Carroll County Farm Bureau

Here is an interesting article written by Joanie Stiers who is a freelance writer out of Williamsfield, IL. As I read it, I thought more about smells and going to a farm. My most favorite smell is silage. I cannot get enough of that smell, as if most of you needed one more strange Chas-fact. So as you read it think of that smell that you treasure and let it take you back.

"He stepped from the attached, two-stall garage, exhaled and smiled. "Ahh,the garage smells great," he said. I swallowed my laughter too late; he was serious. The combination of vehicle fumes, grass clippings and basketball possessed the mood-lifting powers of lavender for this New York City resident. He views the garage and its corresponding fragrance as a small-town luxury.

The New Yorker visited my in-laws' home recently with eight of my sister-in-law's friends. This visit is among several interactions I have throughout the year with big-city friends who experience our area of tiny-town Illinois. I learn something new to appreciate at every meeting, but the garage's odor was among the least of my predictions.

I decided that if he likes the garage so much, he should vacation here for some rural aromatherapy - with fragrances we country folk most enjoy.

The three or four times a summer when Grandpa mows the hay tops the list.

The hay's sweet smell is worth bottling, and jumping the fence for, if you're a cow.

Or, I suggest smelling welcome rain through slow nasal inhalation with your eyes closed. By "welcome," I mean a rain the crops need. Farmers breathe through only their mouths when the crops don't need the rain. (OK, not really. But by comparison, it's hard to enjoy the smell of a grilled ribeye steak when you're full.) I'm unsure whether I like the smell of the rain or everything it makes wet besides our dog.

It takes practice to appreciate the fragrance of quality, black soil. I believe the aroma of freshly turned soil keeps the neighbor content with his cab-less tractor for field work. Meanwhile, most farmers use tractors with a climate-controlled cab, leaving only those outside the glass to ride high on soil fumes.

Then, I could offer an itinerary filled with other pleasant, rural fragrances: fall's harvest air, lightly toasted marshmallows on a wiener roast fire or the local pork producers' food pavilion at the county fair. After a few aromatherapy sessions, we could step inside for a home-cooked dinner, an aroma commonly shared and appreciated, whether in Little York or New York. I predict that most anyone can prepare a meal that smells better than the garage."

The Young Leaders will be holding their second pedal pull of the season this Friday night, June 26 at Old Settler's Days in Lanark. We will be taking registration at 4:30 with the pull at 5. We hope to see you there!

Farm Bureau Classifieds

Carroll County Farm Bureau members can place up to two (2) free classified ads per week, with a limit of 250 characters per ad (not including spaces). Ads are limited to personal or farm items for sale/wanted to buy, or farm labor or services available or wanted. No ads for the sale or rental of real estate, garage sales, or commercial businesses will be accepted. To place an ad, call the Farm Bureau office at (815) 244-3001 by noon Friday to get your ad in the following week's paper.

FS: 1973 Smokercraft boat and trailer 16 ft deep hull, $800. 815-684-5419

FS: Black entertainment center, like new. Matching 6 shelf media/book case. $80 for pair, will split up. 815-684-5419

FS: 25 beef cows running w/angus bull. 815-718-5308

FS: 1993 Ford 5610 tractor, low hours, with a woods loader, excellent condition. $15,000 OBO. 815-244-9610

FS: Boat motor and trailer- 1985 15 ft Bayliner, 85 hp Force motor, tilt trailer. $2600 OBO. 815-684-5565

FS: International Lo Boy, good condition, comes with 60 inch mower deck, blade, chains, hydraulic lift on mower. $3500 OBO. 815-684-5565

FS: 2 piece solid oak hutch, top cabinets are glass. Will deliver within 25 miles, $150 OBO. 815-864-2087

Free To A Good Home: Cats and Kittens. 815-259-2315

FS: 32" Larson aluminum storm door. Used-as is-complete with all hardware. 815-244-9340

FS: 42" Lavatory cabinet ceramic top w/faucets, storage door and 2 drawers. 815-244-9340

Wanted: 20-25 big round grass alfalfa bales of hay. Also 6 big round bales of 2nd or 3rd cutting. 815-336-2018

FS: 2 truck toppers. 1-8ft fiberglass. 1-fiberglass that fits Ford Ranger. 815-535-6510

Wanted To Buy: Good used stove & refrigerator. Prefer white. 815-244-9742 Please leave a message.

FS: 14K Ylw Gold w/10-Pt Diamond Men's Pinky Ring ~ Think Fathers Day! Exceptional Clear Diamond Qlty; Diamond Sz: 10 Pt; Ring Sz: 7; Wt: 6 Grams. Includes: Ring Box. Frank Jewelers, Freeport Retail Value: $750. Asking $275.00. Lanark - 815.493.8523.

Wanted: Dog kennel fence pen or individual panels. Call 815-493-2456, leave a message.