Mason County Farm Bureau, dedicated to the enrichment and service of Mason County agriculture. 

Mason County Farm Bureau offers Scholarships

             The 2016 Mason County Ag Scholarship and the Leo Pfeiffer Memorial Scholarship Applications are now available at the guidance offices and ag teachers of all Mason County High Schools, and at the Mason County Farm Bureau office. The purpose of these scholarships, which are funded by the Mason County Farm Bureau and Sunrise Ag Service Company, as well as the Mason County Farm Bureau Foundation, is to enhance interest in and development of quality education of young people in agricultural and related fields. 

            The scholarship is to be awarded as a one time $750 payment to the Financial Aid office of the appropriate college for the benefit of the recipient. 

            Eligible students must complete an application and write an original essay.  The theme for this year's essay is "What can young people do to ensure the sustainability of agriculture.”  Contact the Mason County Farm Bureau to receive an application 309-543-4451. Applications are due to the Farm Bureau by 4:00 pm on March 31st.

Join Now!!
http://www.ilfb.org/get-involved/membership-benefits/membership-landing-page.aspx

Specialty Corn Harvest Ready to 'Pop' in Mason County

Popcorn lovers should get a lot of bang for their buck from this year's harvest.

Read more here. 

Read 'Big Data' agreements before signing 

U.S. citizens everyday sign various contracts/user agreements, ranging from cell phone contracts to warranties, without paying much attention to the fine print.

Read more here. 

Waters of the US Roadshow

The Mason County Farm Bureau will be hosting ILFB's Lauren Lurkins and Adam Nielsen on August 8th at 8:00am as they share information about Waters of the US. They will also be sharing information on how to make public comment to the EPA. 

You can make your reservation by calling the Mason County Farm Bureau at 309-543-4451. 

Meat Exports Sizzle Despite Record High Prices

In fact, the pace of U.S. beef and pork exports exceeds last year, according to Dan Halstrom, senior vice president of marketing and communication for the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

Read and listen to more here.   

This Radically Faster Crossbreeding Technique Is Changing Agriculture

PEDv Forcast for Summer and Fall

A new disease in the U.S. hog herd is here to stay. Todd Gleason reports PEDv wanes in the summer months, but can be expected to return in the fall and winter. He has this forecast from a clinical veterinarian at the University of Illinois

Watch the video here.  

Four Mason County Students Attend Youth Conference

More than 500 FFA members, County Farm Bureau Managers, FFA advisors from 83 Illinois counties attended the 2014 Illinois Farm Bureau® & Affiliates Youth Conference, April 7-8 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Springfield.
          "Planting Your Potential”, the theme of this year’s conference, offered FFA members in their junior year of high school, a unique opportunity for career and personal development. This year’s attendees got the opportunity to visit with representatives about scholarships, internships, leadership programs, and career opportunities from community colleges, universities, agriculture commodity groups, and the Illinois Farm Bureau and it’s the family of companies at a career fair. The conference also provided a series of  breakout sessions that outlined opportunities in agriculture and provided information about the Illinois Farm Bureau and its family of companies.  Participants brought  2, 682 cans of food to the conference for the Harvest For All program.
          The annual two-day conference is sponsored by Illinois Farm Bureau and its affiliated companies, which include GROWMARK, COUNTRY Financial, Prairie Farms and the IAA Credit Union. Please visit www.youthed.org or http://www.facebook.com/ilfbyea for more information on the Illinois Farm Bureau & affiliated companies Youth Education program. 

Pictured (left to right) are: Jordan Breedlove, Midwest Central FFA; Stephanie Miller, Midwest Central FFA; Sam Detwiler, President, Illinois Association FFA; Katelyn Culp, Midwest Central FFA; Brianna Morrison, Midwest Central FFA

Ag Census: Virtually all Illinois Farms Family Owned 

Results from the 2012 Ag Census, released last week, finds family-owned farms remain the mainstay of Illinois agriculture.  Individuals/families own 86.5% of all farms in the state.

Read more here. 

Approval Proposed for Mahomet Sole Source Aquifer Designation  

The US Environmental Protection Agency plans to designate a portion of the Mahomet  Aquifer system in east-central Illinois as a sole source aquifer.

The Safe Drinking Water Act gives the EPA authority to designate an aquifer as a sole or principal source of drinking water for a specified area. The designation allows EPA to review all federally funded projects in the area to ensure they will not contaminate the aquifer.

The full filing can be found at http://www.epa.gov/region5/water/gwdw/mahomet/index.htm or can be found at the Havana and Pekin Public Libraries.

We have been told by EPA and NRCS that crop insurance, CRP, EQUIP and other conservation programs would not be under review. Projects that are positive conservation practices would be encouraged, not discouraged. Both EPA and NRCS irrigation would be effected by this designation.

The issue that could be of concern for being reviewed would apply to livestock facilities that would use federal funds, other than EQUIP, for herd expansion or manure management. 

The MAC Board, Regional Water Supply Committee and Illinois Farm Bureau are staying neutral on the issue at this point. With the stipulation of federally funded projects, the number of projects the EPA would be able to weigh in on would be limited. If the federally funded part were removed at any point that would change the situation. Also, it is hard to go into a situation that is supporting safe drinking water and fight against it.

There will be two public hearings held about the Mahomet Aquifer Sole Source Petition:

Tuesday, May 13, 2014: Meeting 6:30-7:15pm, hearing 7:30-9:00pm at the
                Hilton Garden Inn, 1501 S. Neil St., Champaign.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014: Meeting 6:30-7:15pm, hearing 7:30-9:00pm at the
                Morton Park District’s Freedom Hall, 349 W. Birchwood, Morton.

Public comment is suggested and due by June 12, 2014. If you would like to submit written comment and would like assistance, contact the Renee Deuth at the Mason County Farm Bureau. 

The Region 5 contact at the EPA is William Spaulding and can be contacted at  Spaulding.william@epa.gov.  

Contact the Mason County Farm Bureau at 309-543-4451 with questions. 

For previous news, click here.