From food to fuel, virtually all aspects of daily life are influenced by agriculture. 

Throughout National Ag Week, which runs from March 20-26 with March 22 being Ag Day, the Monroe County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee will host several initiatives and events to get this message across. 

“Everyone’s life ties into agriculture in some way,” Karen Schrader, a member of the committee, said. “While our county is still a very agriculture-aware county, not all counties are. A lot of kids and adults don’t realize the importance of agriculture and how it provides their groceries in the grocery store, so any time we have the opportunity to connect people to agriculture we try to look for ways to do that.” 

This year, long-time favorites will be returning, one being a first grade coloring contest, another being a fourth grade poster contest. 

Monroe County Farm Bureau Certified Manager Brenda Seboldt explained that first graders are given a coloring page that highlights a popular food and explains how all its ingredients came from a farm or garden. On the back, kids can write a thank you letter to farmers. 

For the poster contest, fourth graders use Illinois AgMag, a magazine for kids, to design a poster on the crop or livestock featured in the issue. 

In both activities, winners will be chosen from each classroom. 

“It’s county-wide, so we deliver those to all the schools in the county, the public schools and the parochial schools,” Seboldt said. “It’s a way to highlight agriculture since that is the number one industry in the county.” 

The Monroe County Farm Bureau will also be rolling out its cow and pig displays at Rogers Elementary in Waterloo, Parkview Elementary in Columbia and the Valmeyer school, which depict the livestock along with all the foods and products made from it. 

A small treat will be given to school personnel who utilize the county’s Ag in the Classroom materials. 

Schrader said the education of youth during Ag Week is of utmost importance. 

“(I hope they gain) awareness of agriculture in their lives and perhaps spark an interest in agriculture,” Schrader said. “We have such great ag groups in our high schools and you never know when it’s going to pique someone’s interest in looking toward an ag career.” 

See page 5C of this week and next week’s Republic-Times newspaper for a special agriculture-themed crossword and word search, sponsored by the Women’s Committee.

The group will also be posting trivia questions to the Monroe County Ag in the Classroom Facebook page – play along in the comments for a chance to win Schneider’s Quality Meats gift cards. 

The committee is also asking local businesses with digital signs to help promote Ag Week or thank a farmer. 

This year, the committee decided to add community service elements to its festivities. 

This coming Monday, March 21, the bureau will provide apples, oranges and bananas as part of the Martha’s Kitchen free meals offered at St. John’s United Church of Christ in Waterloo. 

Then, on Ag Day, they will serve the Columbia Fire Department a meal from Imo’s Pizza. Seboldt and Schrader said they hope to continue the tradition of celebrating first responders, moving through the alphabet each year. 

“We’re all in this together,” Seboldt said. “We want them to know we support what they’re doing because they are being called to farms and our members. We just want to make sure they’re appreciated.”