CLINTON, ILL. – Local farmer Andy Hedrick recently directed a $2,500 America’s Farmers Grow Communities donation, sponsored by Bayer Fund, to the DeWitt County 4-H Foundation.

 The DeWitt County 4-H Foundation donated the funds to the DeWitt County 4-H Fair Board for use in the building of a new bathroom and shower facility on the fairgrounds.

“The DeWitt County 4-H Foundation would like to thank Andy Hedrick for submitting for the America’s Farmers Grow Communities program grant. The $2500 grant will help the 4-H Fair Board complete its building project to replace the existing 68-year-old fairgrounds’ bathroom," says Doug Harlan, DeWitt, Macon, and Piatt Counties Extension Director. "The new bathroom and shower building will provide 4-H’ers exhibiting at the annual 4-H Fair with a much overdue upgrade."

Since 2010, the America’s Farmers programs have awarded more than $57 million to nonprofits, aspiring ag students, and public schools across rural America. Farmers know the needs of their communities best, so the America’s Farmers programs rely on them to help identify the most worthy causes.

The Grow Communities program partners with farmers across the country to provide nonprofit organizations with resources to strengthen their local communities. Each August, farmers can enter for the chance to direct a $2,500 Grow Communities donation to a local eligible nonprofit of their choice. Farmers have directed donations to food banks, emergency response organizations, schools, youth agriculture programs, and many others that reflect the spirit and support the vibrancy of rural America.

“Farmers truly understand the needs of their communities and where the opportunities to strengthen them exist. We partner with them to identify the nonprofit organizations that benefit from Grow Communities donations,” says Al Mitchell, Bayer Fund president. “Each donation shines a light on the organizations that are making a positive difference in rural communities across the country. Bayer Fund is proud to partner with farmers to give back in rural America.”

“The DeWitt County 4-H Foundation thanks the Bayer Fund for its generous support of our mission to promote 4-H and ‘to make the best better’,” says County Director Harlan.

To learn how you can be an America’s Farmers Grow Communities recipient, visit www.AmericasFarmers.com. The America’s Farmers Grow Communities 2022 program will kick off on August 1, 2021, and farmers will once again have the opportunity to enroll for a chance to direct a donation to a local eligible nonprofit of their choice.

Source: Doug Harlan, County Director, University of Illinois Extension