Illinois...

Illinois... Where Fresh Is! The “Illinois...Where Fresh Is!” logo program was created by the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the Illinois Specialty Growers Association and is made available to producers to use as a tool to help sell Illinois grown produce, fruits and other horticultural commodities. This marketing campaign brands Illinois food products and encourages consumers to buy local and buy fresh. The logo also helps consumers quickly and easily identify their specialty crops at farmers markets and grocery stores.

In a lifetime, the average American will consume enough veggies to fill 16 pick-up trucks.

So why eat more local fresh fruits and vegetables? The number one reason is because it’s healthier. Your body gets more vitamins and nutrients from fresh fruits and vegetables. Flavorings, sugar, sodium and preservatives are added to canned and bagged items, taking out the nutritional value. Also, buying local puts more money back into your community and helps local farmers so they can continue to raise fresh fruits and vegetables for you and your family. So the next time you are at the grocery store with your parents, look for the “Illinois...Where Fresh Is!” logo on your fruits and vegetables. And remember, buy local and buy fresh.

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Greeting s from M t. Pulask and hom i in Cen e use. H tral Illin erbs are the herb ois! I’m u s ed to se busines Mary an ason ma s. I felt a daily for d I grow ny foods n eed to m my famil herbs fo . That’s ore effec r retail y. Herbs available how I go tively se made ou in th t t e loca s a ta s r r o te fo n d in od taste foods th l markets at I prep better, b , so I sta u a red t they w rted to g Many he eren’t re row my rbs are g adily own. rown in so all of gre my herb s are gro enhouses. How using or ever, I d w n outdo ganic te o not ors in a chnique for stora g s a . rden sett have a greenho I harves ge, or u u t them a ing, on se them herbs, I ll by han a season se, fresh as enjoy sh d a th , l th b e asis, a e n ring the n either herbs fo knowled eed arises. Whe dry the r both c herbs ge I hav n I’m no hildren e gained t workin and adu g with m lts. by spea Growing king and y herbs re w r iting abo quires a and hea ut strong k lth, as w nowledg ell as m backgro e y base. M participa und I ne y classe tion in 4 eded to ing with s in biolo -H, defin further m other sp gy, scien it y e ly gave in ecialty c te needed. r e ce, s t me the n in becom rop grow ecessar ing an h ers has y erb grow also help er. Ne ed me g Take car a in the know tworke! ledge I Mary L. Buckles

m Olthoff of Olthoff nais, Illinois! I’m Willia Greetings from Bourbon farm 1,600 acres of Growers, Inc. I currently Farms and Dutch Valley king during and afsets. I used to work in ban corn, soybeans and onion ause of my love for partner with my father bec ter college but decided to the earlier years in ferent crops that we grew farming. We had many dif bers, sweet um s, red beets, pumpkins, cuc including tomatoes, onion ily fam to grow onion fourth generation in my , but I also corn, and more. I am the onions through my family ng wi gro ut abo lot a d sets. I learne marketing classes. economics, business and use what I learned in my use irrigation to es some special care. We Growing onion sets requir have crop protecwe make sure that to e hav o als We s. ion the winter. water our on ions for storage through dit con d lle tro con and e e to market tion for diseas ty product and being abl ali qu a g cin du pro in ps This all hel Wal-Mart, all places stores, Farm & Fleet and it to local feed and seed sets. where we sell our onion Sincerely,

William Olthoff

Hey gang! I’m Dav e from Siemer Mill ing Company in Te Effingham County. utopolis, Illinois. Th Siemer Milling Co at’s in mpany’s primary pr different specifica oduct is wheat flour tions for the makin milled to g of such foods as co batters and breading okies, crackers, ca s, bread and biscui ke s, pretzels, ts. We mill soft red red spring wheat. Th winter, hard red w e type of wheat pr inter, and hard oduced in Illinois wheat grown in Ill is soft red winter. inois is shipped ou Most of the t of the country to world and is also pr help feed people al ocessed into flour l over the to make cookies, cr ackers and cakes. I am a grain merch andiser, which mea ns I buy the wheat By-products are th and sell all by-pro ings made in the pr ducts of wheat. ocess of making so panies about buying mething else. I talk our flour by-produ to feed comcts like wheat mid I also talk to farmer ds, reddog, bran an s and elevators abou d wheat germ. t selling their whe at to Siemer Millin g. But, how did I get here? I grew up on a farm near Hamm and soybeans. I was ond, Illinois. My da also involved in 4d grew corn H and showed my dduring the summer projects at the coun . I took several agric ty fairs ulture classes in hi ddegree in Agricultu gh school and I ha ral Marketing. I us ve a college e a lot of what I lear cclasses every day ned in my Math an on the job. d English Until Next Time,

Dave DeVore

Hello from Rendleman Orchards in Southern Illinois! I’m Wayne Sirles. I grew up on the family farm and have always loved everything about it. Our farm is over 135 years old! I oversee the day to day operations of the farm and love to be outdoors raising fruit that people are crazy about. I manage the employees who help me raise peaches, apples and vegetables. Our peaches are sold to grocery stores, fruit stands and various markets. Our own professional pickers harvest them all by hand. All of our trees need special care all year long. In the wintertime, we fertilize and prune the trees. Fertilize means we add nutrients to the soil that our trees need to grow. Removing dead and unwanted tree limbs is what we call pruning. During the spring, we keep the orchard mowed, plant more trees and spray for weeds and insects. In the summer, we continue to mow the orchard. We also thin out the crop. This means we pick some of the peaches before they are mature to prevent limbs and branches from breaking and so other peaches can grow to full size. In the fall, we clean up broken limbs, mow, remove dead trees and dormant spray to keep pests from damaging the trees. Many of my classes in school helped prepare me for my job. I use a lot of the things that I learned in my soil, horticulture and science classes every day so doing well in school was very important for me, just as it should be for you too! See you later!

Wayne Sirles W Sii l

from Richardson Corn Maze and Hi there! I’m Robert Richardson r Spring Grove, Illinois. My brothe Richardson Christmas Trees in s farm. We have about 200 acre George and I are partners in the ns. We also have a cut-your-own of corn and 200 acres of soybea World’s Largest Corn Maze! Christmas tree operation and the of variety. It changes with the I really love that my job has a lot on different days, weeks and seasons and I do different things fields, plant Christmas trees and months. We plant corn, plow the and trim the trees and get the maze care for them, spray for weeds, t ves and summer. In the fall, we har picnic area ready in the spring oy enj of customers who come to the crops and talk with thousands ke wreaths and decorations and our maze. In November, we ma ss and sell trees in December. Talk open the Christmas tree busine about busy! operation. Math, geometry and I use a lot of math in my farming ipsting the sprayer and planting equ algebra are always used in adju ting wri nication skills, so speech and ment. I also need good commu te with a lot of customers and wri classes were very helpful. I talk pers and design advertisements. letters and articles for the newspa Better Get Back to Work! Robert Richardson

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