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T he American Farm Bureau convention held in Nash-ville, TN was a very excit-

ing and rewarding event for the Arkansas Farm Bureau Women’s Committee. Our voting delegates got to be part of the process of electing a new Southern Region representative, and she’s from our own state — Sue Billiot! We are so

pleased to have her represent Arkansas and the south.

I am look-ing forward to serving as your state chair-woman for the next two years. I have been

involved in the women’s commit-tee for a long time and know that I have a big responsibility. We have a great new committee that is ready to serve and help you make plans for educational and ag promotion projects to use in your counties. With the school year coming to a close over the next two months, if you haven’t already, I encourage you to plan an Ag in the Class-room activity and take advantage of the many great resources avail-able for your use through the state office.

committee comments

Janice Marshchairwoman

®

First Quarter 2013

a r k a n s a s f a r m b u r e a u

KEITH SUTTON photo

Members of ArFB’s state women’s committee presented a gift of $4,000 to Ronald McDonald House in Little Rock on Feb 18. The Food Check-Out Week donation will purchase food items to feed families of seriously ill children staying at the facility.

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county activities

Ashley: The committee conducted a poster contest at elementary schools in the county.

Baxter: The committee conducted an Ag in the Classroom coloring contest for grades 1-3 at Norfork Elementary School. The commit-tee judged the entries and awarded prizes to the top three winners during a program at the school. The committee also arranged for James Rhein to speak to a mentoring class at Mtn. Home High School. Using the glass bee hive he educated students about the honeybee, their home and what is needed to be a beekeeper.

Benton: The committee participated in the Old Wire Road Elementary Career Day in Rogers November 15. Spoke to third, fourth, and fifth grade students (150 students) about careers in agriculture and what skills are needed as a farmer. The committee also presented a program on wheat for six classes of Kindergar-ten students at Sugar Creek Elementary.

Boone: The committee purchased and delivered books regarding farming and agriculture to Boone County Elementary School libraries. The committee also judged a quiz bowl at area schools and handed out Ag in the Classroom materials in the county office. The committee also attended the Boone County

The following activity summaries were submitted by the county Farm Bureau Women’s Committees:

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4-H Awards Ceremony in January and toured the new facility for youth and adults involved in agricultural activities for Boone County.

Calhoun: The committee donated toys for the Hampton City Police toy drive.

Carroll: A member of the committee read the book “Pumpkin Circle” written by George Levenson for

more than 500, K-2nd grade students in the county. The children were educated about different pumpkins, how you plant the seeds and how they grow. The students also watched a video that accompanied the book which dealt with how a garden grows. It explained the circle of life, pumpkin seeds and life cycles. Also, the committee had pumpkin displays of different kinds and sizes.

Chicot: The committee conducted a nutrition class called “My Plate”at Lakeside Elementary school. The committee discussed the variety of foods you can eat in each area and explained the four basic groups along with dairy. 93 students participated. The committee followed up with a “My Plate” quiz with 30 students participating. The committee also conducted a program on food safety for kindergarten and first grade students which stressed importance of hand washing.

Clark: The committee delivered healthy snacks to local classrooms for Back Pack Program, delivered oatmeal to area daycares, purchased and delivered healthy snacks to local hospital, and delivered home-made vegetable soup to shut ins. The committee also placed a photo of the coloring book, poster and essay contest winners in local newspapers.

Cleburne: Committee members attended the beef commodity division meeting in North Little Rock.

county activities

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KEITH SUTTON photo

Jessica Crawley (left) of Maysville was given a plaque by dairy division chairman Susan Anglin during the Jan. 30 winter commodity division meetings in North Little Rock. The division recognized Jessica for her outstanding efforts as Arkansas’ first Dairy Ambassador.

BAXTER CO. FB photo

On Feb. 19, Baxter Co. FB Women’s Committee members Jackie Morrison (left) and Roberta Goldman (right) delivered a $500 Mini Garden Grant to fourth-grade teacher Barbara Penrose (center) at Mountain Home’s Hackler Intermedi-ate School. Mrs. Penrose will use the funds for Ag-in-the-Classroom projects.

2013 arfb state women’s committee

A s your state women’s commit-tee, we are here to be a resource and assist you in your ag

promotion activities. Please feel free to contact us at any time.

JANICE MARSHchairwomanWoodruff County, District 2870-731-5660rmarsh@centurytel.net

SHERRY FELTSvice chairwomanMississippi County, District 1870-537-4772sherry.felts@yahoo.com

SUE BILLIOTex-officioSharp County870-528-3617kajunsue@centurytel.net

ROBIN WILLIAMSSt. Francis County, District 1870-633-8783

DANA STEWARTWhite County, District 2501-278-9132danadianestewart@gmail.com

CAROLE LICHTICarroll County, District 3 870-545-3371charleslichti@windstream.net

ANGELA JONESSebastian County, District 4479-462-3369ajones@greenwood.k12.ar.us

SARA LOEGarland County, District 5501-545-1572snwasl143@aol.com

MEREDITH BAKERJefferson County, District 6 870-536-3459meredithbaker@hughes.net

PEGGY MILLERChicot County, District 7870-265-5151peggymiller2@gmail.com

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®

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W omen’s Committee members from across the state visited Little Rock from March 8–9 to attend the annual ARFB Statewide Women’s Conference. Themed “Women of the Past,” this year’s conference featured entertain-

ment, multiple workshops and informational meetings.

2013 ARFB Statewide Women’s Conference

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Stone Union Van Buren Washington Woodruff

South Logan Scott Searcy Sebastian St. Francis

Mississippi North Logan Newton Polk Randolph

Columbia Crawford Cross Faulkner Miller

Boone Chicot Clay

Ashley Baxter Benton

ArFB State Women’s Committee

Columbia: Members of the committee judged 174 coloring sheets for the county Ag in the Classroom coloring contest and presented a program on beef by-products to 100 students, K-3rd at Taylor Elementary. The committee also conducted workshops on bicycle safety and assisted Amanda Williams during her program for K-3rd grade students at Emerson Elementary School.

Conway: The committee conducted an Ag in the Classroom coloring, poster, and essay contest. Contest winners were sent to the state office for judging. The committee donated a total of $100 to this program and the winners. Committee members also hosted a popcorn party for each class that took part in the contest. A committee member conducted a Health Program for the New Year discussing the importance of hand washing and sanitary practices with the Flu and other illnesses in our county and state. Healthy snacks and regular exercise were also part of the presentation.

Craighead: Members of the committee attended the women’s luncheon and Sew with Cotton contest at the state convention. Bailey Davis placed 2nd in the Cotton Dress youth category. The committee also provided 30 soy crayons and 30 Fun on the Farm coloring books for the Valley View Kindergarten Class. Commodity Ag readers were delivered to area schools. Those readers were: Cotton, Corn, Poultry, New Rice Ag Reader and Arkansas Rice Awesome, Beef, Dairy, Soybean, Apple, Pizza and AG Mag Careers. Melissa Cureton discussed

with a class how farmers protect the environment and let them know about the essay contest.

Cross: The committee conducted a dairy foods recipe contest, presented checks to the poster contest winners and conducted a financial training program at the high school.

Dallas: The committee conducted a farm safety poster contest at Fordyce and Sparkman elementary schools in November and arranged for a tornado and fire safety program to be conducted at Fordyce elementary in January.

Drew: The committee arranged for an ATV safety program to be conducted at Drew Central and Monticello elementary schools in December.

Faulkner: The committee conducted a pro-gram on forestry education at the Conway Arbor Day Celebration which had over 1000 people in attendance. The committee also conducted programs explaining rice and soybean production for nearly 150 Conway High School students in Faulkner County. 125 Wooster Elementary School students learned about fruits and vegetables grown in Arkansas

Garland: The committee conducted five adult nutrition programs for the Department of Community Corrections. Members of the committee also conducted 12 STEM programs for students in the Jessieville School District and two programs at Gardner elementary school. Members of the committee were

interviewed and had articles published about their programs in the local newspaper and Life and Home magazine.

Hempstead: Members of the commit-tee helped judge posters for the Ag in the Classroom poster contest.

Independence: The committee provided tours of a local farm on horseback for visitors. This included information on forage, beef, and equine. The committee also conducts monthly programs about nutrition and allowed pre-school and head-start classes to try new fruits and vegetables. The commit-tee also prepared a news release for the local newspa-per and radio advertising a stroke education program. The committee partnered with White River Medical Center and UAMS through the AR SAVES Program. Mr. Rick Washam of AR SAVES Health Education presented the program. Local leaders from the county will take the information to their businesses, churches, etc. 15 people attended from different sections of the county.

Jackson: The committee donated 25 coloring books and soy crayons to Harris hospital for the young patients. The committee also conducted an Ag in the Classroom coloring book and poster contest. A dis-tracted driving program was presented to junior high students by Amanda Williams. The committee also gave assorted cookie trays to state, city, and county police departments in appreciation for their service.

IZARD CO. FB photo

In lieu of a gift exchange, Izard Co. FB members attending the annual Christmas party donated to the Iz-ard Co. Angel Tree Project. Assisting were Women’s Committee members (l to r) Melissa Cooper, Rachael Phil-lips, Alma Shaw and Naomi Jones who collected $200 for this worth-while cause.

county activities

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POINSETT CO. FB photo

Family, school representatives and Poinsett Co. FB members recently met to recognize Harrisburg Elementary School second-grader Tessa Carter for winning ArFB’s 2012 state Ag in the Classroom coloring book contest.

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Jefferson: Members of the committee par-ticipated in the Jefferson County Extension 4-H Awards Banquet

Lee: The committee donated books to the library and the Lonn Mann Cotton Research Station in Marianna.

Lonoke: The committee conducted an Ag in the classroom coloring contest for students in local el-ementary schools. The committee also donated an item for the silent auction fundraiser at the State Convention and made an art supply donation to England public schools.

Miller: The committee conducted a poster contest for the 4th grade classes and awarded a bicycle as a grand prize. A committee member spoke to the high school seniors informing them about scholarships so they may apply for them in Jan. 2013 A lesson was presented by Barbara Sutton for the poster contest. From the soil to the spoon was the topic. The committee took pictures of the poster contest winners and was present when teachers gave a lesson on bicycle safety at Genoa school in January.

Newton: The committee promoted poultry and conducted a lesson in poultry production at Jasper School. The committee also distributed placemats about farming and ranching to 50 students, read the book “Seed, Soil and Sun” to 5th and 6th grade classes and donated agricultural bookmarks to the Jasper School. The committee also shopped for art supplies and donated them to the Deer and Mt. Judea schools.

North Logan: The committee conducted an Ag in the Classroom coloring and poster contest and presented a $50 check to Amanda Yang of Scranton School for 3rd place in the state contest. The committee also took information to three schools for the safety poster contest and made food and helped at the CASA Children’s Tea Party, a benefit to raise money for Christ-mas gifts for foster children in Logan County.

Perry: The committee made sure elementary teachers were aware that curriculum and materials are available through the Farm Bureau website. The com-mittee also delivered safety poster contest information to both elementary schools in the county.

Pike: The committee had one adult and two youth entries in the state Sew With Cotton Contest. Several members of the committee attended the State Farm Bureau Convention in November.

Poinsett: The committee conducted a coloring book contest in county elementary schools. Prizes and

certificates were awarded to 1st, 2nd, 3rd and overall winners. The county’s first place winner, won the state coloring book contest.

Polk: The committee conducted a coloring book contest for elementary school students in November.

Pope: The committee assisted Hector Schools in conducting a unit on eggs and chickens. They are using an incubator to show the students about the process of hatching chickens. Ordered poultry materials to be in conjunction with the incubator. A committee member is working with a 4-H club monitoring a stream of water for a water quality project and is utilizing Game and Fish employees in the project. Three women are now members of the county board of directors.

Prairie: The committee donated socks filled with rice to be used as heating pads to a local nursing home. The committee also selected two children off the local angel tree for Christmas and spent over $200 on gifts for them. At the annual Christmas party each member brought six or more cans of food which the committee donated to the local food pantry.

Saline: The committee cooked and delivered food to Community Christian Outreach for meals to be served to the homeless. The committee also contributed $50 to the celebration of lights during the Christmas season at the county courthouse. The committee also donated $50 to the Fire pup program This program is teaches children from 3-12 years of age about fire safety and burn prevention.

Scott: The committee conducted an Ag in the Classroom coloring contest for six classes of Waldron Elementary school first graders, a poster contest for fifth and sixth grade students at Mansfield Middle School and 12 classes of 8th grade students from Waldron and Mansfield Middle schools in the essay contest. In January the committee schedule Jason Kaufman to conduct presentations on drunk and distracted driving for students at Mansfield High School. In December the committee hosted a self defense course and arranged for local law enforcement officers to teach ladies ways to defend themselves in the event they are attacked.

Searcy: The committee donated art supplies to the Leslie, Saint Joe, and Marshall schools. The committee also conducted a poster contest at Marshall Elementary and had three winners from each class. The committee also donated copies of the book, “Seed, Soil and Sun” to the Searcy County Library, as well as Marshall Elementary, Saint Joe Elementary and Leslie Elementary schools.

Sevier: The committee met with local teachers to explain Ag in the Classroom and safety programs available to them. The committee purchased the American Farm Bureau Book of the Year for elemen-tary schools and is working with high school teachers to have their students read the book to elementary students. The committee also met with high school teachers about scheduling safety programs.

county activities

GREGG PATTERSON photo

Pulaski County Farm Bureau made its annual Food Check-out Week donation to Dorcas House on Feb. 20. Pictured with the women of Dorcas House are Pulaski Co. president Tracey Bemis (back row, second from left), Betty Oliver (far right) and Debbie Moreland (second from right).

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Sharp: The committee conducted a coloring, poster and essay contest for elementary school students in the county. Kyle Manning won first place in both the county and state essay contest. Cash prizes were awarded to the first, second and third place winners.

South Logan: Committee members visited both 5th grade classes at Magazine Elementary and conducted a unit on foods in America in the 1800s that were eaten by Indians and pioneers, compared to foods we eat today. The students ate corn, pumpkin, apples, crabapples, and jerky. Preparation of the food products was compared for the two time periods along with agriculture development. The committee also made a presentation on food crops grown in Arkansas for third grade classes at the school. The students helped compile a list of food items that could be used from the commodities listed to make a vegetable soup.

South Mississippi: The committee sponsored a field trip to Little Rock for 50 students from Manila. The group toured the Farm Bureau state office building and the State Capitol. They met with senators and representatives, and the Governor also stopped by to visit with students. The students also toured the Old Statehouse. The committee also conducted a poster contest and took photos of the winners for the local newspaper.

St. Francis: Committee members attended the state convention in Hot Springs. Sessions they participated in included the women’s luncheon and

Sew with Cotton contest, Ag in the Classroom and Rural Health Conference.

Stone: The committee donated art Supplies to the first grade at Mountain View Elementary School.

Union: The committee conducted a lesson on composting lesson for 80 students at a county school. The students brought food from home to place in the composter. The composted soil will be used in the school garden this spring. The committee also participated in a county healthy behaviors committee. Taught seven lessons on healthy lifestyles to county 4th and 5th grad-ers, taught a hand washing lesson to a 4-H group and arranged for an ATV safety program to be conducted for 143 fifth graders at a city elementary school.

Van Buren: The committee conducted its annual Holiday Menu Contest to promote cooking holiday meats, vegetables, fruits, dairy etc. The activity was pub-licized by sending a news release with photos of the high school teams competing in the contest. The Family and Con-sumer Science teachers at Shirley High school, Clinton High school, and at South Side-Bee Branch High school support the contest. It was held Oct 30th with newspaper coverage by the Fairfield Bay News and the Van Buren County Demo-crat. The committee also donated reams of poster board to the Clinton Elementary School art department. The value was $100. The state women’s committee for the past few years has provided an incentive for county Farm Bureau’s to contribute to the “arts” by matching one half of the donation up to $150. More supplies will be donated in February.

Washington: Members of the committee contributed $2 each to purchase food for a Thanksgiving basket that was delivered to a less fortunate family in the community. The committee also organized safety poster art donations, pick-ups, and judging and deliv-ered art supplies to area schools to promote the safety contest. Purchased combs, brushes and coats to donate to the Seven Hills Homeless Shelter.

White: The committee conducted a “Chemical Look-a-Like” program for the 2nd and 3rd graders at McRae Elementary school. 250 students were in atten-dance. Jason Kaufman, Laverne Hale and Peggy Smith conducted the program. Jason had 12 vials filled withmixtures that looked like something to drink or eat. These could be found in your home but would be poisonous. Examples: Water or lemonade was bleach, red Kool Aid was auto transmission fluid, grape juice was cough medicine, Gatorade was antifreeze. Papers were sent to the homes of the students to educate their parents about these look-a-likes. Two members of the committee conducted a Bus Safety seminar for the Sidney Deener Elementary School. There were 400 students that attended and learned proper bus safety and emergency situation protocol.

Woodruff: The committee attended the Sew with Cotton Luncheon at the state convention and conducted an Ag in the Classroom coloring, poster and essay contest at Augusta and McCrory elementary schools. The committee also conducted a safety program at McCrory elementary school.

county activities

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staff contacts

• Harry Willems, associate director of O&MP, 501-228-1247, harry.willems@arfb.com

• Autumn Wood, O&MP special programs assistant, 501-228-1306, autumn.wood@arfb.com

We participated in Food Check-Out Week in February. Our committee met at the Ronald McDonald house

and presented $4,000 in gift cards to the staff which they may use to stock their pantry with easy-to-prepare meals and food. We have partnered with Ronald McDonald house for the past 16 years.

The Women’s Conference was

held March 8 and 9 at Embassy Suites in Little Rock. We had a wonderful conference with lots of participation and good information I hope you are able to use in your counties. Thanks to everyone who attended and made this a success.

committee comments

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C O U N T Y C L O S E - U P S

Van Buren (holiday menu contest)

Clark (poster contest) Columbia (coloring contest)

Searcy (ag in the classroom)

Craighead (sew with cotton)

Independence (hospital care basket)

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arfb women’s committee calendar

Sun. Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat.

6

7 8 9 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22

earth day

23 24

administrative Professional’s day

25 26 27

28 29 30 2 4

5

cinco de mayo

ntl. day of Prayer

6 8 9 10 11

12

mother’s day

13 14 15second Quarter

women’s Quarterly rePort deadline

16 17 18

armed forces day

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27

memorial day

fb offices closed

28 29 30 2

2 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14

flag day

15

16

father’s day

17 18 19 20 21

first day of summer

22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

10

3

3

30

aPril 1

aPril fool’s day

may 1

may day

New Year’s DaY,fb offices closed

3 4 5

7

June 1

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP FORUM at Harding University in Searcy

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TEEN CHALLENGE at 4-H Center in Ferndale

ArFB BOARD MEETING

SPRING LIVESTOCK SHOW in LR