Contests honor farmers
When students are asked, “Where does your food come from?” The most common answer is “the store.”
Agriculture provides the necessities of life . . . food, fibers, fuels and shelter. Did you know that clothing, cosmetics, cleaning supplies, inks, pet foods, and thousands of other things started as a farm product being raised or grown by a farmer? This list of products with agriculture roots is continually growing. Agriculture works around the clock to help meet the needs of Americans, as well as others around the world.
To recognize this essential industry, November 24 – 30, 2019 will be celebrated as Thank You Farmers Week. Livingston County is honoring farmers by hosting two separate contests – a Kindergarten Coloring Contest and a Placemat Design Contest for students in grades 1-4. These contests are open to all Livingston County public, private and home school students.
“Every Day Is Ag Day!” is the theme for both contests. Students in grades 1-4 will design a placemat that shows the path that any favorite food, clothing or fuel item takes to get from an Illinois farm, all the way to their home. Kindergarten students will be provided with a coloring picture.
Entries will be judged on the accurate use of colors and neatness. The first-place placemat designs from the Grades 1 & 2 and the Grades 3 & 4 divisions will be printed on placemats that will be provided to Livingston County restaurants for the celebration of National Agriculture Day on March 24, 2020. Contests are sponsored by the Agriculture Literacy Partnership, a joint effort comprised of Livingston County’s Soil and Water Conservation District, Farm Bureau and University of Illinois Extension.
Livingston County’s Agriculture Literacy Partnership sponsors these contests to help bring awareness to the fact that no one can go a day without agriculture. A complete listing of rules for both contests and the Kindergarten coloring sheet are available from the Livingston County SWD at 815-844-6127 ext. 3 or by contacting Debbie Ruff at debra.ruff@il.nacdnet.net. The entry deadline is Friday, December 13, 2019.
