State fair time is always special in Iowa, and this year, with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation celebrating its centennial, it’s going to be even better.

As a Farm Bureau member, you’re invited to join the fun at member-exclusive events during the Iowa State Fair. You’ve probably heard about our big concert on Farm Bureau Day Aug. 14 featuring rising country music star Brett Eldredge. Tickets to the concert were snapped up fast, and the grandstand is already sold out.

Even if you couldn’t get concert tickets, members can still take part in other Farm Bureau Day activities at the fair. Some of those include the annual Cookout Contest on the Grand Concourse and the games, free member gifts and free health screenings at Farm Bureau Park. Also, members can sign up for a chance to win a John Deere crossover utility vehicle, valued at $23,000 or $500 worth of groceries.

Read through the Iowa State Fair supplement we’ve included in this edition of Family Living for schedules, and be sure to clip the coupon for the free gift and a chance at the John Deere utility vehicle. Someone’s going to win it, it might just be you.

Also in this edition of Family Living, we highlight the Cattlemen’s Beef Quarters at the state fair. Every day of the fair, they serve up quality beef dishes, burgers, prime rib, beef sundaes and others, that showcases the quality and pride of Iowa’s farmers.

After the fair, it’s back-to-school time. And as we all know, the lazy days of summer quickly become ones that are scheduled down to the minute. In this edition of Family Living, we visit with an expert on how to avoid overscheduling your kids to allow for unstructured, free play, which helps develop their physical, cognitive, social and emotional skills.

This month, we also look at the safe use of pesticides to control weeds and insects as our ardens, farmers markets and supermarket produce sections really hit their stride in August. These products are key tools to help farmers, and gardeners, grow the fruits and vegetables that we all should eat more of.

Our August edition of Family Living is full of interesting articles and useful information as you head to the Iowa State Fair. When you’re at the fair, or anywhere else in the state, keep Family Living in mind.

Most of our best story ideas come from our readers, so if you come across something interesting, just give us a call at 515-225-5416, or send us email at familyliving@ifbf.org.  We’d love to hear from you.

 
Dirck Steimel, Editor