Tech with Low Cost!

From flat laptops to flat screen monitors… from big screen TV’s to tiny MP3 players…

SAVE 7% ON DELL’S HOTTEST ITEMS www.dell.com/ilfb/members - or - 1-800-695-8133 Member ID PS65777730

DAVID HUGHES

Trucking & Excavating 10% Discount on 14 tons or more hauling 10% Discount on excavating Danville, IL 61832◆◆•◆◆431-7249 or 446-7506

Sully Schultz Nursery, Inc. Since 1950 317 East 14th Street, Tilton

15% off Plants (not sale items)

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

OUNTY FARM BUREAU MEMBERS $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Since 1950 Cash-n-Carry Only $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

COOKE’S CRAFT COTTAGE

Wayne F King

5% DISCOUNT

Folk Art ◆• ◆Needlework on all crafts Knitting Machines to make excluding (217) 267-2088 finished items Classes 11 Lyons Road and machines. North of Westville, Illinois 61883

APPRAISAL SERVICE

517A South Market St. • Hoopeston, IL 60942-1642

(217) 283-5913

10% Discount to Farm Bureau Members on Farmland Appraisal Services

Digital City Dee-J’s

Chuck Perkins owner

Danville Rubber Industrial Pipe Supply

10% Discount off of D.J. Services

“24 HOURS A DAY SERVICE” 701 Griggs Street DANVILLE, ILLINOIS 61832 (217) 443-0269

Weddings, Graduations, Anniversaries, Birthday Parties Please call or email for more information 217-304-1852 or 217-446-3675 E-mail Cper518@aol.com

10% DISCOUNT TO FARM BUREAU MEMBERS

D & D Electric & Motor

MIDAS MUFFLER

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL

211 N. Gilbert Danville, IL Phone 442-2585 5% ON ANY SERVICE PROVIDED BY THIS STORE.

Over 75 years of combined experience (217) 354-4117 Lutchka@yahoo.com

10% Discount for Farm Bureau members

Illini Skateland and Miniature Golf

SHERWIN WILLIAMS

Miniature Golf — Buy 1 Get 1 Free

428 N. Vermillion Street • Danville, IL

8 North Brewer Rd. - Danville - 442-3340

25% Discount on regularly-priced Paint, Wallpaper and Supplies

Must show membership card for discount

Save up to 20% on car rentals. Contact the Farm Bureau office for access code numbers and more information.

Cortapassi Heating & Air

Licensed-Insured-Bonded Service, Repair & Installation on most makes and models Danville IL 61832

Home 217-267-3255 217-267-3261 Cellular 217-304-5823

10% discount on Service & Installations ™

Save up to 40% on Prescriptions

HENDRICKS CONTRACTING, INC.

Proudly Serving Central Illinois since 1929 Earthmoving and Drainage

Local Pharmacies include:

Sander’s CVS Polyclinic Walgreens Wal-Mart K-Mart

Osco Drug Provena USMC

217-304-1545 (c) 217-379-9645 (h) 5% Discount on Tile Hook-ups

Carle RX Express

Contact Farm Bureau for a free discount card

DICK’S Appliance, Heating & Air Conditioning

DILLMAN EYE CARE, S.C. 600 N. LOGAN AVE., DANVILLE, IL 61832 PHONE 443-2244

dillman 15%DISCOUNT eye (contacts not included) care ON ALL EYEWARE IN OUR OPTICAL DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING FRAMES,

PRESCRIPTION AND REGULAR LENSES, LAB FEE AND ALL ACCESSORIES. (Must present Farm Bureau Membership Card)

Most Major Brands

Phone 217-443-1059

Bowles Construction Co. Boyer Backhoe & Dozer Service

Wreck Rebuilding

Jim’s Auto Body

Shop – 314 Gilbert St, Rossville

Owners – Dale Tweedy and John A. Boyer

127 E. 14th St.— Danville, Illinois 61832 Owner: JIM OWENS (217) 443-0016

Phone – (217) 304-6383 or (217) 304-6930 Land Improvement Soil & Water Conservation

10% Discount to Vermilion County Farm Bureau Members.

5% Discount

BILL SMITH

D & D SEALCOATING

Potomac, IL • 217-987-6924 Sealing, Striping & Hot Pour Crackfilling of Driveways & Parking Lots Free Estimates • 10% Discount to Members

AUTO PARTS

Quality Parts-Quality Service – Where Used Parts Save You Money Danville Urbana Bloomington 442-0156 800-252-7698 800-531-4684 Farm Bureau Members 10% Discount on all Cash Sales.

Welding & Fabrication Job Shop Rossville (217) 497-4820 or 497-3748

“We Weld Everything Except The Crack Of Dawn”

10% DISCOUNT TO MEMBERS

1207 Thomas Street Danville, IL 61832

10% off all services

MUFFLER SHOPS $

20 Off 00

ANY PURCHASE OVER $200

MUFFLERS • PIPES • CUSTOM BENDING SHOCKS • STRUTS • COIL SPRINGS • BRAKES

15 Off

614 S. Gilbert, Danville, IL, Ph. 443-0673

ANY PURCHASE $125 TO $200

1000 Off

ANY PURCHASE $80 TO $125

5 Off

$ 00

ANY PURCHASE UP TO $80

(Coupon valid only at time of puchase.) (Not good in conjunction with any other coupon or discount.)

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

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The Omnivore’s Delusion: Against Agri-Intellectuals Continued from Page 5

truly radical prescriptions had to do with the raising of crops. Pollan, who seemed to be aware of the nitrogen problem in his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, left nuance behind (as well as the laws of chemistry) in his recommendations. The nitrogen problem is this: without nitrogen, we do not have life. Until we learned to produce nitrogen from natural gas early in the last century, the only way to get nitrogen was through plants called legumes, or from small amounts of nitrogen that are produced by lightning strikes. The amount of life the Earth could support was limited by the amount of nitrogen available for crop production. In his book, Pollan quotes geographer Vaclav Smil to the effect that 40 percent of the people alive today would not be alive without the ability to artificially synthesize nitrogen. But in his directive on food policy, Pollan damns agriculture’s dependence on fossil fuels, and urges the president to encourage agriculture to move away from expensive and declining supplies of natural gas toward the unlimited sunshine that supported life, and agriculture, as recently as the 1940s. Now, why didn’t I think of that? Well, I did. I’ve raised clover and alfalfa for the nitrogen they produce, and half the time my land is planted to soybeans, another nitrogen producing legume. Pollan writes as if all of his ideas are new, but my father tells of agricultural Extension meetings in the late 1950s titled “Clover and Corn, the Road to Profitability.” Farmers know that organic farming was the default position of agriculture for thousands of years, years when hunger was just around the corner for even advanced societies. Norman Borlaug, founder of the green revolution, estimates that the amount of nitrogen available naturally would only support a worldwide population of 4 billion souls or so. He further remarks that we would need another 5 billion cows to produce enough manure to fertilize our present crops with “natural” fertilizer. Most of the critics of industrial farming maintain the contradictory positions that we should increase the use of manure as a fertilizer, and decrease our consumption of meat. Pollan would solve the problem with cover crops, planted after the corn crop is harvested, and with mandatory composting. Pollan should talk to some actual farmers before he presumes to advise a president.

FFA Students Toured the International Greenhouse Company for this year’s FFA Acquaintance Program, hosted by the Vermilion County Farm Bureau Young Leaders. International Greenhouse Company is the largest online greenhouse supply site, with 100,000 unique visitors to their website every month. 25 FFA students and instructors were given a tour of the facility by Chris Kirschner (left in photo), as he stands in front of one of their home-model greenhouses. He talked about their greenhouse products, as well as the services they provide to schools and FFA chapters around the country. BOOSTER

Pollan tells of flying over the upper Midwest in the winter, and seeing the black, fallow soil. I suppose one sees what one wants to see, but we have not had the kind of tillage implement on our farm that would produce black soil in nearly 20 years. Pollan would provide our nitrogen by planting those black fields to nitrogen-producing cover crops after the cash crops are harvested. This is a fine plan, one that farmers have known about for generations. However, last year we finished harvest in November in a freezing rain. It is hard to think of a legume that would have done its thing between then and corn planting time. Plants do not grow very well in freezing weather, a fact that would evidently surprise Pollan. And even if we could have gotten a legume established last fall, it would not have fixed any nitrogen before planting time. We used to plant corn in late May, plowing down our green manure and killing the first flush of weeds. But that meant the corn would enter its crucial growing period during the hottest, driest parts of the summer, and soil erosion would be increased because the land was bare during drenching spring rains. Now we plant in early April, best utilizing our spring rains and ensuring that pollination occurs before the dog days of August. A few other problems come to mind. The last time I planted a cover crop, the clover provided a perfect habitat in early spring for bugs, bugs that I had to kill with an insecticide. We do not normally apply insecticides, but we did that year. Of course, you can provide nitrogen with legumes by using a longer crop rotation, growing clover one year and corn the next. But that uses twice the water to produce a corn crop and takes twice as much land to produce the same number of bushels. We are producing twice the food we did in 1960 on less land, and commercial nitrogen is one of the main reasons why. His other grand idea is mandatory household composting, with the compost delivered to farmers free of charge. Why not? Compost is a valuable soil amendment, and if somebody else is paying to deliver it to my farm, then bring it on. But it will not do much to solve the nitrogen problem. Household compost has somewhere between 1 and 5 percent nitrogen, and not all that nitrogen is available to crops the first year. That would require 3,000 pounds of compost per acre. The average truck carries about 20 tons. Picture 7,500 trucks traveling from New York City to our small county in Missouri, delivering compost. Five million truckloads to fertilize the country’s corn crop. Now, that would be a carbon footprint! Pollan thinks farmers use commercial fertilizer because it is easier, and because it is cheap. Pollan is right. But those are perfectly defensible reasons. Nitrogen quadrupled in price over the last several years, and farmers are still using it, albeit more cautiously. We are using GPS monitors on all of our equipment to ensure that we do not use too much, and our production of corn per pound of nitrogen is rapidly increasing. On our farm, we have increased yields about 50 percent during my career, while applying about the same amount of nitrogen we did when I began farming. That fortunate trend will increase even faster with the advent of new genetically modified hybrids. Farming and connectedness Much of farming is more “industrial,” more technical and more complex than it used to be. I use chemicals and diesel fuel to accomplish the tasks my grandfather used to do with sweat, and I use a computer instead of a lined notebook and a pencil, but I’m still farming the same land he did 80 years ago, and the fund of knowledge that our family has accumulated about our small part of Missouri is valuable. And everything I know and I have learned tells me this: we have to farm “industrially” to feed the world. And by using those “industrial” tools sensibly, we can accomplish that task and leave my grandchildren a prosperous and productive farm, while protecting the land, water and air around us.

United States Postal Service Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation

1. Publication Title: Vermilion County Farm Bureau Booster 2. Publication Number: 061080 3. Filing Date: September 28, 2009 4. Issue Frequency: Bi-Monthly 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 6 6. Annual Subscription Price: $2.00 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: 1905-C U.S. Route 150, Danville, Vermilion County, IL 61832-5396 Contact Person: Kerry Wienke Telephone: (217) 442-8713 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: 1905C U.S. Route 150, Danville IL 61832-5396 9. Full Names and Complete Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Kerry Wienke, 1905-C U.S. Route 150, Danville IL 61832-5396 10: Owner: Vermilion County Farm Bureau, 1905-C U.S. Route 150, Danville IL 61832-5396 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None 12. Tax Status: N/A 13. Publication Title: Vermilion County Farm Bureau Booster 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: August-September 2008 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation – Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months / No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date 15a. Total Number of Copies: 5,796 / 5,650 15b1. Paid Outside-County Mail Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541: 702 / 687 15b2. Paid In-County Subscriptions Stated on form 3541: 4,793 / 4,784 15b3. Sales Through Dealers, Carriers, Street Vendors, Courier Sales, and Other non-USPS Paid Distribution: 0 / 0 15b4. Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS: 0 / 0 15c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 5,495 / 5,471 15d1. Free Outside-County Copies included on Form 3541: 8 / 8 15d2. Free Inside-County Copies included on Form 3541: 10 / 10 15d3. Free Copies Mailed at Other Classes: 0 / 0 15d4. Free Distribution Outside the Mail: 0 / 0 15e. Total Free Distribution: 18 / 18 15f. Total Distribution: 5,513 / 5,489 15g. Copies not Distributed: 283 / 161 15h. Total: 5,796 / 5,650 15i. Percent Paid: 99.67% / 99.67% 16. Publication of Statement of Ownership: Publication required. Will be printed in the October-November 2009 issue of this publication. 17. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner: /s/ Kerry D. Wienke, Executive Director (Editor) Date: 9/28/09 I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who Knowledgeable.qxp 2/23/2005 2:48 Pageto 1criminal sanctions omits material or information requested on the form mayPM be subject (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).

knowledgeable ▼ reliable ▼ down to earth ▼ straightforward ▼ easy to deal with Would you use these words to describe your current insurance company? At COUNTRY Insurance & Financial Services, we try to live up to all of those standards. Plus we offer excellent insurance coverage and financial services at a price you can afford. See your COUNTRY agent today. John Murray Danville 431-8711

Alan Puzey Fairmount 733-2154

David Harby Danville 431-8722

Justin Shaw Danville 442-8711

Darren White Danville 442-8711

Scott Crawford Georgetown 662-8870

Mark Stutsman Danville 431-8722

Rick Rotramel Agency Manager 442-8711

Bob Gernand Danville 431-7502

Chris Griffin Danville 431-8711

Kris Suchaczewski Hoopeston 283-7703

Shahna Magee Hoopeston 283-7703

Vermilion Young Leaders Place High in AgriQuiz Bowl Vermilion County Farm Bureau Young Leaders again had a team participate in the Illinois Farm Bureau’s AgriQuiz Bowl competition during the Illinois State Fair. This year’s team of Mike Marron, Steve Huls, Steve Ludwig and Gabe Shepherd (shown left to right in photo) competed against 31 other teams and took 3rd place in the event – the second Final Four finish in three years. The AgriQuiz Bowl is held every year on Agriculture Day during the Illinois State Fair. It’s a team event with questions across the gamut of agricultural areas: crops, machinery, livestock, technology and much more.

Farm Safety Not Just One Week A Year With most farmers finally busy in the harvest season, rural roads are carrying combines, tractors and trailers in addition to routine traffic. The theme for this year’s National Farm Safety and Health Week was “Rural Roadway Safety… Alert, Aware and Alive.”

Tips for Rural Motorists – Slow down as soon as you see farm equipment. It only takes about 5 seconds for a car traveling 55 mph to close the gap with a tractor traveling less than 25 mph. – Recognize the Slow Moving Vehicle (SMV) Emblem - the orange and red reflective triangle warns you that the tractor or combine travels at a slow rate of speed. – Keep a safe distance from the farm equipment so the farmer can see you. If you can’t see his mirrors, he can’t see you. – Pass large farm equipment only if you know conditions are safe and you are sure the farmer will not be making a left-hand turn. Be cautious when pulling back in. – It is illegal to pass in a no passing lane or within 100 feet of an intersection, railroad crossing, or bridge.

– Be prepared to yield to wide equipment. – Watch for the farmer’s indication of a turn. – Newer equipment has one or more amber lights flashing rapidly to indicate a turn. Older equipment is typically not equipped with turn signals so watch for the farmer’s hand signals.

Tips for Farmers – Place SMV signs on equipment that travels at less than 25 mph and ensure the signs are clearly visible. – Use your warning flashers and signal lights or hand signals to let motorists know your intentions. – Drive your equipment in the right lane, close to the road’s edge but not on the shoulder. – Equipment operators should not encourage motorists to pass as the equipment is on the road. Instead, they should pull over when it’s safe, then allow traffic to pass. – Operators should consider using an escort vehicle, especially at night. Be patient when following slow moving vehicles, and only pass when designated zones are clear. We want everyone to stay alert, aware and alive on rural roadways.

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Teach me about...

Honey

How is Honey made?

AG tiv

itie

Honey is the sweet syrupy liquid produced by bees to eat when other food is scarce or the weather is too cold. The bees drink nectar from flowers with their tube like tongues. The nectar is ingested into what is called the “honey stomach.” The honeybees return to the hive and pass the nectar onto other worker bees. These bees suck the nectar from the honeybee's stomach. These “house bees” chew the nectar for about half an hour. The bees then expel the digested nectar into the honeycomb, then they partially dehydrate it by flapping their wings over its surface. After awhile, a beekeeper will cut open the honeycomb and honey is then extracted from the comb. In on year, a colony of bees eats between 120 and 200 pounds of honey.

Honeybee Crossword

Word List Apiary Beekeeper Colony Drone Hive Honey Honeybee Insects Metamorphosis Nectar Pollen Pollination Queen Stinger Swarm Worker bee BOOSTER

Honey Crystallization

All honey will at some point turn to sugar crystals. This is a natural process. This is not honey turned bad, or anything that is affecting the taste or quality of the honey. To turn it back to a liquid, pourable state, use gentle warming of the jar in hot (not boiling) water. Honey doesn't need to be stored in the refrigerator. This speeds up the crystal formation.

Across 4. An insect with 6 legs, 4 wings and a honey stomach 8. A powdery dust from flowers collected by honeybees 9. Changes of an insect from egg, larva, pupa, adult 12. An organ in the abdomen of a worker bee for defense 14. A male bee 15. A social community with thousands of bees and one queen Down 1. Group of bee colonies kept in one location 2. A sweet fluid made by bees from plant nectar 3. An animal with a head, a thorax, an abdomen and 6 legs 5. A person who keeps honeybees 6. A mated female bee that lays all the eggs in the colony 7. A female bee that does all the work in the colony 10. The carrying of pollen from one flower to another 11. A sweet liquid produced by flowers collected by honeybees 12. Nature’s way of creating a new colony of bees 13. A man-made wooden or plastic home for honeybees

COUNTRY COMMODITIES

milion County Farm Registered Introducing Broker eau Booster Clearing Through R.J. O’Brien & Associates Inc.

ember 14, 2009

COMMODITY FUTURES & OPTIONS Commodity Broker Ron Leisch 19295 N. 1970 East Rd. Danville, IL 61834 217-431-1400 800-431-8030

Focusing on Agriculture for Individuals and Businesses

 Estate planning & farm trusts  Land sales & 1031 exchanges  Cooperatives & agribusinesses  Corps., LLCs & partnerships  Local drainage dist. assistance  Wind contract review

Robert Dodd Mary Christine Ludwig Champaign IL

(217) 356-9500 Now in Pontiac IL

(815) 842-0700 www.doddlaw.net

ADM INVESTOR SERVICES, INC. PAUL P. COOLLEY

CASH GRAIN & COMMODITY BROKER

coolley@admworld.com P.O. Box 350 • Oakland, Illinois 61943 • 800-637-3123

Storage Containers

Stephanie W. Spiros, Broker 217-304-0404 Travis Selby, Agent 217-304-1686 Bill Wilson, Agent 217-493-2677

For Rent or Sale Delivered to your Site 10’ - 20’ - 40’ - 45’ - 48’ long Perfect for seed or chemical storage

MEL PRICE & CO. 1938 N Bowman Ave ◆ Danville IL 61832

217-442-9092 14

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Farm News, Markets, Weather, and Information

All Day Long 5am to 5pm Program Schedule 5:36am -- RFD Illinois 6:50am -- Morning Farm Show 7:50am -- RFD Market Watch 8:31am -- Inside Agriculture 9:52am -- Opening Markets 10:19am – Mid-Morning Market Update 10:52am – Mid-Morning Market Update 11:05am – “Down on the Farm in Indiana” and Hoosier Ag Today with interviews, markets, and weather. 11:52am – Mid-Day Market Update 12:25pm – “Down on the Farm in Illinois” with interviews, markets, and weather. 1:52pm -- Closing Markets 2:52pm -- Bates Commodities Market Wrap-Up 4:42pm -- Sidewalk Talk with EHedger SATURDAYS: 5:36am – RFD Illinois 6:05am – On the Country Road with Stu Ellis

Gale Cunningham Farm Director

GeoComfort geothermal systems aren’t only for new construction. Reduce your monthly utility costs by up to 70% and keep the house you love comfortable - 24/7. In addition to the benefits to your budget, GeoComfort geothermal systems also are environmentally friendly and provide unparalleled comfort for your family. So, keep the house; lose the conventional furnace.

Vermilion Advantage Agri-Business Council 2008 Ag Business of the Year

First National Bank in

GEORGETOWN www.fnbgtown.com

Call Jerry Askren for Operating, Equipment, Building and Real Estate Loans Equipment & Building Leases

217-662-2166 Georgetown, IL 61846 BOOSTER

FLORIDA CITRUS ORDERS WITH SPECIALTY NUTS & CANDIES Delivered MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 Fancy Nuts & Candies - 1 lb. bags

Fresh Florida Citrus - 4/5 bushel Navel Oranges ............................. $ 21.00 Pink Grapefruit ............................. $ 21.00 Tangelos ...................................... $ 21.00

#_____ #_____ #_____

Frozen Orange Juice 24 - 12 oz. cans ....................... $ 49.00 6 - 12 oz cans. ....................... $ 13.00 Custom BBQ Spice 12 oz jar..... $ 4.50

#_____ #_____ #_____

Skinless Peanuts 17.5 oz. can ... $ 4.00

#_____

Pecan Halves.................................. $ 7.00 Praline Pecans................................ $ 7.25 Deluxe Mixed Nuts.......................... $ 7.00 Giant Salted Cashews .................... $ 8.00 Choc Covered Almonds.................. $ 5.75 Dried Apricot Halves ....................... $ 4.25 Malted Milk Balls............................. $ 4.25 Gummi Bears.................................. $ 4.50 Sweet & Salty Trail Mix................... $ 4.50

Amount Enclosed .................. $ ___________

#_____ #_____ #_____ #_____ #_____ #_____ #_____ #_____ #_____

Non-members add 10% to total order

PREPAID ORDERS ONLY – Orders must be received by Wed., November 25, 2009 Name ________________________________ Address ______________________________

Fruit Must Be Picked Up Monday, Dec. 14 at The Vermilion County Center For Agriculture 1905 U.S. Route 150 - Danville

Daytime Phone ________________________

VERMILION COUNTY FARM BUREAU ANNUAL MEETING 6:00 pm – Registration & Silent Auction 6:30 pm – Dinner 7:30 pm – Business Meeting

Monday, November 23, 2009 Beef House Banquet Center – Covington Farming “M” Members - $ 10 per ticket Associate “A” Members - $ 20 per ticket

(All Times IL Time)

Reservation Deadline is November 19, 2009 Purchase tickets at the Farm Bureau office

Program – Trading With The Dragon Mike Marron, a Fithian farmer, participated in the Illinois Farm Bureau’s Market Study Tour to China this past March. Marron will give a presentation on the trip and discuss the challenges of working with the Chinese culture He’ll also give his insights on the necessity of a trading relationship with China for the success of American agriculture.

PROXY - Please Return to Vermilion County Farm Bureau if you can’t attend the meeting. I, _______________________, the undersigned hereby designate the President of the Vermilion County Farm Bureau, or failing him the Secretary, to be my true and lawful proxy to vote at the Vermilion County Farm Bureau Annual Meeting on any matter as I could myself. Signed ______________________ Date _________