HR1116 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1116 LRB097 21737 KXB 70203 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Kane County Farm Improvement Association, later to be named the Kane County Farm Bureau, was chartered on December 31, 1912, and is celebrating its 100th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, The Kane County Farm Bureau was organized to help farmers improve their production practices and later expanded its interests to enhance the quality of life for member families, promote all aspects of agriculture and advocate good stewardship of our land and resources; and

WHEREAS, The Kane County Farm Bureau joined with similar organizations in other counties to organize, cooperate and coordinate efforts on a broader scale, and formed the Illinois Farm Bureau in 1916 and American Farm Bureau in 1919; and

WHEREAS, The Kane County Farm Bureau supported establishment of business services for farmers and member families through the Illinois Farm Bureau such as: AgriVisor Services, GROWMARK, Country Companies Mutual Insurance and Financial Services, Prairie Farms, and the Illinois Agricultural Auditing Association; and

WHEREAS, Farmers came together to hire a farm advisor to help improve agronomic practices; these farm advisors eventually evolved into the Extension Service of Land Grant Universities and the United States Department of Agriculture; and

WHEREAS, Over 17,000 families are members of the association, making it the largest farm organization in Kane County; and

WHEREAS, Volunteer efforts by members of the Kane County Farm Bureau have helped ensure Kane County remains a great place to farm and has allowed people in Kane County to benefit from the bounty farmers provide; and

WHEREAS, The Kane County Farm Bureau contributed to Kane County's establishment of an ordinance to protect farms from nuisance lawsuits in 1991, the development of a storm water ordinance to protect farmland in 2000, the establishment of a Farmland Protection Program in 2001, and assistance to farmers in maintaining productive soils with a farmland drainage assistance program in 2003, all firsts for Illinois farmers; and

WHEREAS, The Kane County Farm Bureau is active in the community; each year the volunteer efforts of its members provide educational programming to thousands of school children, provide free public events that provide entertainment and teach people about agriculture, and provide hunger relief for thousands of neighbors in need through the Harvest for All program; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the Kane County Farm Bureau's continued commitment to the residents of Kane County and the advancement of agriculture in Illinois and send congratulations on the 100th anniversary; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Kane County Farm Bureau as a symbol of our respect and esteem.