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BRADFORD — Just like in Aesop’s fable, the city mice came out to visit their country cousins in the Bureau County area this week.
But instead of mice, it was Rep. Dena Carli (D-Chicago) who brought a couple of carloads of family and friends to tour some agricultural operations in the area.
Carli’s visit was part of the Illinois Farm Bureau’s Adopt-A-Legislator Program, which is designed to build long-term personal relationships between urban state legislators and farmers by educating the legislators about agriculture, the state’s largest industry.
Currently, 72 urban legislators have been "adopted" by county Farm Bureaus and Bureau
County had been paired with former Rep. Susana Mendoza of Chicago. Carli was appointed to the seat after Mendoza was elected Chicago City Clerk, and this week's visit was the first for Carli.
Carli was accompanied by her husband, Dennis, their three young sons and other members of Carli’s family and staff, including her mother.
The visit included a stop at Ag View FS in Buda, a trip to the Cowser hog farm near Bradford, a stop at the Crescent Ridge wind farm and a tour of the Patriot ethanol plant in Annawan.
Carli was accompanied on her tour by Bureau County Farm Bureau Manager Jill Frueh and several area farmers.
Frueh said the Adopt-A-Legislator program is important because the number of urban legislators is growing while downstate is losing legislators.
“We want them to be aware of what goes on on the farm, and to get accurate information directly from farmers,” Frueh said. “This is an opportunity for an open dialogue so when they are faced with a bill regarding agriculture, they will be prepared.”
Frueh said she was pleased with the visit, and especially for the opportunity to take Carli to the hog farm.
“It’s not always easy to get on a livestock farm due to concerns with biosecurity issues,” Frueh said. “We wanted a livestock farm because gestational crates are huge in the news right now.”
Cheryl Walsh and Darin Cowser led the tour at the hog farm. Walsh explained how they have 2,200 sows, with about 110 farrowing each week, giving birth to about 1,100 pigs. They raise the baby pigs until they’re three weeks old, and then they are shipped out for another hog farmer for finishing.
Carli and her group asked numerous questions, especially about the gestational stalls, which limit a sow’s movement.
“Pigs in general are fighters,” Walsh said. “That’s why we use gestational stalls. We don’t want them to get hurt.”
There were also questions about the sows’ quality of life.
“Their job in life is to produce more pigs for us so we have meat to eat,” Walsh said.
Carli found the tour to be very educational.
“We don’t think of animals as our food,” she said. “So much goes into this that you don’t think about.”
Carli said her goal with the tour was to learn about the basic process of farming so she can better work with her downstate colleagues on issues.
Carli said she learned a lot on her tour.
“I learned how much time goes into farming,” she said. “It is a 24/7 job. It is such hard work and learning how our food is produced from farm to store shelf was amazing. It help me to understand why food prices fluctuate and how the farmers are impacted.”
Carli said she also realized the youth in her district seem to forget about a career in agriculture.
“With our economic state and the shortage of jobs, I will encourage the youth to consider degree in agriculture and making farming a career,” she said.
The Adopt-A-Legislator relationship doesn’t end with the one visit. Frueh said she and several area farmers will travel to Carli’s district near Midway Airport later this summer to learn about the issues and concerns she faces in her district.
Frueh said the Adopt-A-Legislator program is a good thing.
“If we can get anybody from Chicago or an urban area to come out to learn about agriculture, we’re glad to have them,” Frueh said.
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