As we approach the end of the first quarter of 2012, have you taken a look at your health and wellness resolutions? You know, the ones you made in January: eat healthier, have better portion control, lose weight, prune your schedule, get in shape and exercise regularly. Any of those sound familiar? One of the [...]

Manufactured homes, sometimes dubbed mobile homes, often log disproportionately higher energy bills than traditional wood-frame or modular homes. But you can take steps to help manage energy costs and increase comfort. Manufactured homes come in several configurations: singlewide, doublewide and triplewide. Doublewides and triplewides require a crossover duct to provide air flow between the sections [...]

All over the country, people are taking the time to enjoy the simple pleasures of growing their own vegetables and herbs. From small container gardens and raised beds, to community-based home farms where people grow food with neighbors, the idea of home-grown goodness has taken root. In fact, a recent survey from Triscuit found that [...]

That favorite sweater, afghan or suit, or any other product bearing a wool symbol, had to begin somewhere. That origin could have been on a farm in Illinois. The history of raising sheep and harvesting wool goes way back in time. It got its start in frontier times when J.G. Stolp, a New Yorker, built [...]

A day doesn’t go by that Denice Kinney doesn’t think about her sister, Julie, who passed away in 1999 after a battle with cancer. Kinney is an employee of Wayne-White Counties Electric Cooperative in Fairfield where she works in the records department. Denice and Julie shared a special bond as horse lovers as well as [...]

In the late 1920s, Illinois Farm Bureau members realized the need for reliable, affordable fuel for their new tractors. They joined together to form the first predecessor cooperatives of today’s GROWMARK system. When it started out, GROWMARK had nine participating counties. The success of the cooperation led the original nine and the leaders of the [...]

Turn off the television and video games and grab your turkey call; there are more places for young turkey hunters to go hunting this coming spring! The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has a new program, Illinois Recreational Access Program (IRAP) which leases property from private landowners to provide for more places for youth [...]

He was just a little boy in a cowboy hat leaning on the wooden rails of a sale barn, watching farm animals being sold to the highest bidder. Little did he know he was watching a cooperative in action, a group of farmers, which for the good of individual businesses, had come together to do [...]

Renowned speaker Jack Schultz, who authored Boomtown USA in 2004, says a number of small Illinois towns have revitalized their economies and made themselves more appealing in recent years. The book, which pinpoints what Schultz coins 7 ½ keys to big success in small towns, has enjoyed a high profile status among community leaders looking [...]