For the first time in 35 years, the DeWitt County Farm Bureau has a new manager.

Clinton native, Janell Baum-Thomas, begins her term as the DeWitt County Farm Bureau Manager today. She is taking over for long time manager, Ken Bjelland, who is retiring at the end of the month. Baum-Thomas is excited about the opportunity, and feels her previous journalism experience, and service as a state FFA officer will serve her well in her new role.

Picture Right: Farm Bureau Vice President, Dave Steward (left) and Baum-Thomas (right)

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Baum-Thomas was born and raised in DeWitt county, which she also sees as a benefitw. One of her main goals in the new position is to increase the amount of communication that takes place between local farmers and consumers.

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Dave Steward, Vice President of the DeWitt County Farm Bureau, says the Board of Directors is excited about the move. He thinks Baum-Thomas brings a lot of positives to the position.

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Baum-Thomas will go through a few weeks of Illinois Farm Bureau training before taking over the DeWitt County Farm Bureau office full time.

A retirement celebration for Ken Bjelland is set for Thursday, January 28th, from 3 to 5:30p at the DeWitt County Farm Bureau building. You can RSVP by calling the office at 935-2126 by January 21st.