[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 37 (Thursday, March 14, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E296]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN HONOR OF THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF THE TAZEWELL COUNTY FARM 
                                 BUREAU

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. AARON SCHOCK

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 14, 2013

  Mr. SCHOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the centennial 
anniversary of the Tazewell County Farm Bureau. Agriculture is a 
thriving industry and a way of life for many in Central Illinois, and 
the Tazewell County Farm Bureau continues to cultivate the traditional 
values of hard work and community involvement cherished by farmers for 
the past 100 years.
   Much has changed since 1913 when the Tazewell County Farm Bureau was 
founded as the first organization in Illinois to use ``farm bureau'' in 
its name. Woodrow Wilson had just been elected president, and American 
agriculture was in the midst of a Golden Age with demand for farm 
commodities and land values both at high levels. While steam tractors 
were used by some more affluent farmers, horse- and oxen-drawn plows 
were still common on most farms, and would remain the dominant tools of 
the trade until the 1950s. The Future Farmers of America would not be 
founded for another 15 years.
   Fast forward to today, 100 years later, and agriculture in Tazewell 
County is still thriving, led by the Tazewell County Farm Bureau. 
Tazewell County farmers have more than 166,000 acres of farmland in 
production, producing corn, soybeans, wheat, and alfalfa. The Farm 
Bureau provides support services to farmers, including starting the 
organization that today is the Pekin Insurance Company, which provides 
farmers' insurance for producers across the area. The Farm Bureau also 
works to carry on the traditions and values of farming to future 
generations, as well as to ensure that older members of the agriculture 
community continue to have a voice, through their Young Leaders and 
Prime-Timers programs. Both programs have been recognized as among the 
best in Illinois.
   The celebration of the centennial for the Tazewell County Farm 
Bureau is a time to reflect on the triumphs and hardships that 
agriculture in Central Illinois has seen over the last 100 years, but 
it is also a time to look forward. American farmers continue to feed 
the world, and the Tazewell County Farm Bureau ensures that they have a 
local partner in that effort. For all of the technological advances 
made in agriculture, nothing can replace the resilient spirit and 
strong community fostered by the Farm Bureau. I wish them fair weather 
and sustained success over the next 100 years.

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