Come hear the award winning, A Cappella vocalist group: m-pact on Thursday, November 19th at Rivermont Collegiate! Rivermont is located at the Bettendorf Estate on 1821 Sunset Drive in Bettendorf, Iowa. This 9:00 a.m. performance is open to the public and admission is FREE.

Acclaimed by the San Francisco Chronicle as "one of the best pop-jazz vocal groups in the world". M-pact's ability to use the unadulterated power of nature's "first instrument" - the human voice - has garnered them worldwide recognition as a leader in vocal music.

This unstoppable sextet has received international recognition and accolades such as Vocal Group of the Year from the LA Music Awards, an Indie nomination (the Independent GrammyTM), Artist of the Year (Seattle Music Awards), and Grand National Champs of the Harmony Sweepstakes competition. Furthermore, m-pact received the incredible honor of being the first foreign artist ever granted permission to perform at Istana, the Singaporean House of Parliament.

Audiences come expecting to be entertained and leave astonished by the "musical journey across Technicolor soundscapes produced by this "Cirque du Soleil of Song"

For additional information on Rivermont Collegiate, contact Director of Admissions, Cindy Murray at (563) 359-1366 ext. 302 or murray@rvmt.org.

For additional information on the m-pact performance, contact Tammi Burrell at (563) 359-1366 ext. 337 or burrell@rvmt.org.

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"Big Three" Seed Companies, Environmental, Industry Experts Among Featured Speakers

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - Nov. 17, 2009 - Iowa farmers find themselves at a crossroads, faced with state and federal budget cuts, a downturned economy and difficult commodity markets.  These challenges impact not just farmers, but all Iowans who depend on the continued availability of safe, affordable food grown right here in Iowa.  These and many other issues will be discussed at Iowa Farm Bureau Federation's (IFBF) 91st annual meeting Dec. 2 and 3 at the Polk County Convention Center in Des Moines.  The meeting will be held in conjunction with Iowa Farm Bureau Week (Nov. 29 - Dec. 5), as proclaimed by Governor Culver.

"Iowa Farm Bureau's 91st annual meeting theme, 'Right Time, Right Now,' is a perfect testament to the challenges facing Iowa farmers as they work to provide food, fiber and energy for a growing world population," says IFBF President Craig Lang.  "Our members believe we stand on the precipice of great opportunity, provided we take the time, 'right now,' to make some tough decisions for the betterment of all." Lang will speak with members about the difficulties facing the state and its farmers and opportunities to meet them during his annual address on Dec. 3.  The address will start at 8 a.m., opening Thursday's general session.

Guests from Monsanto, Pioneer, Syngenta, Heartland Power REC, Iowa Office of Energy Independence, Dairyland Power Cooperative, Iowa Soybean Association (ISA), National Soil Tilth Lab and Iowa State University (ISU) will also join the conversation, offering their insights during panel discussions:
Tracy Blackmer of ISA, Jerry Hatfield of National Soil Tilth Lab and Matt Helmers of ISU will discuss reducing nitrogen use Dec. 2 from 2 - 3 p.m.
Roger Tjarks of Heartland Power, Greg Watkins of Iowa Office of Energy Independence and Kenric Scheevel of Dairyland Power will discuss issues surrounding the regulation and transmission of electricity Dec. 2 from 3 - 4 p.m.

Sam Eathington of Monsanto, Bill Niebur of Pioneer and Ben Hable of Syngenta will discuss emerging seed technology Dec. 3 from 10:30 a.m. - noon.  
Third generation logger Bruce Vincent provides the keynote address Dec. 3 at 9 a.m.  Vincent, a longtime logger and promoter of socially responsible business, is President of Communities for a Great Northwest, Executive Director of Provider Pals and co-owner of Environomics.  Vincent's message encourages farmers to share their expertise as food providers, environmental protectors and animal caretakers with the consumer public that depends on them.

The IFBF annual meeting also celebrates the contributions of Farm Bureau members with a recognition luncheon on Dec. 2 and a young farm leaders achievement luncheon on Dec. 3.  The meeting will also feature an industry trade show and evening entertainment.  Mulberry Lane, a quartet of sisters from Omaha, will perform a holiday concert at the Polk County Convention Center the evening of Dec. 2.

Farm Bureau will wrap up its annual meeting with a voting delegate session on Dec. 3.  At that time, the delegates will hold elections.  The following directors are up for re-election this year: Craig Lang, president; Carlton Kjos, District 1 director; Phil Sundblad, District 3 director; and Richard Merrill, District 5 director.  In addition, the county delegates will elect nine farmers to represent Iowa as delegates to the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in Seattle, Wash., Jan 10 - 13.

Members can register for the 2009 IFBF annual meeting at their county Farm Bureau offices.  For more information about the 2009 Farm Bureau annual meeting, visit http://www.iowafarmbureau.com/images/ammtg.pdf.

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Environmental News

(Kansas City, Kan., Nov.17, 2009) - Entries are now being sought for the 2009 President's Environmental Youth Awards, which recognize individuals, school classes (kindergarten through high school) and youth organizations for protecting our nation's air, water and land.

The program, which honors a variety of environmental projects developed by students, is open to students in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska through EPA Region 7 in Kansas City, Kan.

The program has two components: The regional certificate program and the regional award winner. Regional certificates are awarded by each of the regional offices of the EPA. Each regional office also selects one first-place project as its regional award winner, and the sponsor and winner of that award travel to Washington, D.C., to receive their award.

Projects must be postmarked by Thursday, December 31, 2009. Program guidelines, eligibility information and applications are available online at http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/peya/index.html

or by contacting Denise Morrison toll-free, 1-800-223-0425. Regional award winners will be notified in January 2010.

Here's a brief look at Region 7's award winning project from last year:

2008 - Recycle Rally, Scottsbluff Neb. High School, Scottsbluff, Neb. - Elizabeth Turnbo, a student from Scottsbluff High School, organized a family event to educate and inform the Scottsbluff community about the importance of recycling and where to take recyclable items. The rally featured six games, five informational booths and four displays, all made from recyclable materials, as well as an informational handout that included maps to local recycling facilities.

More than 250 people, or more than twice the crowd that Turnbo hoped for, participated in the Recycle Rally. The Recycle Rally has become an annual event.

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(November 16, 2009)--Moline, IL - The Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce kicks off the holiday season with its annual "Taste of the Chamber" beginning at 5:15 PM on Thursday, November 19, 2009 at the Isle of Capri located on 1777 Isle Parkway in Bettendorf, IA. This festive event combines the best of fun, food sampling and the soothing rhythms of the Black Hawk College Jazz ensemble...add to that the warm, relaxed company of this area's top leaders and you may find a new spicy combo you can't live without as well as the business contact that could make your 2010.

The event will feature tastings from the Chamber member restaurants and caterers. The list of participating vendors, to date, includes:

• Fireworks Coffeehouse
• Lagomarcino's
• Ganson's Neighborhood Café
• Jumer's Casino & Hotel
• TGI Fridays
• Hy-Vee
• The Captain's Table
• Sam's Club
• TPC Deere Run
• Bridges Catering
• Aramark
• Denny's
• The Hungry Hobo
• Bass Street Chop House

The cost of the event is $10 for Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce members and $20 for guests. Stop at any of the above participating eateries and ask for a $5 off coupon. Bring your appetite and your business ideas for this grand mix of networking and  cuisine sampling from around the area just in time to become aware of new holiday gathering places as well as and catering possibilities for year-end parties and 2010 events.

For twenty five years the Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce has been bringing together the right people with the right products...right here in our hometown.

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