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NATIONAL AG WEEK ACTIVITIES

By Staff | Mar 13, 2009

The following National Agriculture Week events, March 15-21, and Ag Day on March 20, will be held throughout Iowa, with emphasis within the Farm News’ coverage area and surrounding counties.

Statewide: Iowa Farm Bureau will be attending this year’s Ag Day At The Capitol, on Wednesday. Prizes will be handed out to those who visit the Iowa Farm Bureau booth, including a chance to win a $50 beef certificate.

Ed Kordick, IFB’s commodity services manager, will be present to discuss farm risk management with farmers, legislators and other event attendees.

Calhoun County: Farm Bureau will sponsor ag trivia on the radio all week; three questions per day for five days. The first caller with the correct answer receives a $10 ethanol certificate.

Cherokee County: Farm Bureau is celebrating National Ag Week with a membership appreciation barbeque. Cherokee County Pork Producers will be grilling and serving free pork burgers at the event. March is also Colon Cancer Month, and Dr. Chris Vande Lune will be available to visit with members about colon cancer and hand out brochures and colon cancer bracelets.

Megan Peterson, Farm Bureau health coach, will be in attendance to visit with members as well. The county is also sponsoring an ag trivia quiz on the local radio station throughout the week, with winners receiving $10 gift cards to the local grocery stores.

Dickinson County: Farm Bureau will be hosting a breakfast in Spirit Lake for invited guests. Aaron Putze of The Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers will speak to the group.

Hancock County: Farm Bureau is sponsoring an ag trivia contest on a local radio station. The deejay will ask an ag question each day, Monday through Friday, during “traffic trivia” beginning at 7 a.m. Farm Bureau will give ethanol, beef and pork certificates as prizes.

Humboldt County: Farm Bureau is sponsoring ag trivia on a local radio station. The station will read three questions a day during Ag Week, and Farm Bureau is awarding $10 ethanol certificates to the winners.

Marshall County: Farm Bureau will deliver donuts to several ag business places during Ag Week. They will also deliver table tents to local restaurants and businesses.

Monona County: Farm Bureau is giving the ABC’s of Agriculture coloring books to pre-K-3 students in the county schools and giving placemats featuring agriculture information to county restaurants and cafes.

O’Brien County: Farm Bureau will be co-sponsoring a no-till conference. They will also be doing a stroke screening in Primghar on March 16 and a Farm Bill meeting in Primghar on March 18. The group will hold a stroke screening in Sheldon on March 18.

Osceola County: Farm Bureau will be hosting a pancake breakfast on March 14 at the Sibley farm/home show. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Plymouth County: Farm Bureau is partnering with the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce to host an Agri-Business Luncheon on Tuesday at the Le Mars Convention Center. Speaker Jim Woster will talk to the group about the value of agriculture in the Midwest.

Farm Bureau is also sponsoring a chamber coffee event, held 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday. The event will serve approximately 75 people, including FFA students.

Sioux County: Farm Bureau will be hosting a stroke screening in Hawarden.

Audubon County: Farm Bureau will host a promotion at a local grocery store. Shoppers will have an opportunity to win a gift card from the grocery store (courtesy of Farm Bureau) if they can guess the farmer’s share of the cost of the groceries in a shopping cart.

Jasper County: Farm Bureau women’s committee will be distributing informative placemats and table tents to restaurants throughout the county.

Butler County: Farm Bureau will co-sponsor, with Allen Hospital in Waterloo, a 23-test blood profile screening. The cost for participants is $20.

Floyd County: Farm Bureau will be distributing informative platemats during Ag Week. The organization will also co-sponsor, with Allen Hospital in Waterloo, a 23-test blood profile screening. The cost for participants is $20.

Mitchell County: Farm Bureau will co-sponsor an ag breakfast on Thursday with the Osage Area Chamber of Commerce. They will also co-sponsor, with Allen Hospital in Waterloo, a 23-test blood profile screening. The cost for participants is $20.

Howard County: Farm Bureau will be distributing place mats to area restaurants, coloring sheets and colors to kindergartners, and bookmarks for K-6 students in district. The Farm Bureau will also hold an FFA and 4-H Ag Challenge event at the Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation. Twelve school districts will be represented. Students will also learn about opportunities within Farm Bureau, including the Young Farmer program.

Chickasaw County: Farm Bureau, Chickasaw County Pork Producers and Chickasaw County Cattlemen are partnering to bring education and entertainment to local schools and the public on Friday, National Agriculture Day. The groups will bring in radio/television personality Trent Loos to speak with Nashua-Plainfield High School, Sumner-Fredricksburg Middle School, and New Hampton High School.

In the evening, Loos will be the keynote speaker at the National Ag Day Celebration Dinner, at the Pub at the Pinicon in New Hampton.

Farm Bureau will also co-sponsor, with Allen Hospital in Waterloo, a health fair on Wednesday at the Pub at the Pinicon in New Hampton, between 7 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. The cost for a 23-test blood profile is $20. Participants can have their blood pressure taken by the Chickasaw Public Health Nurse at no cost. A breakfast buffet will be served at this event, for a nominal fee.

Farm Bureau asks each participant to bring a canned good or other non-perishable item with them to the health fair. Farm Bureau will be presenting all donated items to the Fredericksburg, Nashua, and New Hampton food pantries.

Bremer County: Farm Bureau will be hosting several events next week. Tuesday is Health Day. Allen Hospital technicians will be taking blood samples and running 23 tests for participants. The cost for participants is $20.

The Ag in the Classroom committee will visit two different schools and hand out soynut samples. The committee will tell students about the different products made from soybeans, including packing peanuts and disposable flatware, and explain how these products are more environmentally friendly.

Bremer County Farm Bureau Vice President Tim Dillon will speak to the Waverly Rotary on Thursday.

On March 21, Farm Bureau will be co-hosting a free pancake breakfast, along with Bremer County corn and soybean growers, that is open to the public in Waverly. More than 30 ag organizations will be present to speak with attendees about their products. The event will last from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Black Hawk County: Farm Bureau will be hosting a county supervisor’s shopping spree on Wednesday at the Logan Avenue Hy-Vee in Waterloo. Supervisors Frank Magsaman, Craig Little and Tom White will go on a three-minute shopping spree to support the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. Farm Bureau will be donating up to $350 per shopper to the food bank in honor of National Ag Week.

Marion County: Farm Bureau will be holding an Ag in the Classroom field trip for 4th graders in Marion County. It will be held at the Vermeer Pavilion in Pella. Various stations will be set up, along with farm machinery and live animals for the kids to see. At the end of the day, the students will receive gift bags. Approximately 400 children will attend the event.

Madison County: Farm Bureau will have the Madison County Pork Producers and the Madison County Cattlemen cook sandwiches at the Fareway store in Winterset on Friday from 11 a.m to 1 p.m. They will sell these sandwiches for $1 each.

Adair County: Farm Bureau will be hosting its annual Ag Week celebration on Monday. Area businesses will have displays, including machinery, and a free lunch (donations to purchase beef and pork certificates for local food pantry appreciated) served at noon. There will be three educational programs throughout the day. Tim Eggers, Iowa State University (ISU) Field Agricultural Economist will present ideas for operating in tight margin situations. Joyce Lash, ISU Extension Consumer Management Specialist will present information concerning passing on family heirlooms. There will also be a presentation on hoop buildings for beef production.