By Mike Orso
The 2nd annual McHenry County Farm Bureau (MCFB) Foundation Drawdown takes place Saturday, March 8 at the Harvard Moose in northern McHenry County. The “reverse raffle” allows each adult participant an opportunity to earn the grand prize of $2,500 or, to be among those chosen to split the remaining $6,000 to be given away. The organization uses proceeds in an effort to increase agricultural literacy throughout the county.
“Instead of pulling one name out and there is a winner, we pull out people’s names as we go, and winners are announced depending on where they land in the draw with the largest prizes being awarded at the end of the night,” said Dan Volkers, MCFB Manager.
“It is designed to support our foundation, which in turn supports student scholarships, internships, but mainly our Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) program throughout McHenry County.”
The county Farm Bureau hopes to sell a maximum of 250 tickets at $100 each. The event includes a prime rib and fried shrimp buffet dinner, a loaded, baked potato and salad bar, along with two beverages of your choice. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with the buffet starting at 6:00 p.m.
Next month, MCFB celebrates 25 years of bringing farm and food information to youngsters throughout McHenry County through a dedicated staff person to coordinate all in-and-out of school activities. Katie Vanderstappen, a teacher and farm mom from rural Hebron, serves as the MCFB Agriculture in the Classroom Coordinator with assistance from Kelly Sadowski of Crystal Lake, a former University of Illinois 4-H program coordinator who also provides support at MCFB headquarters in Woodstock.
Last fall alone, the MCFB AITC program reached 1,700 youngsters in 84 public and private school classrooms throughout McHenry County with its most-popular “Pumpkin Patch Pie” activity.
“In that presentation, we talk about the life cycle of the pumpkin,” said Vanderstappen. “We also show where pumpkins are grown in McHenry County and make a treat, all provided by the county Farm Bureau.” Farmers in Illinois grow the most pumpkins in the United States.
“Every August we send out a calendar and newsletter to all grade school teachers in McHenry County with information about the programs we offer and how they can touch base with us,” said Vanderstappen. “The schools do not have to pay anything. It’s a completely free presentation, whether it’s corn, soybeans, dairy, pumpkins or pollinators, these are all free to teachers in McHenry County.”
The MCFB AITC program also carried out its free, biennial Ag Expo last year for 3rd and 4th graders throughout the county. More than 1,300 students participated at the McHenry County Fairgrounds, rotating among short, six-minute presentations over two hours about food and farming. Twenty different presentations ranged from topics such as how cows are milked, how Christmas trees are grown, to how farmers practice soil and water conservation.
“It’s a lot of work, but super fun,” says Sadowski, about the event that requires the help of between 150 to 200 volunteers. “It’s one of my favorite things to do.”
Drawdown proceeds will also help fund the Summer Ag Institute for school teachers, held this year from June 17-20, in partnership with the Lake County Farm Bureau. It provides participating teachers with continuing education and professional development credits. Twenty-one area school teachers participated in 2024.
“During this four-day program we visit multiple farms and other agricultural sites throughout McHenry and Lake counties,” said Vanderstappen. “Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom participates too and they provide resources and lessons teachers can implement in their classrooms. We also show them a glimpse of programs McHenry County and Lake County can do.”
Other MCFB AITC activities that will be partially funded with Drawdown event proceeds include monthly e-newsletters to over 1,300 county teachers, distribution of 4-page agricultural magazines for kids on topics such as apples, beef, nutrition, pork and specialty crops, and the availability of free children’s books about farming and food. In 2024, 122 teachers from 16 different school districts in the county received over 330 agriculture-focused children’s books.
“We are offering a free,12-book package for a teacher if they send us a photo of them doing an Agriculture in the Classroom lesson,” said Sadowski. “It’s pretty exciting. We like to offer those kinds of things to teachers too.”
Newer MCFB AITC activities include such things as a beekeeping and pollinator program, a “Reindeer Feed Store” activity that demonstrates the different components of livestock and poultry feed, and bringing dairy calves to participate in Barrington Kidfest held last spring.
“They are definitely curious and they do love to share,” said Vanderstappen, who’s in her 10th year as the AITC county coordinator. “Once they realize that agriculture is in every part of their life – I like seeing that part.”
Kelly Sadowski, Dan Volkers and Katie Vanderstappen with the McHenry County Farm Bureau share how agriculture literacy programs help bridge the gap between rural and urban McHenry County.