Carroll County Farm Bureau

By Chastity Welch, Farm Bureau Manager

Hockey season is upon us. As you may have noticed it doesn’t seem to matter too much at our house what sport it is. We love football and baseball, and hockey has somewhere fallen into that mix too. Carroll County and neighboring Farm Bureaus will again be sponsoring Farm Bureau night at the Rockford Ice Hogs. If you don’t know much about hockey or the Ice Hogs, they are an affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Farm Bureau night will be held at the Rockford Metro Centre on Saturday, February 11. It will be a 7:05 p.m. puck drop versus the Chicago Wolves. Tickets are $12 each. It is also Fleece Blanket night so the first 2500 in the door will receive a free Ice Hogs fleece blanket. Contact our office now to reserve your seats!

Food Safety, Commodity & Your Policy

Farmers know that foodborne illnesses can impact commodity prices just as much as the weather can. During a recent E. coli outbreak, Germany blamed Spanish cucumbers for 50 deaths. Even though accusations were false, Spain suffered from a $200 million a week loss in vegetable exports. We’ve seen this impact in the U.S., too. During a 2006 E. coli outbreak in California, spinach caused an $11 million loss in sales for Texas farmers.

These cases exemplify how export policies, consumer awareness, and commodity prices are intertwined with food safety measures. That’s why Illinois farmers have found it important to create Illinois Farm Bureau Policy #97 Food Safety. It reads in part:

Food safety issues in the United States are becoming increasingly involved in foreign and domestic policy. It is important that the state and national Farm Bureaus continue to actively implement a communications strategy on food safety issues to provide accurate information to the media, to educate the public, and to raise public awareness of the actions farmers are taking to produce a plentiful, high quality supply of food at fair prices. We will monitor initiatives to improve and streamline food safety to ensure that the policies and procedures are in place that build trust and reliability in U.S. agriculture.

We support:

1. Measures to improve food inspection and safety through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Inspection Service to assure consumers of a safe food supply. These measures should reinforce consumer confidence while being cost effective.

2. Protection of our food supply by requiring that imported food products be subjected to the same high safety standards and testing as food produced in the United States.

3. Consumer education through labeling regarding safe cooking and storage procedures.

During an outbreak, the uncertainty about which foods are contaminated add to the negative impact of the situation. Illinois Farm Bureau members strive to combat confusion about their roles in food safety by creating this policy. To read the entire policy, visit www.ilfb.org or contact your county Farm Bureau.

Farm Bureau Classifieds

Carroll County Farm Bureau members can place up to two (2) free classified ads per week, with a limit of 250 characters per ad (not including spaces). Ads are limited to personal or farm items for sale/wanted to buy, or farm labor or services available or wanted. No ads for the sale or rental of real estate, garage sales, or commercial businesses will be accepted. To place an ad, call the Farm Bureau office at (815) 244-3001 by noon Friday to get your ad in the following week's Prairie Advocate.

FS: Happy Hens/Healthy Eggs- Girls are back in production! Now selling Multi-Colored chicken eggs AND duck eggs (Amish cooks like duck eggs)

WANTED: Round bales of stalks, straw, bean stubble

FS: 2004 Ford Explorer XLT 4x4 new tires, exhaust and battery $6,250.00

FS: Acorn squash 0.25 cents each. Butternut squash 0.50 cents each

FS: Tractor Loader Farmall 560 DSL. Wide front with allied heavy duty loader. Very good condition $6,500.00

FS: Outboard motor gas line to tank with ball fits evinrude/johnson motors $5 each.

FS: Large snowmobile suite, like new $20

FS: Lock-On hangon Deer Stand $45. Ladder Stand $55. Ready for hunting

FS: Craftsman planer-jointer 6 1/8in model 113.206933 $75. Craftsman professional work stand 400pd comp. Model 320-22335 $95 OBO

FS: Tiger River Hot Tub. Caspian Model, 6 adults, 36 jets includes waterfall. Cabinet is Coastal Grey. $3500 OBO. Call

FS: Above Ground Pool Heater for sale: Jandi Manufacturer with LP hook up. 3 years old but never used. Call

FS: Men’s black leather bomber style coat size XL, only worn a few times.

FS: Stainless steel double kitchen sink with faucet in excellent condition $45 or

FS: 24in Huffy Purple Bike $35. 3 Queen Ann Living Room Tables made of solid wood $250. 2 Pioneer Speakers 2ft high model CS-A31 never used $75 each or $150 for set. 2 Victorian Glass Lamps $50 each. Black Entertainment Center 4 ft across like new $60

FS: 2 airtight wood stoves, glass doors, good condition, $120 and $180, ladder rack fits 80-86 Ford pickup $50, 14 ft. Farm Gate $35,