Full Text of HR0194 101st General Assembly
HR0194 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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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