Fast Tools are pre-setup excel spreadsheets that assist you in analyzing the financial health of your operation. By using these tools you can prove your financial health to your lender and make the annual visit with the banker more informative. On January 10, computers and trainers will be at the Macon County Extension Office to show how to use the tools. The program begins at 10:00 a.m. and runs to 3:00 p.m. The cost for the program is $45. Pre-registration is done by sending the attached form or you can register on line at www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/fasttools/.

The morning session will focus on assessing the historical health of a farm through the preparation and interpretation of financial statements and ratios. The afternoon session will focus on projections through enterprise budgets and cash flow preparations.

Optional Session

Following the afternoon session, participants are invited to stay for a one-hour introduction to the Farm Service Agency's Government website. This optional session will review how participants can use this online service.

The meeting will be conducted using a mobile computer lab. Each user will have access to a laptop computer. Participants can bring their own portable computer (Microsoft Excel, version 97 or higher is required). All participants will receive a FASTCD, workshop notes, and a subscription to FAST. In order to facilitate computerized training, this workshop is limited to 25 participants.

Agricultural decision-makers have a new place to start their day "The Farm Gate," an Internet blog updated daily by University of Illinois Extension.

"The Farm Gate is a place to go to find integrated information across a variety of disciplines, including crop and animal sciences, ag economics, ag engineering, and veterinary medicine," explained U of I Extension marketing specialist Darrel Good. "These disciplines will be addressed as they meet, intersect and often intertwine to shape the environment in which the ag community lives and works."

The Farm Gate is located at: http://www.farmgate.uiuc.edu/.

Good noted that the "blogger," Stu Ellis, brings unique qualifications and insights to the task.

"Stu has been a presence in Illinois agriculture for more than 30 years," said Good. "The key to setting up this blog was finding someone who can write, is interested in the subject matter, and has the broad experience necessary to see connections among seemingly unrelated items."

"Stu has a resource base from land-grant universities, governmental agricultural agencies, and other information sources," said Good. "He will serve as a filter for the most valid, timely, and relevant information found on these sites. He'll synthesize and summarize this information, and provide links to the original articles, as well as other blog sites."

The Farm Gate, Good noted, is a response to a recommendation from farmdoc's (Farm Decision Outreach Central) advisory board.

"They told us they'd like to have something on the Web that addressed agriculture matters across subject lines," said Good. "We believe that this blog can focus on current information, regardless of subject matter, and broaden the spectrum of information topically and geographically.

Recent postings on the blog by Ellis include such topic as 2006 cropping decisions, the recent federal budget reconciliation legislations, tax planning, and ethanol.

The site also includes links to farmdoc and U of I sites focused on integrated pest management, livestock, and agronomy and links to Extension programs in several other states as well.

Comments are also invited from users.

"Today, agricultural producers are in a highly competitive, low-margin business," said Good. "We think the information provided by this blog will help them make the decisions that will keep their businesses successful."

blog\ blag\ n: weblog; a frequent, chronological Internet publication which offers information of interest to a specific community of users, with opportunity to respond to that information with questions or commentary.

Each summer, 4-Hers across Macon County come together for the Macon county 4-H Show. The annual event is highly anticipated by 4-H members as it showcases the projects, which many have worked hard to complete throughout the year. This opportunity for exhibition and judging is one of the hallmarks of the 4-H Program because it truly allows youth the opportunity to practice valuable life skills. Whether it is practicing their interviewing skills during conference judging, or realizing a particular project accomplishment, 4-Hers have the chance to learn and improve their skills for the next year at the Macon County 4-H Show.

In the summer of 2006, the Macon County 4-H Show will have a new look. The general 4-H Show will be held July 17-20, 2006. The 4-H Show will still be held at the Macon County fairgrounds, just at a different time than the Macon County Fair.

The date for the 4-H Show has been moved to July to allow the 4-H members more time in the summer to finish their projects. It also allows time for horticulture and field crops to develop and mature in time for exhibit. In addition, the later date gives 4-H more available dates outside of the school year to hold camps and workshops, on topics like cooking and photography, so that you have a greater opportunity to display what they have learned this year in 4-H at the 4-H Show. Mark your calendars and plan to stop by the Macon County Fairgrounds in July to see the projects of over 200 Macon County 4-H members!

Furthermore, Macon County 4-H, in conjunction with Champaign and Piatt counties, will hold a joint livestock show in the summer of 2006. This is a great opportunity for 4-Hers from Macon County to meet their peers in surrounding communities and to increase entries at the 4-H livestock show. Recently, livestock numbers in all three counties have seen a decline. By combining our entries, we can provide a better 4-H Show in an environment of healthy competition and learning. This new Livestock Show will be bigger and better than our 4-H livestock shows in the past including activities and attractions pertaining to 4-H livestock.

Each county is hosting a portion of the livestock show. The dates are as follows:

Macon-Piatt Horse Show

Tuesday, June 13 at Big Creek Stables in Mt Zion

4-H General Livestock Show

Thursday, July 6 in Monticello

4-H General Livestock Show

Thursday, July 26 at the Champaign County Fairgrounds

After the General Livestock Show on July 26, the 4-H Auction will begin at 6:00 pm. At this event 4-Hers have the opportunity to sell one of their animals exhibited during the 4-H Show to businesses and individuals encouraging the hard work of our 4-Hers. Come to the Champaign County Fairgrounds to show your support of Macon County 4-H.

4-H members work hard throughout the year in preparation for the 4-H Show. These changes to the 4-H Show provide an enriched environment, giving 4-Hers time to complete their projects before the event and increasing entry numbers to allow for competition. The changes are part of a pilot and will be evaluated at the end of the summer before making plans for 2007.

If you are interested in getting involved with the 4-H program and helping to "Make the Best Better" for the youth of Macon County, contact the Macon County Extension Office at 877-6042. 4-H is open to all youth ages 8-18 in 4-H clubs throughout the county.