A new Ag Mag has arrived! Check out the new Specialty Crop Ag Mag now available by contacting the Ford-Iroquois Extension office. Learn about the "Illinois...Where Fresh Is!" logo program. Different farms are featured in this newspaper publication. Farms and topics include herbs, pumpkins, apples, peaches, vegetables, Christmas Trees, wheat, bees, and horseradish. Kankakee County's William Olthoff of Olthoff Farms and Dutch Valley Growers, Inc. is also featured in this latest Ag Mag.

"February 12 will mark the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln who was the 16th President of the United States. Lincoln was born in Hardin County, Kentucky but makde Springfield, Illinois his home. Throughout Lincoln's life he had a strong connection to agriculture. Raised a son of a carpenter/farmer, Lincoln understood the importance of establishing the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1861. Lincoln's meager upbringing on the territory of western expansion and the numerous years he served as a country lawyer made him a spokesman for rural life. At the time of Lincoln's presidency, over 48% of the population were farmers. With a country so dependent on agriculture and the need for reform to do away with slave labor, Lincoln established the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1862, to ensure that young men were getting the best education related to production agriculture, Lincoln signed the Morrill Land Grant College Act into effect. The Morrill Land Grant donated public land to states and territories for colleges of agriculture and mechanical arts. The University of Illinois is Illinois' Land Grant College. Many communities throughout Illinois have connections to President Lincoln. " - from the L is for Lincoln educational packet

Take some time to celebrate President Lincoln's birthday! Here some things you can do!

- Read L is for Lincoln: An Illinois Alphabet by Kathy-Jo Wargin.

- Send a birthday card to President Lincoln - see http://www.lincoln200.net/

- Visit some of the famous Lincoln sites around Springfield like the Lincoln Home, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, Lincoln's Tomb.

For more on Lincoln and his birthday celebration you can visit www.lincoln200.net or www.lincolnbicentennial.gov.