HOT TOPIC: 

Farm Progress Show FFA Officer Schedule - COME SEE US!!

Come out and see the Illinois FFA State Officers during the 2021 Farm Progress Show! Click here for the 2021 Farm Progress Show site map.  

• Tuesday, August 31, 2021 - the officers will be at Titan Tire, 933 on the map.

• Wednesday, September 1, 2021 - the officers will be at FS , 1133 on the map.

• Thursday, September 2, 2021, - the officers will be at Farm Credit, 763 on the map.

2021 - 2022 Illinois FFA Rosters - DUE October 1, 2021

• Please click here for roster instructions.  

2021 - 2022 Chapter Strategic Plan - DUE October 1, 2021

• Please click here for Chapter Strategic Plan instructions.  

Items in this listserv:

****NEW Information****

1. Feedback Needed

2.  The Minneapolis Moline Collectors Scholarships & Grants

3. 2022 North Central Region - Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) Youth Educator Grant Call for Proposals

4.  GROWMARK Foundation to Provide FFA Jackets

5. National Farm Safety and Health Week 2021 (September 19-25) - AgriSafe

1. Feedback Needed!

Please take a moment to give our various boards at the FFA Center some much needed feedback.  This survey has some questions for Illinois FFA Alumni & Supporters, the Illinois Foundation FFA Board, IAVAT board, Legislative Committee and FFA Board, and even gives us some insight on work life balance.  So please click here and give a few minutes of your time and feedback.  

2.  The Minneapolis Moline Collectors Scholarships & Grants

The Minneapolis Moline Collectors are offering scholarships in the amount of $750 to selected applicants who complete the application by May 31, 2022.  In addition, there is a Preservation Grant application for those restoring MM equipment and a Oral History Grant for oral and video interviews of persons with historical information on MM or its products.  Application for a grant needs to be completed before a project begins. The Minneapolis Moline Collectors Inc website is https://minneapolismolinecollectors.org. 

The scholarship information is located at https://minneapolismolinecollectors.org/projects-contests/mmci-scholarship/

The preservation grants and oral history information is at https://minneapolismolinecollectors.org/oral-histories-preservation-grants/

3. 2022 North Central Region - Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) Youth Educator Grant Call for Proposals

The 2022 North Central Region - Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) Youth Educator Grant Call for Proposals is now available.

 Youth Educator Grant projects provide opportunities for youth in the North Central Region to learn more about sustainable agriculture (farming and ranching that is ecologically sound, profitable, and socially responsible).  Educators use the grants to encourage young people and their families to try sustainable practices and see sustainable agriculture as a viable career option. Projects should help youth discover that sustainable farming and ranching strengthens communities, increases farmer/rancher profitability, and improves the environment.

 The maximum amount for grants is $6,000, and a total of approximately $90,000 is available for this program. 

NCR-SARE will be accepting online submissions for the Youth Educator Grant Program. More information about the online submission system can be found in the call for proposals.

Interested applicants can find the call for proposals online as well as useful information for completing a proposal at https://northcentral.sare.org/Grants/Apply-for-a-Grant/Youth-Educator-Grant/.

 You can find more information about sustainability at http://www.sare.org/ and in the Youth Education Topic Room at: https://northcentral.sare.org/resources/resources-for-youth-education/.

 Proposals are due by Thursday, November 11, 2021, at 4pm CST.

Applicants with questions can contact Joan Benjamin, Associate Regional Coordinator and Youth Educator Grant Program Coordinator, at benjaminj@lincolnu.edu or 573-681-5545 or 800-529-1342.

Applicants should also contact Joan Benjamin if they need a hard copy or an email version of the call for proposals. We revise our calls for proposals each year, which means it is crucial to use the most recent call for proposals.

Each state in SARE's North Central Region has one or more SARE State Coordinators who can provide information and assistance to potential grant applicants. Interested applicants can find their SARE State Coordinator online at https://northcentral.sare.org/state-programs/state-coordinators/.

4.  GROWMARK Foundation to Provide FFA Jackets

In April 2019, Mike Builta, a GROWMARK vice president and long-time employee, passed away unexpectedly. To honor his memory, the GROWMARK Foundation will be providing 100 FFA jackets to FFA members in Illinois.

Twenty-five jackets will be provided each year from 2019-2022. FFA members are asked to answer the question “What does the FFA jacket mean to you?” and share the main goal they wish to accomplish as an FFA member. The application is available at https://bit.ly/BuiltaJacket2021 and is due September 10 at midnight.

Builta was raised on a family farm near Bellflower, Illinois. He was an active FFA member and lifelong supporter of agricultural education. He held GROWMARK System management roles at Christian County Farmers Supply Company in Taylorville, Illinois and GRAINCO FS in Ottawa, Illinois, before becoming GROWMARK vice president of Energy and Logistics in 2018.

The GROWMARK Foundation was formally incorporated in 2005 and supports 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organizations. The Foundation is focused on programs and activities which support: the vitality of the industry of agriculture; agriculture education and consumer understanding of agriculture's contributions to society and the economy; agricultural leadership development; and education about the benefits of the cooperative way of doing business. The GROWMARK System has been involved in a variety of philanthropic efforts, including youth and young leader education and development and scholarships, for decades.

Contact: Karen Jones, kjones@growmark.com, 309-557-6184

5. National Farm Safety and Health Week 2021 (September 19-25) - AgriSafe

Click here to see a series of webinars to participate in.

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***DATES & DEADLINES - Remember***  

Please NOTE, if you click on Dates & Deadlines it will take you to the www.ilaged.org calendar.  

• August 31 - September 2, 2021 - Farm Progress Show, Decatur, IL

• September 6, 2021 - Labor Day - FFA CENTER CLOSED

• September 7, 2021 - District 5 STAR Conference, SIUC, SIU College of Agricultural Sciences, 1205 Lincoln Dr, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA

• September 9, 2021 - Chapter Visits rehearsal

• September 10, 2021 - District 4 STAR Conference, Lake Land College, Mattoon, IL

• September 13, 2021 - LAST Day to order FFA Day w/ the Cardinals tickets 

• September 16, 2021 - Elite Conference 

• September 18, 2021 - State Horse CDE, Black Hawk College East Campus, 26230 Black Hawk Rd, Galva, IL 61434, USA

• September 20 - 24, 2021 - Chapter Visits

• September 25, 2021 - State Forestry CDE, SIUC, SIU College of Agricultural Sciences, 1205 Lincoln Dr, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA

• September 27 - October 1, 2021 - Chapter Visits

• October 1, 2021 - FFA Roster DUE

• October 1, 2021 - FFA Strategic Plan DUE

• October 3, 2021 - Illinois FFA Day with the Cardinals, St. Louis, MO

• October 4 - 8, 2021 - Chapter Visits

• October 11, 2021 - FFA CENTER CLOSED

• October 12, 2021 - State Land Use CDE

• October 27 - 30, 2021 - National FFA Convention, Indianapolis, IN

• November 1, 2021 - WLC Alumni Scholarship Application DUE 

• November 8 - 12, 2021 - Chapter Visits

• November 11, 2021 - Veterans Day - FFA CENTER CLOSED

• November 12, 2021 - ICAE Meeting

• November 13, 2021 - Alumni Council Meeting, FFA Center, Springfield, IL

• November 15 - 19, 2021 - Chapter Visits

• November 20, 2021 - State Ag Sales CDE - Lincoln Land Community College, 5250 Shepherd Rd, Springfield, IL 62703, USA

• November 25 - 26, 2021 - Thanksgiving - FFA CENTER CLOSED

• December 6 - 10, 2021 - Chapter Visits

• December 11, 2021 - State Agronomy & Dairy Foods CDE

• January 15, 2022 - American FFA Degree Applications DUE