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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives wish to congratulate Derek and Renee Martin of | ||||||
| 4 | Mount Pulaski on being named national winners at the 63rd | ||||||
| 5 | Annual National Outstanding Young Farmers Awards Congress, | ||||||
| 6 | which was held February 7-10 in Bettendorf, Iowa; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, The National Outstanding Young Farmers program is | ||||||
| 8 | the oldest farmer-recognition program in the United States and | ||||||
| 9 | selected its first group of national winners in 1955; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, The program is sponsored by John Deere, | ||||||
| 11 | administered by the Outstanding Farmers of America, and | ||||||
| 12 | supported by the National Association of County Agricultural | ||||||
| 13 | Agents and the U.S. Jaycees; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, From a group of ten finalists, four national | ||||||
| 15 | winners were selected for the award based on their progress in | ||||||
| 16 | an agricultural career, extent of soil and water conservation | ||||||
| 17 | practices, and contributions to the well-being of the | ||||||
| 18 | community, state, and nation; and
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| 19 | WHEREAS, The family farm of Derek Martin began in 1827 with | ||||||
| 20 | a man he describes as "a pioneer citizen that farmed with | ||||||
| 21 | decided strength of character and rigid honesty of deeds and | ||||||
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| 1 | words, who was not afraid to work"; these characteristics have | ||||||
| 2 | been passed down the Martin family line throughout the last 200 | ||||||
| 3 | years; and
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| 4 | WHEREAS, As a seventh-generation farmer, Derek continues | ||||||
| 5 | the family's commitment to conservation, as his father began | ||||||
| 6 | no-tilling in 1983; Derek has expanded that practice to include | ||||||
| 7 | cover crops on 50 percent of his 3,200 corn and soybean acres; | ||||||
| 8 | and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, Derek and Renee Martin worked with an agronomist | ||||||
| 10 | to develop a biological solution, applied in both the spring | ||||||
| 11 | and the fall, that allows the soil ratios back into balance and | ||||||
| 12 | improves the soil health, soil aggregation, water | ||||||
| 13 | infiltration, and water-holding capacity; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, Derek Martin earned a degree in farm and financial | ||||||
| 15 | management from the University of Illinois; prior to beginning | ||||||
| 16 | farming five years ago, he had a career managing grain | ||||||
| 17 | elevators; and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, Renee Martin was a dental hygienist before their | ||||||
| 19 | return to the family farm; she now stays home to help with the | ||||||
| 20 | farming operation and also cares for their two sons, Dean and | ||||||
| 21 | Reed; both of the Martins coach youth sports, and Derek is | ||||||
| 22 | president of the township park district and the drainage | ||||||
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| 1 | district; therefore, be it
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| 2 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 3 | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 4 | we congratulate Derek and Renee Martin on being named one of | ||||||
| 5 | four National Outstanding Young Farmers award winners; and be | ||||||
| 6 | it further
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| 7 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 8 | presented to Derek and Renee Martin as an expression of our | ||||||
| 9 | esteem and respect.
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