Youth ages 8 and older are invited to "bake bread" on August 5^th from 9:30 to noon. The workshop will be held at the Extension Building on Route 14 west of Benton. Participants will learn how yeast makes the bread rise, the skill of kneading dough, and other bread baking tips. There is no fee for this program. Lunch will consist of items baked during the morning. Registration is due August 1^st by calling the Extension office at 439-3178. Class size is limited, so call early.

U of I Dixon Springs Ag Center to Host Field Day

On August 7, the University of Illinois Dixon Springs Agricultural Center is hosting a field day that will interest crop producers, vegetable growers and livestock producers. The event runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and includes a complimentary lunch. Continuing education units for Certified Crop Advisers will be available.

The horticulture tour will feature organic apple production, the basics of strawberry production and tips on blueberry production.

The agronomy tour will highlight the topics of gene stacking in hybrid corn; Roundup^®, resistance and residuals; managing wheat diseases with fungicides; prioritizing fertilizer inputs when prices are high; and miscanthus production in Southern Illinois.

The natural resources tour will feature pond management and the Southeastern Illinois Prescribed Burn Association. An overview of beef cattle research will round out the day's program.

No advance registration is needed. For more details, call 618-695-2441. The Dixon Springs Ag Center, now in its 70^th year, is located 25 miles south of Harrisburg, Illinois, and 25 miles north of Paducah, Kentucky, on Illinois Route 145.

For more details, visit the Southern Illinois Agriculture website at http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/regions/ag and click the News section.

What To Do If You Are a Victim of Identity Theft

There are many things you can do if you are a victim of identity theft. Most of the time victims of this type of theft are burdened with the task of solving the problem themselves. Yet, there are agencies and organizations that can help you. So it is important that you act quickly to minimize the damage on your financial reputation.

According to Katherine Reuter, Consumer & Family Economics Educator, University of Illinois Extension, when resolving the identity theft, it is best to keep a log of all the steps you have done. This includes all conversations, plus dates, times, names, and phone numbers. It is best to confirm conversations in writing. Be sure to send all letters in regards to the identity theft via certified mail with a return receipt requested. Also, keep copies of all letters and documents.

Complete the following four tasks right away when you are an identity theft victim:

• Contact the police department where the identity theft took place. Obtain a copy of this police report. Do this in case you need to send a copy to your bank, credit card companies, and to any others who need proof of the crime.
• Call or write the three top credit bureau fraud departments. Inform them about your identity theft. You should request that a fraud alert be placed on your file. Also, request that no new credit be granted without your okay.
• Close all accounts with banks and credit card companies that were accessed or opened by the thief. Remember your quick actions are needed if you are a victim of identity theft. You must notify your banks and other financial places within two days of learning of your identity theft. You may be responsible for the first $50 of your loss. Most of the time, the victim does not have to pay a dime.
• Open a new checking and saving account with new account numbers and passwords. Use passwords that are not easy to figure out by thieves. Do not use these as passwords: your mother's maiden name, your birth date, your pet's name, your children's name, last four digits of your social security number, or anything easy to figure out.

Contact your local Extension Service office or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Identity Theft Hotline for more information on protecting your identity and what to do if you are a victim of identity theft: 1-202-382-4357 or http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/index.html.