From the competitions to the exhibits and celebrations, the Illinois State Fair serves as a summer tradition that showcases agriculture. Here are some highlights:
ISGA set records early
Within the first 72 hours of the Illinois State Fair, the Illinois Specialty Growers Association (ISGA) set records. From its stand inside the Illinois Department of Agriculture tent, ISGA sold 1,850-plus apple cider slushies; 1,143 servings from 230-plus watermelons; 1,370 peaches; 495 ears of cooked sweet corn; 450 water bottles; 225 apple cider floats; 216 ears of uncooked sweet corn; 180 servings of vanilla ice cream and 40 salads.
Compared to the 2021 State Fair, ISGA sold 750 more slushies and 500 more servings of watermelon in the first weekend. Additional orders were needed to restock supplies for hungry and thirsty fairgoers.
Records matched, set at Sale of Champions
Ashtin Guyer’s grand champion steer matched the record sale price of $105,000. This year’s winning bid came from First Lady M.K. Pritzker, who tied her record 2021 bid. Grand champion and reserve grand champion exhibitors receive a portion from the sale of their animals with other portions going to Illinois 4-H and FFA.
Chesney Thorton of Piatt County received a record $7,600 for the grand champion rabbit market pen, which was bought by Robert Nelson, George Obernagel and Darren Bailey. Another record was set for the Land of Lincoln supreme champion dairy cow print exhibited by Kamber Kilgus of Livingston County. The winning $5,500 bid came from Midwest Dairy, St. Louis Dairy Council and friends of Kamber Kilgus.
‘Thank you farmers’
FFA members at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences shared personal messages to farm families during the Ag Day breakfast. Introduced by Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, the teens, resplendent in official FFA dress, addressed the crowd and farmers who inspire them. Highlights from different students include:
• “Thank you, farmers, for all that you do. If you weren’t so great at your jobs, we wouldn’t have any food, clothes or necessary commodities to live our everyday lives. I do believe that your job is the toughest job in the world. It’s also the most important. It takes a lot of skill, effort and commitment to do what you do on a daily basis. As a student at Chicago Ag with my own experiences, I can better understand the daily struggles you have to face. The prices of growing and producing your commodities ... take time, effort, money and a lot of organization. ... On top of that, you still have everyday lives to live. You have friends and family who rely on you every day ... On behalf of myself and Chicago Ag, I say thank you for all that you do and continue to do.”
• “Thank you, farmers all over the world. If you didn’t farm, we’d have lots of problems ... The world is dependent on farms. I am so grateful for all the hard work to supply others with foodstuff. Thank you so much for what you do.”
• “Dear local farmers, every day I am influenced by your hard work, inspiring acts and great impact. ... Through being exposed to agriculture, I have begun to understand the importance of agriculture and farming. ... Everyone should thank farmers and farms no matter how big or small because no matter what you do, you depend on farmers and agriculture.”
By Kay Shipman FarmWeek
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