Hello everyone! I'm Danielle Simons and I am honored to be this year's McHenry County Farm Bureau Summer Intern. I am the daughter of Curt and Susan Simons and the sixth generation growing up on our small 40 cow dairy farm and 1200 acre grain farm in Marengo, Illinois.
Congratulations to Meredith Ziller on receiving the Women's Committee Scholarship. Meredith is the daughter of Dan and Carol Ziller, who are dairy farmers in McHenry County. Ziller is a 2013 graduate of Marengo Community High School and is looking to further her education within the Dairy Industry.
The McHenry County Fair is excited to announce that they are in the process of building a new beef barn. After many months of reviewing proposed locations, designs and associated costs the board voted to move forward with the project. To help initiate this effort, several companies, organizations and individuals are providing support. Financial supporters include the Northeast Illinois Cattleman's Association, McHenry County Community Foundation, George Dahm Memorial Fund, and the Fair's Livestock Improvement Fund. Many additional companies have offered materials, labor, and in-kind support. If you are interested in lending a hand with the project or would like to provide some financial support, please contact the McHenry County Fair Association at 815-338-5315 or email them at fairinfo4u@yahoo.com. If you would like to send a donation, please write the check out to McHenry County Fair Foundation and mail it to PO Box 375, Woodstock, IL 60098.
If you are interested in helping with the fair improvements in another way, you can attend the all you can eat chicken dinner the Hebron Helping Hands 4-H club is hosting at Crandall's restaurant in Hebron. The event will be held on Monday, June 17th from 4 to 8 p.m. The dinner includes mashed potatoes, coleslaw, rolls, soft drinks or coffee. You can dine in or carryout your meal. For more information, contact Bruce Meier at bmeier@oawl.net or call 815-405-7043.
McHenry County Farm Bureau and the Women's Committee teamed up to assist local food pantries. Eleven area food pantries received a total of $795 in donations.
City Moms Tour Illinois Farm for a Firsthand Look
Sixteen urban and suburban moms from the Chicago area toured a grain and pork farm in Sycamore last month as part of the Illinois Farm Families' Field Mom program. The Field Moms are on a yearlong journey to learn more about their food from the farmers who grow it. This tour, at the farm of father/son team John and Steve Ward, was one of six the moms will take for a "peek inside the barn" to see for themselves. The moms suited up in protective gear to protect the health of the pigs and walked through the barns of this "wean to finish" farm, where piglets arrive when they are about 12 pounds. The pigs leave the farm to go to market when they are 250-300 pounds.
"What I thought I was going to see versus what I actually saw are so different," said Renee Keats, Highland Park. "This was a great opportunity to see pigs and see how they're really raised."