Farm Bureaus raise $20,000 for ag program at Sauk Valley Community College

DIXON, Ill. — The Farm Bureaus for Lee and Whiteside counties raised $20,000 to benefit the agriculture program at Sauk Valley Community College.

The Lee County Farm Bureau and the Whiteside County Farm Bureau foundations hosted a fundraising campaign from June 1 to Aug. 31 where they matched $10,000 in donations.

“The generosity from our donors, especially the Lee County and Whiteside County Farm Bureaus, shows the overwhelming support for our SVCC Ag students,” said Lori Cortez, dean of institutional advancement. “With these funds, students will have access to state of the art technologies to prepare them to lead our local agricultural sector and beyond.”

The $20,000 will go toward expanding hands-on learning opportunities for the college’s ag animal science lab.

“Through the lab, students will be able to perform anatomy and physiology activities as they relate to animal reproduction, nutrition and digestion, and physical movements,” according to a SVCC news release. “Beyond the benefits to the animal science classes, customized training will be available with portable lab kits.”

Collaboration for training sessions will be available to county Farm Bureaus, area vet clinics, county 4-H groups and others in need of training.

Call the Sauk Valley Community College Foundation at 815-835-6260 or email foundation@svcc.edu to donate or for more information.