Hi, I'm Bailey Edenburn, a County Manager Trainee with Illinois Farm Bureau. If you've stopped into the office recently we've probably met. For those I haven't met, I am currently training to become a county manager for Illinois Farm Bureau and I am training in McHenry County through April.
I grew up on a diversified grain and cattle farm in Penfield, IL, a very, very small town in northeastern Champaign County. If you don't know where Penfield is, I'm not surprised, as the town is known for only one event, the annual antique tractor show that takes place every July. I showed Hereford cattle in both 4H and FFA and I was involved in both the state and national junior Hereford associations. I attended the University of Illinois for 6.5 years and earned both a bachelors' and masters' degree in Animal Science. While at the U of I, I also competed on both the meats and livestock judging teams and was a member of the Hoof n' Horn Club and the Production Animal Club. I graduated with my masters' degree in December and started working for Illinois Farm Bureau in January.
The Illinois Farm Bureau training program is both unique and comprehensive. Three trainees, including myself, started in January with a week in Bloomington which included employee orientation and meetings with literally everyone from the Member Services and Public Relations Division. I then spent the next 2 weeks training in Livingston County and getting my first taste of what it was really like to manage a county farm bureau. After that, I was back in Bloomington for 2 weeks for meetings with the other divisions of Illinois Farm Bureau, including Governmental Affairs and Commodities, Finance, General Counsel, and News and Communications. Next, it was back out into Cumberland County for 2 weeks, although my time there was cut short due to a pretty vicious flu virus. Finally, it was back to Bloomington for a week to learn about membership accounting and the finances of county farm bureaus. Now, I'm here in McHenry County learning about the challenges faced by the counties in the northern part of the state.
I've spent a lot of time living out of a suitcase and hotel rooms in the past few months, but the process has been extremely rewarding. I've learned more about the Illinois Farm Bureau than I ever thought I could, and I've been lucky enough to train with great county managers, including Dan Volkers here in McHenry County. I look forward to having a county to call my own and continuing to work for the farmers of Illinois.
