Illinois Farm Girl

a mother's perspective on farm life & farm kids

The Anatomy of a Planter

#Plant15 is well underway and with it comes newsfeeds filled with tractors and planters working at sunrise, sunset and every hour in between.  The planter, a must have for most farmers, is filled with thousands of moving parts.  How does such a big machine put such a tiny seed in the ground?  Here is the anatomy of a planter. ...

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10 Ways to be a Better Volunteer

Volunteering has always been a part of my life. I watched my parents take leadership roles in community organizations or fill in the gaps at certain events. Some of the best life lessons I learned came from watching the adults around me volunteer. Volunteers truly put the extra on ordinary. Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give.” I truly ...

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Flat Aggie Visits the Timpner Fish Farm

We are here in Pinckneyville, Perry County, Illinois at the Timpner Family Fish Farm. Perry County is in Southern Illinois. It is seven hours south of Chicago, the largest city in Illinois. We live a half an hour from Southern Illinois University located in Carbondale, Illinois.  We are in the Mississippi River Watershed.  We actually live about two hours east of the Mississippi River and St ...

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#SaveILAgEd

Buried in the multi-billion dollar Illinois state budget, sits a line item tiny in amount ($1.8 million) but big on impact. The Agriculture Education line item supports agriculture education in 321 Illinois middle schools and high schools, funds teacher recruitment, retention and professional development, and in general affects the lives of 17,250 Illinois FFA members. ...

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