Doug Downs, President
Your membership in the Champaign County Farm Bureau holds a lot of value. You’ve heard this time and again and will probably hear it some more. As always, remember our partners in the area who offer goods and services at a discount. Discounts are a nice benefit, but have you also seen the list of informational meetings that have taken and are still taking place this summer which are put on by the Champaign County Farm Bureau? We recently had a wind and solar meeting where 100 people packed the room for 90 minutes of incredible free information from 3 experts. Putting a price tag on that information isn’t possible, but it’s all part of your membership benefits. If you have a neighbor, or friend, whom you know is not a member, you might mention that to them. This is the time of year when we focus on bringing in new members and reaching out to those who may not understand all the value associated with membership.
We also have a new group that has just started meeting and its focus is on the professional side of ag. It’s called “Agri link”. Watch for the times and meeting dates in the Monday morning email update. This group is focused on ag professionals in the area and is meant to connect professionals in ag services with others who can also add value to our farm bureau with their unique perspectives. If you are a professional in an ag field or ag educational field who would like to connect with other like-minded folks, this is the group for you. It’s starting out as a relaxed atmosphere for networking with a short presentation from a host ag business and has really flourished. With the ag retail business, machinery dealers, and university researchers in the county we feel this is an area where ag professionals can team up with us. There is strength in numbers and we can all benefit each other.
On another note, if you have a garden, you probably have tomatoes coming out of your ears and wonder what you’re going to do with all that zucchini and cucumbers. It’s a shame that a lot of those gardens over produce and likely a lot goes to waste. If you have the ability to get things picked up, please check with a local food pantry to see if they can take it. There are a couple churches with pantries in my area struggling to fill the need and this is the time of year we can make a difference. Not only in the garden, but even the feedlot. If your selling freezer beef or butcher hogs and have an “unclaimed” quarter or two, those food pantries can use it. Keep that in mind and maybe help out some who are struggling with the most basic of needs.
Sincerely,
Doug Downs
