Illinois Agriculture Leadership Program

My dear mentor Penny introduced me to an amazing program just over a year ago at the Illinois State Fair during the Ag Day Luncheon. I had the opportunity to meet Don Norton, the president and CEO of the Illinois Agriculture Leadership Foundation that same day. The foundation solely supports the program through funding from the alumni and agriculture businesses in the state. In a year’s time I had sat in on a panel discussion about the program, read the website top to bottom, attended a meet and greet meeting, applied, requested recommendations, interviewed, and got that wonderful acceptance call from Don himself. Two weeks ago we had our first meeting of the class of 2016!

 

This first seminar was an orientation of the program, meeting of the board members, some very encouraging words from the staff, and most importantly, meeting of our fellow classmates. I assumed we would do some cheesy ice breaker game but to my surprise the activity was not cheesy at all. We were all to prepare a quick, two minute, autobiographical speech and to bring a small memento as a visual aid. Some were simply a photo of their farm or family, some were more practical and others were highly clever. Mine… well, it was fun. I brought with me my bowling pin that everyone had signed from my birthday party this year. It represents my fun nature, love of social activity, and also the wonderful support system I have in all my family and friends. The main theme in all the speeches was how fortunately we all are to have such great people in our lives; our family, husbands, wives, children, brothers, sisters, parents, etc… This resonates everywhere but none more than in the agriculture industry. We are people orientated. The reason for our industry is to feed and nourish people. The farm is a FAMILY farm that is passed down from one generation to the next. I pleased and excited to get to know all of my fellow classmates but I’m certain we will all get along great because of our common interests and values that only come from people who are in love with agriculture.

 

To add to the excitement of our orientation meeting, we were all invited to the first annual Torch of Leadership Award Ceremony. The purpose of the awards is to highlight and showcase the accomplishments of our alumni. For me, it was encouragement - a sort of challenge. The winners have set high standards of leadership within the agriculture industry for all of us to aspire to. The dinner certainly added to the day’s activities.

 

My plan is to post after each of our seminars a few thoughts, ideas, and conclusions so that everyone can join me on this AMAZING journey! Here’s to the next two years in the Illinois Agriculture Leadership Program.

From left, Dan Kelly "Torch of Leadership" winner with
Krista Lottinville and Jennifer Waters from the class of 2016.

San Antonio, Texas - Rainy and 45°

Today we toured the city of San Antonio. We took our time getting around this morning and went for brunch at the Guenther House. The Guenther family owns and operates a flour mill along the river in southtown. They have kept much of the original home decor, tile, woodwork, and glass in the family home but turned it into a restaurant and gift shop. Mom and I had the Pioneer Platter which consisted of one enormous biscuit, a side of sausage gravy, two eggs, potatoes, applewood smoked bacon, and sausage patties. It was entirely too much good but every bit of it was to die for. I have no idea how they get their biscuits sooo tall. Dad got their famous pancakes and sausage. We looked around the house a bit and did a little shopping. I would definitely recommend it as a must stop for breakfast.

After brunch we hopped on a trolley that took us to The Alamo! Remember The Alamo! I'm not much if a history buff but I did enjoy this historic site. The most informative part was a 15 minute viewing of a history channel segment on the Alamo. It seems a bit modern to me and makes me laugh that the Texans flew a black and white flag with canon in the center that read "COME AND TAKE IT" like I dare you. Come and get it! Haha the Alamo is a great stop and a must see if you are in town.

Since we were close we decided to run over to the convention center to register for the Commodity Classic. We got our name tags and meal tickets without having to wait in line an then had a little snack of lemonade and popcorn thanks to Bayer Crop Sciences. It was just the boost we needed to make it to dinner.

We again hopped on a bus that took us to Market Square. It's a shopping area that sells everything you could buy if you were actually in Mexico including silver, leather works, sombreros, and beautifully painted pottery called talavera. I got an embroidered Mexican muumuu to wear at the lake.

Yet another bus ride back downtown - dinner was at Rita's on the River. It's a Tex-Mex restaurant with reasonably priced dinner and cold Coronas. Mom had the chimichanga, dad the chalupa, and I had sour cream chicken enchiladas. Everyone was stuffed so the meal must have been good. I'm hoping for a steak night soon!

We had a nice day despite the public transportation confusion and the cold and rainy weather. Looking forward to tomorrow for a full day of Commodity Classic goodness!

Commodity Classic 2014 in San Antonio, Texas

We have arrived! My father, the farmer, my mother, the retiree, and myself arrived in San Amtonio this afternoon to embark on our winter vacation in a warmer climate. We decided to pull double duty this year and hit up a southern state while taking advantage of all the agriculture education the Commodity Classic has to offer!

We made it to town in time to settle into our hotel and take a stroll down the river walk at dusk. Dinner was at County Line Bar-B-Q. Mom and I had beef brisket, dad had the ribs. U had my first taste of black eyed peas and lived them. Dinnet was delicious but the homemade warm wheat breat with honey butter spread stole the show. Be prepared, for the next week I'll be sharing lots of Ag related material... Mostly the meals we eat. Thank a farmer!

Also, can I just say... Hello Texas Cowboys! My name is Krista and I'm single.