BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Stephanie Turner (Newman, Ill.) graduated from Illinois Farm Bureau’s Agricultural Leaders of Tomorrow (ALOT) program, a comprehensive leadership development course, on March 20.  

Turner, a member of Will County Farm Bureau, joined 18 other graduates in 2024. Now in its 45^th year, ALOT has graduated more than 1,200 leaders since 1979. The eight-session course featured experts in communication skills, political process, ag economics and global issues. Through a broad range of process and content skills, graduates enrich leadership abilities and enhance agriculture’s voice in Illinois. Past graduates have included past and current Illinois state legislators and agricultural influencers across Illinois. Various leaders of the Illinois Farm Bureau have graduated from the ALOT program, including past President Rich Guebert and current Vice President Evan Hultine. 

Turner is an agronomist and field representative with Midwest Laboratories. Stephanie received her B.S. in Agronomy form Iowa State University and a A.S. in Agribusiness from Joliet Junior College. She was an active member in 4-H as well as in Ag Business club and Agronomy club. After graduation from Iowa State, she went on to work for AHW John Deere for eight years as a Precision Ag Specialist and JDLink Administrator that led to a career change to Conservis as a Senior Customer Success Manager specializing in John Deere data. She has recently made the move back to agronomy for Midwest Laboratories. She raises Simmental show cattle with her family and volunteers with her counties 4-H organization. 

“ALOT has been a great experience as a producer and an employee of the agriculture industry,” Turner said. “It has opened my world to more than what I know from my own day to day life. The people I’ve met and interacted with all bring their own perspectives and experiences to the future of agriculture. I am so thankful for this opportunity to be a part of ALOT I’ve learned so much about myself and others and how we all have to work together to have a successful future.” 

The 2024 ALOT graduating class heard from nearly 30 speakers, with topics ranging from ag economics to state and local government policy to communication and professionalism and more. Graduates from 17 Illinois counties attended sessions across the state in Edwardsville, Mt. Vernon, Springfield, Salem, Bloomington, Ina and two virtual sessions on Zoom. Sessions are designed to give participants a head-start on tackling tomorrow’s leadership responsibilities. 

Applications for the 2025 ALOT program can be sent to training@ilfb.org and are due in November.

First row L-R: Tori Richter, Clinton County; Alexis Shreves, Massac & Pulaski-Alexander Farm Bureau Manager; Dustin Brinkman, Monroe County; Casey Bolin, Marion County; Alexandria Phelps, McLean County; and Kim Adair, Clay County Farm Bureau Manager.

Second row L-R: Michael Browning, Franklin County; Craig Conroy, McLean; Kacie Claire, Ford-Iroquois Farm Bureau Manager; Stephanie Turner, Will County; Sara Fuller, McLean County; Matt Allen, Piatt County; and Christy Pound, Menard County.

Third row L-R: Carl Goebel, Christian County; Jared McCormick, Randolph County; Ethan Koehler, Marshall County; Quinton Huelsmann, Clinton County; Ian Kessler, Madison County; and Jacob Balding, Edwards County.

Dr. Trent Ford from the University of Illinois speaks about nutrient management practices that can be utilized during the kickoff program being sponsored by Will County Farm Bureau, Will South Cook Soil and Water Conservations District and Illinois Farm Bureau.

Rick Johnson thanked everyone for attending and introduced the local team which is Jim Robbins, Jeff Brandau, Corey Johnson, Steve Warrick Sr. and himself and turned the program over to Raelynn Parmley from the Illinois Farm Bureau.

Raelynn Parmely explains the work Farm Bureau has been doing with the hypoxia issue and carbon work on Illinois farms over the past 4 years and what results they have seen to date.

Dr. Ford points to an item on his power point and explains the increased rain events we have been seeing in the earlier parts of the growing season and how farmers have been adapting to addressing the early water challenges.

Jenny Webb addresses the 40 plus farmers about the work they have been doing with investment boards and buyers in helping to better understand the carbon contracts better and to maximize farmer income during the nutrient management program held March 27^th.

Acquaintance program with Lincoln Way High School Ag program and Peotone FFA was a fun morning and early afternoon of volunteering at the Northern Illinois Food Bank. The 58 students were split into 3 groups to work on 3 different projects during the 2 hours they were present for the volunteer work. They had My Pantry Express where people fill out an order and it is pulled for them, and then double checked and then bagged, another work area was cleaning of cans and then placing labels on each can. They also had a meat sorting and bagging area where the 3^rd crew worked that morning. They received an open video of the process and then received training for each location before starting work and then they enjoyed lunch at noon. The program was provided by the Will County Farm Bureau Young Farmers Committee with help from Heritage Farm Service. The group worked for about 2 straight hours and many changed duties, so they had the complete rounded experience. They were able to help prepare just under 14,000 meals for their work time, and we thank the Norther Illinois Food Bank for working with us to have a Friday morning dedicated just for this group! Here are some pictures from the day April 5^th.

The Young Farmers held a get together before planting season started and took time for this group picture l to r: front row, Jarrad Mulderink, Anita Schneidewind, Katie Nugent, Karen Warrick, Steve Warrick Sr., Ashley Davis, Joe Davis, Michael Bernhard, row 2, Courtney Sowa, Mark Schneidewind, Lauren Nugent, Amy Brandau, Loren Ardaugh, Dana Brandau, Mike Robbins and Lindsay Johnston, back row Kandice Kestel, Austin Brown, Luke Baskerville, RJ Nugent, Ryan Nugent, Corey Brandau, Kevin Ardaugh, Jeff Brandau, Katie Sharkey and Kyle Johnston.

After the backyard workshop sponsored by the Women for Family Farms, a large number of people came up to visit with guest speaker Nancy Kuhajda about their challenges in their yards including pruning.

 A picture of some of the 48 that were able to attend Sunday’s backyard garden and yard program on taking care of shrubs, trees and much more including wildlife secretes and pruning tips for all seasons.

Will County Master Gardeners, Naturalists, and Composters Workday 4/9 WCFB Gardens

Left to Right: Cathy Davidson, Sally Skoff, JoAnn Kohlhagen,

Sue Gregory, Eric Hessler, Joy Alwan, Kathleen Hessler. Not pictured Rose Reinke

At the Farm Gate

May 2024

By Joanie Stiers

Finding a fit with food, fiber, fuel

Match passions, interests with agriculture career

The agriculture industry employs more citizens than any other industry in the United States at 22 million people across more than 250 career areas, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Commonly unrealized, greater than 90% of jobs in the agriculture and food sector are not farming. The industry employs engineers, plant breeders, foresters, veterinarians, agriscience teachers, food scientists, climate specialists and hundreds more professions. In fact, too many choices made our high school senior struggle to decide on a particular career field in agriculture. She enjoys almost every aspect of the industry, but finally leaned on her fascination with plants and her FFA experiences with soils to select a double-major in agronomy and horticulture.

Too often, agriculture is overlooked for satisfying and successful careers, and no farm background is required. I remember my conversation with a Chicago high school sophomore from the south side of the city, who hadn’t considered agriculture as a career path until attending a conference for minorities in agriculture. He developed an interest in agricultural technology through MANRRS, or Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences. Illinois Farm Bureau actively supports this traditionally collegiate organization, which has experienced a rebirth at the high school level. It brings exposure to agricultural careers for students as young as 7th grade largely in schools that lack an agricultural education department. Schools can develop local chapters, which deliver career awareness and opportunities for personal and leadership development through resume building, public speaking, agriscience research, essay contests and training in workplace skills.

Just last year, the Illinois Farm Bureau supported the launch of Agnitor, a digital platform designed to connect agriculture professionals to classrooms for virtual conversations about careers. The mechanically minded may like a profession as an agriculture engineer or diesel technician. Techy teens might take interest in high-tech livestock barns or agricultural application drones. Students who enjoy biochemistry should consider agronomy or biofuels. We need graphic designers for jobs in ag marketing, writers as ag journalists, and researchers to keep agriculture cutting edge.

The job demand in agriculture outpaces the available college graduates. More than 59,000 job openings will be available – per year – in agriculture, food, renewable natural resources and related industries through at least 2025, according to the 2020-2025 Employment Opportunities Report by the USDA and Purdue University. Good news for college graduates: The nation’s largest employer is looking for applicants.

About the author: Joanie Stiers farms with her family, growing corn, soybeans and hay and raising beef cattle and backyard chickens in West-Central Illinois. 

Zipline: Raising the Stakes in Ag Innovation

Innovation has long been a driving force behind progress in agriculture. From iron plows to driverless tractors and from pocket notebooks to instant Artificial Intelligence systems, new ideas and innovative businesses have continually pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in farming.

That is why at Farm Bureau, we value innovation as it helps spur agriculture on to new frontiers. More than a decade ago, we launched our Ag Innovation Challenge, a competition to help showcase innovative businesses that address challenges facing America’s farmers, ranchers and rural communities. For 2025, I’m pleased to announce that we’re doubling the prize to double the impact. Our winner will take home $100,000. Yes, I thought that might get your attention. The competition is officially open so I encourage ag entrepreneurs to apply.

We’re proud of our past winners and their work to advance agriculture. For instance, our 2024 winner, Barn Owl Precision, is supporting small and midsize farms with its autonomous robot that assists in planting, soil sampling, weed control and spraying. We also saw how our runner-up, Udder Ways, developed a new autonomous system that improves sanitation and enhances milk flow as dairy cattle are milked. Two shining examples of entrepreneurs dedicated to supporting farmers in their mission of providing the food, fuel and fiber we all rely on.

The Ag Innovation Challenge is now in its 11^th year, thanks to our partnership with Farm Credit and our sponsors Bayer Crop Science, John Deere, Farm Bureau Bank, Farm Bureau Financial Services and T-Mobile. Together, we have invested over $1.5 million in agricultural businesses. This kind of investment not only helps entrepreneurs in the early financial stages of business but also supports innovations that can solve the challenges we’re facing both today and tomorrow.

The Ag Innovation Challenge is more than a competition, though: it’s a platform for growth and collaboration. Many of our previous winners have reflected on how the relationships they built during the process have been just as valuable as the prize money.

Additionally, Challenge finalists gain invaluable exposure and networking opportunities as they showcase their innovations at the American Farm Bureau Convention Trade Show. As an entrepreneur, how great would it be to connect directly with farmers and ranchers and even demonstrate how your solution can address real-world challenges? That is why we purposely set up the final round of the competition at the Cultivation Center Stage on our trade show floor. We put these finalists front-and-center to pitch their businesses to our panel of judges—and to thousands of potential customers, our farmer and rancher members.

As we look ahead to the 2025 Ag Innovation Challenge, I encourage you to check out fb.org/challenge to learn more about this competition, see some of our wonderful past winners, and share the information about the contest with an entrepreneur you may know.

We encourage all entrepreneurs with innovative agricultural solutions to seize this opportunity to be a part of something truly transformative for their business. Whether it’s new technologies, strategies to reduce operating costs or even new approaches to support our rural communities, your ideas have the power to drive agriculture forward.

Again, applications for the 2025 Ag Innovation Challenge are now open, so don’t wait to apply! I am already excited to see the next group of finalists who rise to the top and their innovations that will undoubtedly help shape the future of agriculture.

Zippy Duvall

President

Want to enjoy the Prime Timer events? You can! Prime Timers is open to Will County Farm Bureau Members ages 55 and older. Questions? Call Tracey 815-727-4811!

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