URBANA, Ill. – Compeer Financial, through its Fund for Rural America, has invested in Illinois 4-H and farmdoc, in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois. A check presentation was made Wednesday during the Farm Progress Show in Decatur.

Support to farmdoc

Since its launch, farmdoc has consistently delivered unbiased and timely economic information to agricultural producers and businesses. The farmdoc website sets the standard for round-the-clock access to seamless and integrated information and analysis. Subject matter coverage by the farmdoc team includes finance, marketing and outlook, management, law and taxation, policy, crop insurance, and other issues important to agriculture.

farmdoc will mark its 20th anniversary with a celebration in September. 

“farmdoc is providing information to our clients and other producers to help them make critical business and economic decisions on their farms,” said Rod Hebrink, president and CEO of Compeer Financial, following Compeer’s $30,000 investment in the program. “Farmers in our 144 counties and across the country are getting access to information to help them making better decisions and create a better future for their operations.”

In the past year, farmdoc websites (farmdoc, farmdoc daily, and Farm Policy News) were visited by 3.4 million people. Illinois accounted for 716,000 visits (#1), Minnesota accounted for 193,000 visits (#3) and Wisconsin accounted for 111,000 visits (#12) – for a total of 1.02 million visits from the three states.

In addition, the Twitter feeds associated with the project were viewed 14.4 million times. Adding together the website and social media usage, the farmdoc project had 17.8 million “digital contacts.” Contacts came from every state in the U.S. and nearly every country around the globe.

“Compeer Financial’s support of farmdoc ensures that information remains readily available to producers and allows farmdoc to be a global online resource accessed by nearly 3.5 million farmers and agriculture industry representatives annually,” says Scott Irwin, Laurence J. Norton Chair in agricultural marketing.

The continued support from Compeer Financial in 2019 helps farmdoc fund the development of new decision resources, such as the crop insurance tools and the FAST (Farm-Analysis-Solution-Tools) programs.

Support for Illinois 4-H

Illinois 4-H youth development has provided the opportunity for youth to feel a sense of belonging, develop independence, practice generosity, and experience mastery. The 4-H movement supports young people from elementary school through high school with programs designed to shape future leaders and innovators.

“4-H creates an environment where the next generations of leaders can explore, learn, and grow,” said Karen Schieler, senior corporate giving specialist at Compeer Financial. “Creating these leaders and opportunities is essential for the future of Illinois and the rural communities served by Compeer.”

Compeer Financial’s $20,000 investment in Illinois 4-H this year helps in funding programs such as the state public speaking contest, as well as supporting core programs in the areas of food access, animal sciences, leadership, and environment.

“We appreciate that Compeer sees value in investing in the development of today’s youth to become tomorrow’s leaders,” says Shelly Nickols-Richardson, associate dean and director of Illinois Extension. “The goal of providing a pipeline of leaders and professionals into enterprises like Compeer Financial depends upon the continued ability to grow youth through 4-H.”

Kim Kidwell, dean of the College of ACES adds, “Compeer’s commitment to Illinois 4-H supports opportunities for youth to explore their interests, build their leadership skills, and make connections with new friends, mentors, and future employers. This continued support advances our work in youth development to help develop young people into future leaders of a better world.”

Compeer Financial is a member-owned Farm Credit cooperative serving and supporting agriculture and rural communities throughout 144 counties in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Based in the Upper Midwest, Compeer Financial exists to champion the hopes and dreams of rural America, while providing personalized service and expertise to clients and the agriculture industry.

Compeer Financial is the third largest cooperative of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of lending institutions supporting agriculture and rural communities with reliable, consistent credit and financial services. Learn more about Compeer Financial.