How Illinois Farm Bureau serve our members in July:
- Seventeen member-driven policy proposals moved through Illinois Farm Bureau’s grassroots policy process and will be voted upon by delegates at Annual Meeting.
- IFB recently accepted two students into the Illinois Veterinary Student Loan Program, which supports the next generation of veterinarians focusing on caring for food animals.
- IFB hosted an ag industry tour for Young Leaders, helping young farmers expand their understanding of U.S. agriculture through a multistate farm tour in New England.
- Nine county Farm Bureaus partnered with IFB to host Nutrient Stewardship Field Days, providing education, outreach and support to farmers as part of the state’s Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy
To learn more visit www.ilfb.org
Deadline to Register Extended for WARRENS CRANBERRY FESTIVAL: Travel with the Stephenson and Carroll County Farm Bureaus to Warrens Wisconsin on Friday, September 25th for this annual three-day event recognized as the world’s largest cranberry festival. The festival features three miles of booth frontage with 800 plus arts and craft vendors, 350 plus flea market and antique dealers and 100 plus farm market booths. Our bus will leave the Freeport Walmart at 7:00a.m. and arrive at the festival around 10:00a.m., leave the festival around 3:30p.m., dinner on the way home with the estimated arrive time home to be 8:00p.m. If you’d like to join us tickets for Farm Bureau members are $60 and no member $85. To reserve your, spot please call your county Farm Bureau: Carroll County 815-244-3001 and Stephenson 815-232-3186. Last year’s trip filled up, so don’t delay and sign up today.
Master Showman Ship: SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Toby Behrends of Sheffield was named Grand Champion Overall Master Showman on Aug. 14 during the 2026 Illinois State Fair Master Showmanship contest. Sixty-six young livestock exhibitors competed for the Master Showmanship title. The exhibitors, who were the winners of their respective 4-H county contests, showcased their skills and knowledge of animal husbandry at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. This prestigious competition invites 4-H members ages 14-18 years to display their showmanship skills across three species – beef, sheep and swine. The competitors were judged on their ability to handle each animal, knowledge of the species and animal husbandry, as well as overall showmanship skills. Three winners were named for each species and scores for all three species were tallied to determine the top five winners overall. This year’s contest winners are:
Grand Champion Overall Master Showman — Toby Behrends, from Sheffield, representing Bureau County. She is the daughter of David and Marinda Behrends.
Reserve Grand Champion Overall Master Showman — Alivia Porter, from Ashkum, representing Iroquois County. She is the daughter of Erik and Misha Porter and Jared Finegan.
Third Place Overall — Ryker Beckmier, of Morrisonville, representing Christian County. He is the son of Tucker and Megan Beckmier.
Fourth Place Overall — Bayli Brown, of Bridgeport, representing Lawrence County. She is the daughter of Michal Hendy and Glenn Brown.
Fifth Place Overall — Taylor Hendel, of Avon, representing Fulton County. She is the daughter of Shawn and Robyn Hendel.
Beef Division
Champion Beef Division — Wyatt DeAth, from Indianola, representing Vermilion County. He is the son of BJ ad Laura DeAth.
Reserve Champion Beef Division — Kinley Stolte, from Nokomis, representing Montgomery County. She is the daughter of Matt and Amy Stolte.
Third Place Beef Division — Callie Turner, from Mahomet, representing Champaign County. She is the daughter of Luke and Amanda Turner.
Swine Division
Champion Swine Division — Austin Komnick, from Auburn, representing Sangamon County. He is the the son of Jason and Melissa Komnick.
Reserve Champion Swine Division — Krosby Goebel, from Robinson, representing Crawford County. She is the daughter of Kurtis and Shannon Goebel.
Third Place Swine Division — Dillyn Heslop, from Leaf River, representing Stephenson County. He is the son of Dean and Kayla Heslop.
Sheep Division
Champion Sheep Division — JW Simms-Reisner, from Ellery, representing Edwards County. He is the son of Amanda Simms and Kenny Garrett.
Reserve Champion Sheep Division — Cole Knittel, from Downs, representing McLean County. He is the son of Rodney and Stephanie Knittel.
Third Place Sheep Division — Callie Turner, from Mahomet, representing Champaign County. She is the daughter of Luke and Amanda Turner.
Nearly $8,000 worth of prizes donated by sponsors were awarded this year. First, second and third place overall winners received $500, $400 and $300 cash respectively, a new show box and
other various prizes. Fourth and fifth place overall received a $200 and $100 cash respectively and other various prizes.
Each species division winner received a $100 gift card and a zero-gravity chair. Each contest participant received a t-shirt, bucket, harness and $25 gift card.
This year marked the 26th Annual Master Showmanship Contest held at the Illinois State Fair. This year's contest was hosted by Illinois Farm Bureau. Illinois Farm Bureau President Philip Nelson presented the awards. Congratulations to these outstanding young livestock exhibitors!
About Illinois Farm Bureau
Founded in 1916, Illinois Farm Bureau – originally known as the Illinois Agricultural Association – is a nonprofit, grassroots membership organization. Illinois Farm Bureau and a statewide network of county Farm Bureaus give members an advantage through impactful advocacy, trusted information, and meaningful development to support their careers and Illinois farm families. Learn more about Illinois agriculture at www.ilfb.org. Connect with Illinois Farm Bureau on Facebook: Illinois Farm Bureau | Facebook, Instagram @ilfarmbureau, X @ILFarmBureau, or on TikTok @illinoisfarmbureau.