New leadership opportunity with IPPA

Do you love the pork industry? Are you between the ages of 25 and 40? The Illinois Pork Producers Association is looking for candidates for its inaugural class of pork future leaders. Selected candidates will participate in four meetings over one year, beginning in May.

Applications are now available at ilpork.com. The deadline to apply is Nov. 15, and the selection process will take place in December. All expenses will be covered for the designated participants. The annual program will highlight commercial production and encourage young leaders to get involved and be more active in the pork industry.

For questions, contact Jennifer Tirey at 217-529-3100 or [email protected].

Source: IPPA

2017 Friend of ACES award recipients honored

The University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences honored Evelyn Brandt Thomas and George Obernagel III with the 2017 Friend of ACES award in early October. The Friend of ACES award recognizes non-alumni who have made outstanding contributions to the growth and success of the College of ACES.

A businesswoman, philanthropist and civic leader, Thomas, Waterloo, Ill., grew up on a small family farm near Pleasant Plains, Ill., and was active in 4‐H. She graduated from Springfield High School in 1940 and earned an accounting degree from Illinois Business College. Thomas and her brother Glen Brandt started a fertilizer business in the early 1950s to supplement the family’s farm income.

Today, Brandt Consolidated Inc. is a multimillion-dollar international company and was named to Inc. Magazine’s list of 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies in 2012.

“Evelyn knows the importance of supporting young people in their pursuit of a college education,” says Angie Barnard, executive director of the Illinois 4-H Foundation, who nominated Thomas for the award.

“She strives to make the lives of scholarship recipients a little easier, and hopes they are able and willing to pay the generosity forward in the future.”

Obernagel graduated from McKendree College in Lebanon, Ill., and completed graduate trust school at Northwestern University. In addition to his career in the financial industry, Obernagel is the owner and operator of a family farm with acreage in Nebraska, Arkansas and Illinois. He manages a purebred Angus herd, is part owner of seven Wm. Nobbe & Co. John Deere dealerships, and owns the Waterloo Republic Times newspaper and other businesses.

“George Obernagel is no stranger to the University of Illinois, College of ACES, 4-H or community service,” says Steve Loerch, Obernagel’s nominator, and former professor and head of the College of ACES Department of Animal Sciences. “His dedication to U of I puts him in the same category as loyal alumni.”

Source: University of Illinois, College of ACES

Illinois Corn Marketing Board internships available

Attention college students: Applications for the Illinois Corn Marketing Board’s spring 2018 social media internships are due by Dec. 1. Social media interns with the Illinois Corn Marketing Board are encouraged to promote agriculture via various social media outlets.  Each intern receives an application to focus on, including Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, and generates a fan base and content for his or her app to promote the work of corn farmers and the image of agriculture. 

Social media interns are compensated for their semester of work, and the experience results in an online portfolio for resumes or job interviews. Interns will learn more about their social media application, including techniques for building readership and interactions with fans and followers.

Interviews will be held in Bloomington, Ill., Dec. 5-7.  For more information, contact Lindsay Mitchell at [email protected].

Source: IL Corn