If you live in a rural area that is constantly exposed to the wind, you could save money by installing a farmstead windbreak. In the winter, a dense multi-row windbreak can save 10 to 40 percent in home heating costs. Energy used to cool your home in the summer can also be reduced by installing a windbreak.

Windbreaks can have other benefits too. Wildlife habitat, especially with the addition of shrubs, can be created. Fruit trees or trees for fuel wood production can also be incorporated into a windbreak, providing food and fuel for your home.

Join Dave Shiley, Natural Resources Management Extension Educator as he presents windbreak design, planting, and maintenance. Renovating old windbreaks will also be discussed. This statewide teleconference is set for November 12th, from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m., at the University of Illinois Extension Christian County office, located at 1120 N. Webster St., Taylorville, IL.

Advance registration is due by Friday, November 6. The cost of the program is $5 per person. To register, contact the U of I Extension Christian County office at 287-7246 or register online at http://christian.extension.uiuc.edu.

The University of Illinois Extension office in Taylorville will be the host site for a Beef Cow-Calf Field Day and Research Project Update on Wednesday, November 18, 2009.

The 2009 field day will highlight many developments of new and ongoing local research utilizing teff, winter annuals, tropical maize as silage and the rotational grazing/paddock system in place at the U of I Dudley Smith farm near Pana.

Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the U of I Extension Christian County auditorium at 1120 N. Webster St., Taylorville.

At 10:00 a.m., Gary Letterly, U of I Extension Christian County Natural Resources Management Educator, will provide updates and program introductions. Special guest, Dr. Robert Kallenbach, professor, University of Missouri, Division of Plant Sciences, will share information on "Extending the Grazing Season in Illinois with Winter Annuals." His program will emphasize forage/livestock systems—winter feeding.

U of I researchers Mike Vincent and Wendy White, will also share, "Tropical Maize Silage Yield and Nutritional Value" as part of a Dudley Smith Farm study this past year.

Ed Ballard, retired U of I Extension Animal Systems Educator from the Shelbyville area, will provide cattle project updates and will be your host for a brief tour of the grazing project (weather permitting) beginning at the Pana farm around 11:45 a.m.

Coffee and donuts will be provided by the Dudley Smith Initiative (DSI). To attend, please register by calling 217/287-or register online at http://christian.extension.uiuc.edu by noon on Friday, November 13th.

"Legislative Update 2009"—November 19

This Tele-Institute will provide all local government officials with a review of current State and Federal legislative issues. Officials will learn the progress of these State and Federal legislative issues and the impact they have on Illinois local governments and the communities they serve. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss new legislation with professionals who specialize in State and Federal legislative issues.

The session will be held from 3:00—5:00 p.m. at the University of Illinois Extension Christian County office, 1120 N. Webster St., Taylorville, IL. Preregister by calling the U of I Extension office at 287-7246.

The Christian County 4-H Foundation is now selling copies of the brand new 2009 Christian County Plat Book published by Rockford Map Co. Copies are available at the U of I Extension Office and the Christian County Soil and Water Conservation District office for a cost of $35.

If you wish to have a plat book mailed and billed directly to your residence or office, please include an additional $5 for postage and handling, and send it to the U of I Extension Christian County, 1120 N. Webster St., Taylorville, IL 62568. You may access the order form on the homepage at www.extension.uiuc.edu/christian under the "Program Registration" section.

The University of Illinois Extension Christian County will be conducting one Pesticide Safety Education training and testing program this winter at the Extension office located at 1120 N. Webster St. in Taylorville.

This program will train private pesticide applicators needing re-certification. The certification exam is based on information found in the training manual available from the Christian County Extension Unit Office.

The training program will start promptly at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 1.

Advance registration is required (no later than Nov. 25) along with a $30 fee for training. Seating is limited. For more information or to register, call 287-7246 or register online at http://christian.extension.uiuc.edu.

The date for the PSEP "Test Only" session is Monday, February 22, 2010, at 10:00 a.m., at the U of I Extension Christian County office. Advance registration is required no later than Thursday, January 18, 2010. There is no fee to attend the "Test Only" session.

Argentina is the country we will study as part of the International HCEA program in 2009—2010. On Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 9:30 a.m. in the U of I Extension office auditorium.

You will have the opportunity to learn more about Argentina, its culture and cuisine. Several recipes will be prepared for sampling. Come and try them out. We would appreciate it if you would call 287-7246 and let us know if your coming so enough food can be prepared.

The Republic of Argentina is located in southern South America. Its capital, Buenos Aires, a bustling modern city is the capital. 85% of the Argentinean people are Caucasian of Italian and Spanish descent. The flag of Argentina consists of three horizontal stripes of light blue, white, and light blue with a radiant Sun of May in the middle of the white band. The national drink is Yerba Mae tea made from a kind of holly leaf and sipped from a gourd through a metal straw. We will be sampling this tea at our international program on December10.

The Christian County LEADership program is now accepting applications for the 2010 class, which will begin in January. This program is designed to enhance the social and economic well being of Christian County by developing an active group of effective leaders.

Participants will learn about the community's opportunities, needs, problems, and resources. In addition, they will identify and analyze current economic, political and social forces affecting the county's future; and establish effective peer relationships and develop effective communication between participants and community leaders in order to educate participants moving people and ideas to action.

Sessions will be held each Tuesday afternoon beginning on January 12 and ending on March 30, 2010 from 1:00—4:00 p.m. with the exceptions of January 12 and March 2. These will be all day sessions.

Class size will be limited to 20 participants and is open to anyone interested in the future of Christian County. Tuition for the program is $199 and includes a one day orientation meeting, class materials and supplies, weekly refreshments and guest speakers.

LEAD program applications are available at the University of Illinois Extension Christian County located at 1120 N Webster St., Taylorville, IL, 217-287-7246, and the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce, 108 W. Market, Taylorville, IL 62568, at 217-824-4919, or you can go online to http://www.extension.uiuc.edu/christian. Checks should be made payable to the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce.

The deadline for submitting applications is January 8, 2010.

The U of I Extension office will be closed for the Thanksgiving holidays on November 26 & 27.

Remember making funny cake, blond brownies or chocolate crinkles? Do you remember these goodies from your 4-H experience? These and many more recipes from 14 University of Illinois Extension 4-H foods project books can be found in a new "favorites" cookbook available from the Illinois 4-H Foundation.

More than 150 of your old favorites from 4-H foods project books such as: You Learn to Bake; ABC's of Food; Adventures in Cooking; It's Fun to Cook; Milk and Eggs; Meat in Your Meals; Pastry in Your Meals; and Yeast Breads in Your Meals are included in this 8 ½" x 11" spiral bound cookbook. Recipes are listed by 4-H project book, alphabetically, and by food category for easy reference.

A limited supply of these cookbooks are for sale at the U of I Extension Christian County office for $15 each. Proceeds from cookbook sales will support current 4-H foods project resources and 4-H volunteer training.

Check out the "Today's Features," section on the U of I Extension Christian County website and get the latest information on news affecting Christian County residents.

Click the "Local Links" tab and scroll to the "Nutrition & Wellness" section to find the newly updated Apples and More website. This site includes information about varieties of apples and nutrition facts, such as calories & fiber content. Recipes and a list of apple orchards in the four-state area are searchable by county.

Click the "Local Links" tab and scroll to the "Weather" section to find the new Winter Storm Resource Center website. Snow and ice are a normal part of Illinois winters, and U of I Extension has a wonderful website to help cope with winter storms. The Winter Storm Resource Center includes information about understanding storms; how to get around in snowstorms; and various health and safety issues. It's a wonderful place to go to find highway conditions and weather forecasts.

Click the "Local Links" tab and scroll to the "Horticulture" section to find an updated Pumpkins and More website. This site is filled with information about pumpkin history, varieties of pumpkins, selection and use, and nutrition. In addition, there are several links for parents and teachers to plan fun activities for students.

We are gearing up to offer 4-H Shooting Sports as a group project in Christian County, and R. D. Elder, a farmer and avid hunter from the Mt. Auburn area, has agreed to be our county coordinator and will receive training later this fall.

Sport shooting and archery are favorite pastimes for many families. In fact, approximately two thirds of the homes in the United States have firearms, so teaching safe responsible use of firearms and archery equipment is vital to preventing accidents in the home or in the field.

The Illinois 4-H Shooting Sports program is a youth development education program that uses a prevention education model strongly emphasizing positive youth-adult interaction and peer leadership. The program enhances family communications and quality time together.

The University of Illinois Extension 4-H Shooting Sports Program will provide instruction in the safe handling of firearms and archery equipment. The program teaches a variety of life skills that include: self-responsibility, decision-making, self-discipline, goal setting, teamwork, safety and others.

We will continue to search for other volunteers to complete the requirements set by the State of Illinois for archery, air, shot gun, and coordinators.

If you are interested in volunteering to help with this effort, please call Jodi Heberling at 287-7246.