The Annual Member Appreciation Dinner will be held on Thursday, July 29th beginning at 4pm at the Forest Preserve Park in Monticello.  A free Pork Chop Dinner will be served from 4-6pm with entertainment begining at 6pm.  Please RSVP to the Farm Bureau office. 762-2128

LEADER PAGE 7/27/2010 11:49 AM

GROCERY TRENDS - Today’s Wall Street Journal reports that Kroger is implementing a scoring system as part of a nationwide move by grocery retailers to get pushier about offering nutritional advice. Other chains, such as Hy-Vee Inc. in the Midwest, are hiring dietitians to advise shoppers on how to select healthier food.

DISASTER AREAS - Governor Quinn has declared 12 counties as state disaster areas after heavy rains caused flooding throughout much of northern Illinois. The state disaster declaration will help communities in the 12 counties recover from devastation caused by flooding resulting from a series of thunderstorms Friday night into Saturday. Counties declared state disaster areas include: Carroll, Cook, DuPage, Henderson, Jo Daviess, Lee, Mercer, Ogle, Rock Island, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago.

COLD WINTER - WGN meteorologist Tom Skilling says this upcoming winter may be as cold as this summer is warm. He says looking back at five seasons comparable to this year's indicates four of the five winters which followed produced below-normal temperatures. Two of the winters were among the coldest on record: 1977-78 and 1983-84.

LEADER PAGE 7/26/2010 2:13 PM

HEALTHY CRACKERS - Kraft Foods says it will more than double the amount of whole grain in many of its Nabisco crackers, becoming the latest food maker to respond to consumer and health advocates' demands for improved nutrition from packaged foods. Kraft will increase the whole grain in more than 100 products over the next three years, the company announced today.

CRP SIGNUP - USDA announced that a general sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) will begin on August 2, 2010 and continue through August 27, 2010.

CAP AND TRADE DOA - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has ended efforts to include cap-and-trade provisions in energy legislation the Senate is expected to consider this month. Instead, Reid plans to pass a watered down bill that will address offshore oil drilling and energy efficient buildings, natural gas vehicles and funding for the Land and Water Conservati