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Wisconsin student receives TCF scholarship

University of Wisconsin Madison senior Ben Mrotek has received a Chicago Farmers’ scholarship. He is in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) and majoring in Agricultural and Applied Economics, Environmental Studies.

Ben wrote to TCF, “Thank you very much for your generosity in funding the Chicago Farmers scholarship. This scholarship means a lot to me as this is the first time I have received any sort of financial aid. I am very honored that you chose me among an extremely strong field of candidates. This donation will reduce my financial burden and allow me to spend more time in the coming year focusing on my career interests by taking additional leadership roles on campus.”

Ben, who is from Cedarburg, Wisconsin, said he chose to be an Agricultural and Applied Economics (AAE) major because of his interest in the bridge between business and the environment. He said that he likes the fact that the major allows him to take a large range of courses along with the core economics classes. Ben said that this has provided the opportunity to see how economics applies to real-world issues and take courses most in line with his interests. He said that AAE also paired well with his environmental studies major, which allowed him to get additional credit for electives he enjoys and still have the time to get a certificate in Business Management from CALS. Said Ben, “Overall, I believe my academic path has prepared me for a career that will be very fulfilling.”

Ben said he has been a great admirer of the University of Wisconsin campus from the first moment he saw it. He noted it is a world-renowned institution in a beautiful setting. Being accepted to the university is among his proudest moments. “After becoming dedicated to becoming to getting into Madison, I was able to attain a 4.0 GPA my sophomore through senior high school years,” he said.

With an interest in a career in renewable energy or sustainability, Ben hopes to play a large role in creating solutions to environmental challenges. He would like to hold an executive position in an organization with a mission driven by sustainability.

Said Ben, “Currently, I am pursuing internships in the sustainable energy industry where I can quantify energy system performance and emissions reduction potential. I would like to end up at a company like Tesla because I have a fair amount of experience working with cars, and this would connect that experience with my interest in the environment.”

TCF awards a scholarship to Purdue student

Noah Poynter recently received a scholarship from the Chicago Farmers. He is a farm management major at Purdue University and just completed his junior year.

Noah hails from Greencastle, Indiana, and grew up on his family’s farm. “I am the third generation farmer in my family and have always had a strong passion for agriculture,” he said.

The Poynter farm produces corn and soybeans and Noah has a small herd of beef cattle. Upon graduation from Purdue, Noah plans to return to the family farm “to proudly follow in my dad’s and grandpa’s footsteps.”

Noah added that along with the family farm, his plans include continuing the small business he started while attending Purdue last year, Noah Poynter Media, which produces videos and photos for clients specializing in aerial services, especially within the ag industry.

University of Illinois student receives TCF scholarship

University of Illinois sophomore John Searl is a 2019 Chicago Farmers’ scholarship recipient. John is majoring in Crop Sciences: Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology. Following graduation he plans to pursue graduate studies and earn a Ph.D. in plant breeding and become a corn breeder.

A resident of Port Byron, Illinois, John said that choosing Crop Sciences as his major was an easy decision due to the fact that he grew up on his family’s farm and wanted to do something in agriculture “even before I chose to go down the path I am on to become a corn breeder.” He added that it was an easy decision to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign because the faculty and staff made him feel more at home than he did at other institutions he visited.

John is a member of the Field and Furrow Club at U of I. He loves professional baseball, especially the minor leagues because it affords him the opportunity to follow players through the minors as they make their way to the major leagues. As a baseball enthusiast, John also collects baseball cards, particularly of the top baseball prospects and Carlos Correa.

In thanking TCF for the scholarship, John noted, “Receiving a scholarship such as this means a lot to me in that it shows me that other people have taken notice of not only the effort I have put in, but also what I have already accomplished. Giving back to help younger students always has meant a lot to me and this scholarship reinforces my commitment to helping mentor students in organizations at my high school (Riverdale Senior High School) that helped me get to where I am now.”

Illinois Department of Natural Resources is more than deer, duck, and fish

Colleen Callahan has a mission. As director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), she is striving to make Illinois residents more aware of what the IDNR does for them and making IDNR more aware of what the state’s residents want from it.

Ms. Callahan, a past president of The Chicago Farmers, was the guest speaker at TCF’s holiday meeting on December 9^th at the Union League Club. During her presentation she outlined IDNR’s responsibilities and sought input from the audience members regarding how they would like to see the IDNR involved in their lives.

“Many people think the IDNR deals with deer, duck, and fish, but the department is so much more than that,” said Ms. Callahan. “For example, here we are in Chicago with Lake Michigan at its doorstep. Were you aware that the IDNR is responsible for the coastline along the shores of Lake Michigan? It comes under the auspices of the department’s Coastline Management office, which also is responsible for the release of Lake Michigan’s water to 7 million people. As a department, we do ourselves a disservice by not being more engaged in the Chicago area.”

Ms. Callahan noted that the management of the state’s recreational sites are IDNR responsibilities. This includes the 329 state owned parks, which attract 39 million visitors a year, community parks, and the 1,600-acre world class shooting complex in Sparta, Illinois.  “International visitors participate in shooting competitions at the complex and they are thrilled to be there,” said Ms. Callahan.

She said that the IDNR has more than $1 million in grants to share with communities to improve their park sites. She introduced Ted Penesis, director of community outreach, who is working to further community relations and advise the communities how the grants would be best used. Recognizing that students from the Chicago High School for Agricultural Studies were in attendance, Ms. Callahan said that speaking at TCF’s meeting was an ideal occasion to share with them IDNR job possibilities such as water engineer or wildlife biologist. “When it is time to consider a career path, I hope you consider IDNR,” she added.

Ms. Callahan observed that cultural resources could also be a part of IDNR’s title because it is responsible for the state’s historic sites and museums. In response to a question from the audience, Ms. Callahan related that the new state museum director is a champion for presenting our state historic sites, some of which were closed during the state’s lengthy budget impasse.

“There are areas in some of our parks that have been closed and sections of the Illinois and Michigan Canal that are in need of repair,” she said in a response to an audience member’s concerns. “These are state treasures, with $1 billion of deferred maintenance statewide. However, now we have a budget, a capital bill, and we are hiring people so that we can address this list. There are things that you will notice that are being done, but it will take a while. For some of the projects we have to work with the Capital Development Board, and that in itself is a lengthy process.”

IDNR also lists farming among its activities, said Ms. Callahan. The department has 35,000 acres of tillable land that is leased to more than 200 tenants. Working to be a good steward of the land and an agricultural model, the department has submitted an action plan to the governor that focuses on conservation of the environment.  The IDNR’s leases have become more environmentally friendly and are focusing on regenerative agriculture and soil health. “We now recommend that our tenants plant cover crops because they benefit the soil and wildlife,” she said.

The IDNR’s office of Public Lands is charged with enhancing the state population’s access to land for recreational pursuits. With 97 percent of the land in Illinois privately held and 80 percent of the land owned by farmers, there is little land left for the public. “We have to establish relationships with private owners who might be willing to allow the IDNR to lease their land for hiking or hunting. In some instances, people approach us about taking over their land when they die because they don’t want it commercially developed,” Ms. Callahan said. She added that when the IDNR leases the private land for such things as hunting, it covers the liability insurance. The funding is provided through the federal Farm Bill and IDNR’s Illinois Recreational Access Program (IRAP). There also are tax benefits in the leasing arrangements.

Farmers who own timber land could find the forestry office to be beneficial, she pointed out. The office’s foresters will evaluate the stand of timber for sale purposes and help in eradicating invasive plant species with controlled burns; wildlife biologists also are available to help with the preservation and conservation of the landowner’s natural resources. The state also has its own nursery in Mason City that provides seed stock for native trees and native grasses.

“We continue to review IDNR’s role in the state,” said Ms. Callahan. “We plan to work with universities regarding how we are managing our land that historically has been in row crops. We are looking at the use of solar energy. We are committed to being an example and a leader in conservation.”

Written by Denise Faris, Chicago Farmers Newsletter Editor

November meeting offers a primer on the state of the Illinois International Port District

Clayton Harris III is an enthusiastic cheerleader for the Illinois International Port District (IIPD). As its executive director for the past three years he has made it a priority to make potential customers aware of what the District’s Iroquois Landing and Lake Calumet port facilities, both of which are on Chicago’s Southeast Side and near the Indiana border, have to offer. There are 19 public port districts in the state. Harris was Chicago Farmers’ November 18, 2019, meeting guest speaker.

“We are the greatest multi-modal facility in North America,” said Harris. “These ports are the logistics hearts and brains of transportation.”

Harris related that the Iroquois Landing Facility has 190 acres and approximately1,600 acres comprise the Lake Calumet facility. In addition to these sites, the District also includes the Harborside International Golf Center, which was constructed over the old city of Chicago’s dump and filled with refuse.

“We have connections to road, rail, and water,” said Harris as he displayed a picture of the ports with nearby interstates and rail yards crisscrossing the properties. “The Chicago facilities are within 10 miles of five United States highways, have access to six of the seven North American Class I railroads, and the sites are the only Great Lakes and inland rivers port. We rank number two behind the Duluth/Superior port. The port processes an average of 17.5 million tons of cargo annually.”

The state’s port system includes 350 private terminals along the Illinois, Kaskaskia, Calumet, Ohio, and Mississippi Rivers, as well as Lake Michigan. Three Illinois ports are among the leading ports in the country.

Harris noted that international ships come through the Chicago sites via the St. Lawrence Seaway; barge traffic comes via the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

While the Chicago sites see $37 million in agricultural products at their docks, Harris would like to increase that figure for the facilities and be an economic stimulus for the Chicago area. In 2017, the facilities had total revenue of $1,186,968 and his goal is to increase that by six percent while reducing debt, which he has done during his three years of stewardship.

Harris said that making the facilities more attractive is a key factor in drawing more traffic. He said the state’s capital budget allocated $150 million for the state’s 19 ports and the Illinois International Port District hopes to receive $50 million from that.

The Calumet site has the largest grain elevators east of the Mississippi River, but none of them store any grain. “A decision has to be made to either raze the structures at a cost of $14 million or revamp them for $25 million, although we do have two grain bins to store soy,” said Harris. Additionally, a “ghost ship” that has been moored alongside the grain elevators for 20 years will soon be moved showing ongoing progress and change.

Harris said the IIPD is now involved in a $1 million master planning process that will give it action plans to make the sites more attractive and more cost effective. He added that the District just received $17.5 million that will fund its first capital improvement project since 1981 and include the repaving of Butler Drive, the main roadway through the port district at Lake Calumet, and the raising of rail lines.

“Our master plan will outline what we should, could, and will be doing,” said Harris. “For example, we plan to add a refrigerated shed to the Lake Calumet site so that we can store fresh food products. I want to engage people in agriculture and learn what we can do for you. I want you to incorporate the state’s 19 ports in your thought process.”