The 8th Annual Salute to Ag Breakfast was held on Friday, March 25th at The Barn at Hornbaker Gardens. Everyone was happy to gather again after the last two years of the event had been missed due the pandemic. Poor Boys caterered the event and the Boy Scouts were present and posted the colors.
Placemat Art Contest Winners were announced. Third grade students from around the county were asked to create a placemat following the theme, “What Agriculture Means to Me.” Over 118 entries were submitted to the Bureau County Farm Bureau. Both winners came from Mrs. Quanstrom’s class at Lincoln Elementary School in Princeton. Winners included: Elyse Lambert (Best of Show) and Alyxis Watson (Best Use of Theme).
Tony Stirling was our guest speaker. He owns Silver Creek Farms & Valley Fresh Harvest in Ladd, Illinois. He spoke about his hydroponics farm, produce cooperative and its evolution through the years.
All Bureau County High School FFA Chapters are invited to this event. Bureau Valley High School, LaMoille High School and Princeton High School were all present that morning and the Chapter President’s each spoke about their specific FFA Chapter and the projects they have been working on. IVCC also attended (being our district junior college) and spoke about their ag program at the Junior College Level.
Four scholarships were awarded to local seniors who were pursuing a degree and eventually a career in agriculture. Recipients were: Alex Jagers (Princeton), Aubreanna Vogel (Princeton), Addison Hicks (Bureau Valley) and Kiersten Shevokas (LaMoille).
The Salute to Ag Committee consists of: Jenica Cole – Executive Director of the Princeton Area Chamber of Commerce & Princeton Tourism, Derek Fetzer – Committee Chair/Heartland Bank & Trust Company, Dan Legner – Compeer Financial, Shellee Monier – Meadows, Rachel Bickett – Hefty Seed Company, Scott Smith – Michlig Energy, Jill Frueh – Bureau County Farm Bureau, Tim Harris – CAPS, Deb Schultz – North Central Bank and Chad Taylor – Nutrien Ag Solutions.
We thank everyone for their support in this annual project and look forward to hosting again next year! Thank you to everyone who sponsored and attended for 2022!
